Groundbreaking
Armed with shovels, spades, rakes and ready for action muscles, instructors, staff and students broke ground for what should be a promising organic culinary garden. Mixed with a butterfly sanctuary, the garden is being dug up right in the middle of what once was one of Chicago's toughest neighborhoods, in the CHIC parking lot, now CHIC, hip and very urban.
After digging for a while, we soon realized the muscles were not ready for the very thick grass on the north side of the school, and we ran off to Home Depot to rent a rototiller. The garden right under the admissions window was a breeze, but the other side across the way was really tough, so we decided we will cover it with about a foot of topsoil to kill the grass. This area gets full sun and this will be the vegetable garden. We plan to install at least six different tomatoes, six types of basil, at least 4 kinds of peppers, zuchini, cucumber, beans, oriental vegetables and but of course, thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano, some mint. I am even trying to get roots on a store bought lemon grass.
After the back breaking hard labor, Chef John bought the group some Bari subs and Chef MIke brought some soda.
This week, we will amend the soil with store bought topsoil, some manure from the horse farm , compost, peat moss and perhaps some bone meal or blood meal. for some slow released food. BY next week, we hope to plant.
Thanks to evrybody who came and participated. Bill Mustari, Chef John with Matthew, Michael and Alexander, Chef Mike Skufca, Emily Johnson, Sala Schweiger, Tabitha tattone, Daniel Crum, Andrew, Gerry McCarthy
