I had so much fun visiting the Osborne Elementary gARTen. Osborne’s principal, Barbara Mellet and her associate, Erin Dierker, were so enthusiastic about this project it made me want to pick up a shovel and dig.

Osborne’s gARTen is a collaborative working garden that provides food for an annual pizza party, smoothie day, and enough greens to share with a local food bank. Parents are heavily involved while the children are learning how food actually gets to the market. By working in the garden they become a part of that process, a win-win for sure. The children’s art surrounds this beautiful, healthy garden and it is so uplifting to watch the ribbons blowing in the wind, hearing the chimes and seeing the ripple of the crocheted ropes. Ms. Mellet told me that they, like many gardeners in Western Pennsylvania, have had an ongoing battle keeping deer away from their garden. After a few failed attempts with other methods, they were inspired by the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh’s Knit the Bridge project which covered the Andy Warhol Bridge in knitted and crocheted panels. The good news….it’s working. The deer are staying away and the plants are thriving.

Why don’t you take some inspiration from Osborne and tie some colorful ribbons around your garden. Even if the deer still come, you’ll love watching the ribbons blowing in the breeze. This was indeed a very special gARTen!