Get Connected!

We took part in the RSPBs Birdwatch this week by watching the visitors to the vegetable garden.  The children are now pretty good at identifying blackbirds and the odd crow.  I had expected a more diverse selection of birds, we certainly get a gratifying number during the day, but perhaps having 40 young and excitable bird watchers all standing there counting, identifying and asking questions put off those avians of a more nervous disposition!

Little Growers spoke to Tia, aged 9 this week about what she thinks of growing in her school and the Little Growers project that has been running there for the last year... 'Gardening club is cool because you can grow stuff that you can eat. Basically you grow and eat. This year we did a pumpkin competition and only one person could win in one year group.'  Tia is one of our most proactive Little Growers in the local area, she helped at our first ever market stall, is an avid member of her school's gardening club and helps in the garden at home too!  We are looking forward to working with Tia and her school in Spring when their garden area comes to life.

Due to the lack of frost so far this Autumn, our vegetables have been growing well. The leeks are getting taller and the lettuces are continuing to grow bigger. The crows and squirrels like to dig up the garlic bulbs so we have had to replant those! All is going well so far!

My students have become plant parents. They love caring for their plants and watching them grow. Thanks to the Coastal Electric Membership and community for the grant money that helped us get started!

We had a busy last half-term in the garden catching up after the summer holidays.  We were still producing tomatoes and peppers in the greenhouse thanks to the auto-pot watering system.  We also used the greenhouse to dry our onions.  We had great crops of Cara and  Deisree potatoes some of which we used with our multi-coloured carrots to make a salad.  We have stored the rest of the potatoes in paper sacks and have tried storing some carrots in damp sand (though they have still been nibbled by woodlice!)  We also had loads of runner and french beans some of which we gave away and the rest are in the freezer.  We are now in the process of " putting the garden to bed" for the winter but have managed to plant some onions, garlic and broad beans.  We still have some plants in the ground such as the parsnips, kale and brussesls sprouts which we will use as we need them for cooking over the next few weeks.

Since returning after half-term we have had a "Tudor Week" and Year 1's made a pottage with some of the vegetables we had left and  which went down a treat.  We have also planted some more apple trees in the school orchard with Year R and the Gardening Club planted a couple in the vegetable growing area.

We will only have a few more outside sessions now before winter sets in but we are already planning and preparing for next Spring. 

The children have been really busy during Gardening Club which takes place after school on Thursdays. They have planted a range of crops for the winter season including: elephant garlic, broad beans, lettuce and cabbage.

Below are some of the children’s views about Gardening Club:

 Izzy: Gardening club is really fun because you get to plant, grow and water things.

Freddie : I really enjoy getting mucky and I like planting and watching the crops grow.

Angel: I like taking the produce home that we have grown and having the facilities to grow things in our school.

Georgia: I like planting new crops and getting nice and dirty!

Thea: I like planting the seeds the best because your hands get really muddy.

Sophie: It is great because you get to see the food grow!

Molly: Gardening is really fun and we get to do lots of things, we also get really grubby.
Maddy: The club is great because we get to go home and cook some of the produce we have grown.

Grace: You get to plant lots of food and you learn new skills. I have even got a gardening patch at home now!