Finally Fall: Growing Garlic in NJ

Wild is the music of the autumnal winds amongst the faded woods.

William Wordsworth

Fall is a perfect time to get outside and we hope that our November articles will inspire your next open-air explorations and prompt your further investigations.  This is a busy time for nature, and we will highlight just a few of the happenings that occur above our heads, on ground level, and even beneath our feet as the displays of color, beauty and activities contribute to the concert of autumnal abundance.

It may not be a surprise, but plants don’t just magically appear on supermarket shelves. This resource is full of materials created to introduce students to the world in which their food grows, both domestically and out in the wild that surrounds them! Students can expect to learn about plant anatomy, to investigate interactions with surrounding habitats, and to explore their relationship with these plants in human-centric settings like the supermarket.

You might be familiar with farmers markets as a way to get fresh, local fruits, and vegetables. Often times this food is grown right in your community, and was likely picked only a day or even a few hours before you purchased it... neat, right? Believe it or not, there's a way to get local food that's fresher than what's at the farmers market and that's through growing your own food in a garden! Fall is the perfect time to plant one of our favorites here at Duke Farms - garlic! Community Garden Coordinator Melissa walks you through garlic's history, how to plant it, eat it, and even more things you might not have known about this pungent veggie. Watch the video to see step-by-step planting instructions and check out the PDF for garlicky activities and readings for learners. 

Download the full PDF here.

This resource was created by Melissa Almendinger.