Math is Real Life - July 2014 Edition

 I am happy to once again join up with the fabulous linky hosted by Miss Math Dork, 4mulafun, The Teacher Studio, and Teaching to Inspire in 5th! 

Here we are, the first week of July! It is officially summer vacation! Even though I have been off with baby for over 3 months now, it will be nice to have hubby home with me for the next 2 months!

One of the things I most look forward to in the summer is visiting the local Farmer's Markets. There is nothing like farm fresh veggies and fruit. My dream has always been to have a large garden of my own one day from which I can make pickles, can tomatoes, and harvest veggies to last us into the winter months. Now that we have the land, we just need to find the time. I had big hopes for my dream garden becoming a reality this year, but alas with baby and the huge amount of rain we've had, it just isn't going to happen this year. Never the less, we will have some fresh veggies.

My "garden" this year consists of some plants in this old abandoned well that was on our property when we bought it, and some pots around the house. Not quite what I had in mind, but it will have to do for now.

Gardening really is quite a science... and of course math. There are a lot of things to take into consideration, to maintain a plentiful garden. Where to plant, what to plant, how to plant, and so on. My grandpa was an avid gardener and he has shared a lot of his wisdom with me. I use to love going into his garden as a child (and even an adult) and popping fresh cherry tomatoes in my mouth. I want to pass this love of homegrown, fresh food on to my own children. So when it was time to plant our garden, I asked my son to help.

Here was my son's pick for his garden - Rattlesnake beans.

When you buy a packet of seeds, they come with directions stating how to plant.

 According to the package, for best results, the seeds need to be planted 10 cm/4 in apart and 2.5 cm/1 in deep. (Now try telling a 3 year old you can only plant 4 seeds in our tiny garden. We may not have followed the directions perfectly, but he is so excited to see them grow.)

We ended up putting in 2 rows with 8 seeds per row. So we should hopefully end up with 16 plants covered in 20 cm / 8 in green beans streaked with purple.

So now we wait...

Apparently I am suppose to construct a tepee like structure for them to grow up, as they grow to 10 feet! I'll add that to the hubby's to-do list!

If each seed we planted takes, my little garden is going to be overtaken by rattlesnakes! Can't wait!

The package claims that we will have beans in 60-90 days. As of yesterday, we are off to a pretty good start!

If you are a gardener as well, I wish you a plentiful garden this summer!