The TJMS Community Garden 2025 Season is Under Way.
The TJMS Community Garden has been a Plot Against Hunger participant for over a decade, donating produce to AFAC and other local food pantries. The Jefferson Community Garden is the largest school garden in Arlington, and we are taking our community responsibilities seriously. But more than that, we are working to become a hub for joyful community and learning. Have you ever thought of starting your own garden, but you feel a little overwhelmed? Volunteering with our experienced gardeners is a great way to learn more about starting a garden, managing pests and diseases, and how to plan for seasonal harvests. A sunny Saturday morning in the garden is a great family activity, and it's the perfect place to meet friends to socialize while volunteering and getting a bit of fresh air and exercise.
Bring Friends or Family and Join Us in the Garden:
We would love you to join us in the garden. We have regular garden workdays every week from 10 AM to noon Saturday mornings. Not quite ready to start gardening today? Sign up for our newsletter and we'll send you weekly updates about our workday plans, and pictures of what we're doing in the garden.
Stay tuned to our Facebook page for late-breaking schedule updates and weather cancellations.
Garden videos:
We are planning a hugelkultur mound, and collectin...
A tour of our sugar snap peas and strawberries, ou...
A tour of our dry riverbed and surrounding plantin...
Our native asters and goldenrod. A veritable 🐝 ...
Sometimes for fun we go visit other native pollinator gardens. Have you seen the garden at Lubber Run? It’s gorgeous. ... See MoreSee Less
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With 100% chance of rain predicted at 7pm, we are going to cancel tonight’s volunteer workday. See everyone Saturday morning instead! ... See MoreSee Less
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The weather is keeping us on our toes, so check back in tomorrow for the final word on whether we will have a volunteer workday in the TJMS garden from 7-8:30. ... See MoreSee Less
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Liatris and zinnias just starting to bloom. ... See MoreSee Less
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Thanks to our Saturday morning volunteers, who harvested, tied up plants, watered, and weeded with us in the garden. ... See MoreSee Less
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It’s a sad day for our squash and zucchini, as we attempt to treat for squash vine borers. We did surgery to remove the grubs, sprinkled with rooting powder, and reburied the stems. Then we planted a different variety (Romanescu, which is vining instead of the bush Black Beauty zucchini we planted at the beginning of the season). I think we will take a break from summer squash and zucchini for a few years, and try resistant tromboncino and butternut instead.)
mood:
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What’s left of the squash and zucchini after surgery. 😢
Putting this in the comments so it’s easier to avoid if you want to:
Yep, bad! Very bad both Leaf Footed & SVBs. So very bad i gave up zucchini & pumpkins this year. Unfortunately both can fly. The SVB males love pollinating mint, catnip, oregano & anything Umbellifer -aka-Apiaceae. If possible monitor those plants for SVBs. It’s easier to trap males & search for eggs. I’m still working ways to eliminate Leaf Footed Bugs. This entails cleaning gardens & removing eggs
Too bad!
Oh they’re just the worst. One day big beautiful leaves and the next sad floppy leaves and a pile of grossness at the stem
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It looks like the weather will be sunny and low eighties for our first Wednesday evening volunteer workday. See you at the TJMS Community garden from 7-8:30 tonight! ... See MoreSee Less
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Our volunteers enjoyed the cooler weather today as we weeded, fertilized, squished squash beetle eggs, and planted cucumber and more okra seeds. We rescued a couple of tiny potatoes a squirrel dug up, found one tiny eggplant that the squirrel dragged out of the garden, and exactly one glorious yellow squash. The blackberries aren’t ready to be picked, yet, but they’re getting closer. ... See MoreSee Less
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Maypop/passionflower in the native pollinator garden. They’re creeping closer to the sunshine every year, then they’ll really show off. ... See MoreSee Less
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See you in the garden this Saturday from 9-11 for our garden volunteer workday. ... See MoreSee Less
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Our midweek harvest of squash, zucchini, eggplant, and basil took us up to a total of 108 pounds so far this season. ... See MoreSee Less
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Peek into our native pollinator garden to see what’s blooming: asters, coneflower, false wild indigo, bee balm, milkweed, and more. ... See MoreSee Less
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Join us in the TJMS Community garden from 9-11 Saturday, June 21. ... See MoreSee Less
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Troop 557 is the Girl Scout Troop that started the Thomas Jefferson Middle School Garden for their Silver Award project when they were Cadettes.Girl Scouts Troop 557 opening Flag Ceremony at the Congressional Women’s softball game, which pit Republican and Democratic Congresswomen against women in Washington, D.C. Press Corps. The event raised money for young women battling breast cancer. Member of Congress –Donna Edwards (D-MD) –far right greeted Girl Scouts in photo. ... See MoreSee Less
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Great workday today! With a lot of help from Fleet students and their families, we harvested chard, squash and beets, weeded, transplanted and pinched back basil. ... See MoreSee Less
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Last garden club of the year we painted rocks to make garden signs, had basil sugar cookies made from last year’s basil compounded into basil butter, and arranged flowers for the 8th grade dance with a combination of purchased and garden flowers. ... See MoreSee Less
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I need that sugar cookie recipe and the compound butter ratios! Sounds delicious
We’ve got mulch to move, so we will be there until we get rained out. Grab a raincoat and meet us there! ... See MoreSee Less
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Hang tight, we may be cancelling again today. Give us a few more minutes to consult. ... See MoreSee Less
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Thunder!
We are closing the garden and canceling this morning’s workday. ... See MoreSee Less
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Rescheduled for tomorrow morning though, for anyone who is available.
The garden is open, but we are looking nervously at the sky as it starts to sprinkle. ... See MoreSee Less
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Closing the garden due to thunder (and more rain).
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