August means getting ready for the kids to go back to school so we have been busy in the Titan Garden getting everything ship shape. Our adoption families did a great job of garden care over the summer and I can’t thank them enough. Hopefully they got their fill of tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, chard and herbs all summer long as their payback!
We have some great projects we have undertaken to make the garden even better- John as always helped me get all of this done. First, we have added a task list chalkboard up at the garden where we will be able to list our Garden To Do list so anyone can come by and help anytime. Or leave fun notes for us. Second, we have added a drip irrigation system for the vegetable garden, which will help our watering chores. I was inspired by the simple PVC system they use at the Children’s Garden at the San Antonio Botanical Garden, where they just lay PVC and drill small holes along the pipe for water to come out. Hook up a hose and you’re ready. Is it automatic? No. But I think there is some value in the garden not being totally automated.
Finally, and this one I am most proud of, we have added some AMAZING new signs to the garden.
These signs provide education on all different aspects of the garden, like rainwater harvesting, solar panels, composting, growing vegetables, herb gardens and native plants and insects. 
I had a blast working on these with Capital Naturalist Marc Opperman and huge thank to Vicki Blachman, Daphne Richards and Wizzie Brown for giving us feedback. We hope these signs will make class visits to the garden even more fun for students as well as provide information for community visitors.
So as we start a new school year, I am excited to see the garden blooming with butterflies everywhere and a whole crop of kids to come out and learn.
What a great opportunity for those kids…wish I had had something like it back then (w-a-a-a-y back then).