Garden 2017!

I am thrilled that spring is upon and The Drawing Zoo's garden is back. For those who don't know, gardening is not only a relaxing hobby- it's how we feed our herbivores and omnivores. This is the year of lettuce! Last year, the gardens yielded 12lbs of tomatoes, several squashes, herbs and healthy weeds. But the lettuces just never took off.

So far, 2017 has shown huge mustards, cabbage, boston lettuce, kale, collards and of course- dandelions. I am also trying my hand at lavender, carrots and peppers for the first time. The herbs have not taken off yet. The basil is still a seedling, the arugula needs thinning, thyme is barely hanging on, and the mint is still rooting in water. There does appear to be some dill growing unplanned just outside the garden box.

Succulents and other cacti were a project I started in 2016. It took far too long for me to catch on, but I can finally propagate the succulents and christmas cactus! Just to make it more exciting, I was given an aloe plant as a gift and it is doing quite well. The cacti are not only and exciting, aesthetically pleasing learning opportunity, they're a food source for several of the animals. The tortoise, iguana, bearded dragon and uromastyx can all have these plants rotated in their diet.

As if there wasn't enough, I am collecting both ornamental and native pollinating plants to surround the turtle pond. The pond is still in the beginning stages, but it will be a wonderful habitat for both The Drawing Zoo animals as well for a little local wildlife. My hope is that from the water source and the plant life- more pollinators and amphibians will call our property home. But more details about the pond in a later post!

-Brittany