Our latest enthusiastic gardening student has left us for pastures new - a quick turnover's an occupational hazard with a tier 1 E2E provision - and it seems like a good time to stop making the less enthusiastic ones take part in planting, digging and weeding.
Alongside that tho' we're bringing in a new qualification which most, if not all, of our students will be expected to take. Two of the modules, Making the Most of Your Leisure Time and Healthy Living, can easily incorporate a gardening/garden produce element so the changes we've managed to make in the garden will continue to benefit future students.
We have a little of the YOF cash left so we're ordering some onion sets - I have visions of steaming bowls of French Onion Soup for the students we have over the winter - and a few windchimes to counteract the constant rattle of the nearby trains and drone of the railway announcements.
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
Monday, 20 July 2009
A touch of colour
We have 4 big tubs, a cwt or so of compost, trellis on the fence and some stunningly healthy clematis to plant up, but will it stop raining long enough to allow us to get on with it? Nope.
So, in the absence of climbing plants to photograph, here's a shot of one of the hanging baskets. Won't that look pretty from the railway platform at the other side of the fence?
Wednesday, 8 July 2009
What we need to do now...
A visit from Barry to see how we're getting along and to offer some advice on jobs we can be doing now or in the near future:
Tomato plants - pull off the extra growth at the axis of the leaves and the main stem.
Also buy some tomato plant food and use regularly according to the instructions.
And for next year - remember to plant only one plant per tub. We planted some surplus plants in a tub and at the moment they look healthy but a little crowded!
Webb's lettuces - maybe thin these by taking out alternate plants. Poor things - they're not ready to eat but they're cramping the style of their near neighbours so they have to go for the good of the crop.
Beans - snap them off at the top of the bean poles, otherwise they'll just keep on and on growing.
Gherkins - let them trail over the side of the raised bed. They're obviously free spirits and won't come to harm from a bit of adventuring.
Veggies generally - dig in some granular feed but don't let it touch the leaves or it'll burn them.
Send off for horticultural catalogues with a view to finding some onion sets for August sowing.
Finally, we can re-sow the patch when we've harvested. This is the bit that fills me with unease, in case I get it wrong. But Barry advises 1) it's too late for carrots now and 2) we can plant anything we like from the long list he's given us. Everything is in seed form straight into the ground, except for the onion sets.
Phew, I feel tired thinking about it.
Tomato plants - pull off the extra growth at the axis of the leaves and the main stem.
Also buy some tomato plant food and use regularly according to the instructions.
And for next year - remember to plant only one plant per tub. We planted some surplus plants in a tub and at the moment they look healthy but a little crowded!
Webb's lettuces - maybe thin these by taking out alternate plants. Poor things - they're not ready to eat but they're cramping the style of their near neighbours so they have to go for the good of the crop.
Beans - snap them off at the top of the bean poles, otherwise they'll just keep on and on growing.
Gherkins - let them trail over the side of the raised bed. They're obviously free spirits and won't come to harm from a bit of adventuring.
Veggies generally - dig in some granular feed but don't let it touch the leaves or it'll burn them.
Send off for horticultural catalogues with a view to finding some onion sets for August sowing.
Finally, we can re-sow the patch when we've harvested. This is the bit that fills me with unease, in case I get it wrong. But Barry advises 1) it's too late for carrots now and 2) we can plant anything we like from the long list he's given us. Everything is in seed form straight into the ground, except for the onion sets.
Phew, I feel tired thinking about it.
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
Monday, 29 June 2009
What have we learned so far?
...that not all students will be enthused about the gardening project even though it offers us a brilliant, useable, outdoor space. And that, while some students will happily trundle off with the watering can, others need a bit more encouragement.
...that this kind of project doesn't easily lend itself to one regular day a week in the timetable. Sometimes it needs more then a day; sometimes it needs less; sometimes it needs a day other than our usual gardening day; and sometimes it rains.
...that clearly we'll need to allocate more time and energy to it in these early months than we will over the cold winter months.
...that people delivering large amounts of soil aren't always kind enough to take it to the specific spot you would like it leaving, no matter how doleful your expression.
...that we need to be faster if we want to catch Fran on camera in a compromising position. Well, okay, she was only pushing a heavily-laden wheelbarrow while dressed to the nines, with her stiletto caught between the boards of the decking, but it was pretty entertaining.
And finally:
...that now and then one of the students will admit to enjoying one of the gardening activities even though they're far too cool to say so in front of their mates.
...that this kind of project doesn't easily lend itself to one regular day a week in the timetable. Sometimes it needs more then a day; sometimes it needs less; sometimes it needs a day other than our usual gardening day; and sometimes it rains.
...that clearly we'll need to allocate more time and energy to it in these early months than we will over the cold winter months.
...that people delivering large amounts of soil aren't always kind enough to take it to the specific spot you would like it leaving, no matter how doleful your expression.
...that we need to be faster if we want to catch Fran on camera in a compromising position. Well, okay, she was only pushing a heavily-laden wheelbarrow while dressed to the nines, with her stiletto caught between the boards of the decking, but it was pretty entertaining.
And finally:
...that now and then one of the students will admit to enjoying one of the gardening activities even though they're far too cool to say so in front of their mates.
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
coming to life
"Today we watered the flowers and vegetables that had already been planted and then got to work on planting some of the remaining flowers. We put together 2 new hanging baskets with a range of diffrent coloured flowers. We then chose some flowers to go in a big pot and set about planting them. We had some tomato plants which had been left in the sun for too long and had started to die but we replanted them in a pot and gave them lots of water and now we're waiting for them to grow nice and healthy. All the rest of the vegetables and flowers are growing very well and we can not wait until they flower properly. "
Helen
Helen
Monday, 22 June 2009
Monday morning blues...and greens...and pinks...and...
Julie and Kellé pose among the newly-watered flowers.
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