Carrots and Kids

{So What If It's Cold}

Following on from my last post, it is, naturally, now winter proper. I am sat here with a very cold nose, wearing four layers and contemplating a fifth.

Of course, it is not really the weather for blogging either. Really, I should be ironing....

And when I used to run a gardening club I decreed it wasn't the weather for gardening. Oh, I know there are things to do but it was always nice to have a break.

Now I am a helper whose main responsibility is to just turn up, we are ploughing on. This week we replenished a dead hedge. It's quite cool, but something you'd need a lot of space for I reckon. Perfect for a school though.

I am keen to do some gardening with, at least, my children. I'm resigned to it being largely indoors. Possibilities include creating a terrarium, planting winter peas, sowing broad beans in modules and onions too.

Or how about starting a nature or gardening journal? And let's not forget about feeding the birds...

Crikey, I've inspired myself! That's got to be another good thing about blogging.

:: The photo was taken with iPhone. You can see the older, darker parts of the hedge ::

 

{My Big List of Autumnal School Gardening Ideas}

As I was driving back from another food buying expedition (I am always, it seems, restocking the larder cupboard) I mentally went through my list of to-do's. Momentarily the promise at the end of yesterday's post of me posting again TODAY flashed through my mind.

It won't matter, I thought, if I don't write it (yes, I am the laziest blogger). Then I got the loveliest email from someone who was so appreciative of this little space and - you guessed it - looking forward to the list that I felt compelled to do as promised.

So here I am. I also realise that as a post intro it does sound a bit "due to public demand..." but it's not meant to. But I did want to add that, of course, this list is not exclusively for gardening clubs. Grab a child (preferably one you know) and just get out there. Soon it will be snowing/raining and we'll all wish we did.

• Harvesting: lots of green toms (perhaps we could make green tomato chutney?). Seeds to harvest too (sweet peas, beans and calendula)
• Paper pot making: Using jam jars and old newspapers. Fill with compost and sow the sweet pea seeds (could use the ones we harvested. Need to soak in water for 24 hours beforehand)
• Dirt day: test the soil around the school either with litmus paper or a kit from a garden centre. Collect fallen leaves and store in bin bags with holes in to be used on the beds in a year’s time. Spread any compost from the bins. Manure the beds
• Plant for the winter: broad beans directly in the beds, lettuce (with some protection using fleece). Onions. Garlic. Rhubarb crowns
• Plant bulbs in tubs for spring (daffs and tulips)
• Get the children to bring in a jam jar or an old chipped mug from home and plant (wearing gloves as they are an irritant) hyacinth bulbs (cost 50p each) which are then stored somewhere dark and cool until shoots are couple of inches high and they can take them home at the end of term
• Create a new bed while the soil is still workable. Measure and dig it out (could be for herbs?). Could plant some herbs like sage, rosemary and thyme
• Could grow potatoes in sacks for Christmas
• Make old fashioned toys with sticks (willow rod and ring, walnut dice etc).
• Indoor gardening: get the children to save carrot tops, avocado stones, pineapple tops etc then try to grow them on saucers, jam jars etc. and place on a windowsill. Or we could place a whole sweet potato, carrot, turnip etc in water and see what happens after a week or so. Or grow peanuts in glass jars with coloured yarn. They sprout apparently and the children can see the roots (if all children are free of peanut allergies)
• Cress: grow it in eggshells, the tops of potatoes etc which can then be decorated. Leave on a windowsill for the week to see how high they grow. Or you could get the children to write their initials in cress seeds on damp paper
• Decorate a tree as a Christmas gift to the birds with the bird food we made, strings of popcorn and dried cranberries etc
• Celebrate apple day (it’s on October 21 so club date nearest) with maybe a tasting session of different apples and perhaps a visit to the parish orchard (bit of a trek perhaps and no idea what you’d do once there!)
• Make autumnal or leaf mobiles
• Make bird feeders using 1l juice cartons (something for them to take home)
• Make bird cakes (would need a cooker as an adult has to melt the fat)
• An easy bird food make – toast with a hole at the top made with a straw, peanut butter and bird food pressed in. Then thread string through and hang in a tree
• Make a winter frog home: dig a trench, place an old grow bag (with the compost still in) inside, cover with grass clippings and leaves. Could also make other wildlife homes by collecting large sticks and logs and piling them up in corners.

These ideas have been amassed over the years from magazines and books and things I've done in the past with my previous club. Enjoy!

{A New School Gardening Club Challenge}

I admit that when my daughter left her primary school in July, I did heave a small sigh of relief. Not only would it mean no tearing down country lanes four times a day but also I would have my Wednesdays back.

It's not that I didn't enjoy the school gardening club. Working with the children was the best thing ever. But it's hard doing it all on your own. I had help, in as much that the person who offered to help me would turn up sometimes and sometimes not, depending on the state of her love life I think. I wouldn't know until she didn't show.

However, there was no help in the "what shall we do next week" department. And that is where I needed it most, if I wasn't going to spend all day Wednesday preparing for the one hour club.

So it was with a light heart this September that I skipped into the different primary school my youngest two attend. I had cleared the decks. I was Making Changes and Had Plans.

Then the headteacher collared me.

So a few Mondays ago saw me hauling in a bag of top soil. Blimey, I thought as I parked miles away from the school entrance then struggled to open a gate, this feels familiar.

Of course lots of it is. Like my ideas. But the grounds and the area we have to work in are totally different. And we have free range chickens which I think I'm going to struggle to love. Already they have been digging in the raised beds.

There is also a teacher in charge which makes the club feel very organised and not as anarchic as my last one. There was even talk of mind maps, whatever they are. Perhaps the biggest difference is that this school knows about the blog.

The teachers have read the blog. One was looking for Ideas, which was probably like looking for a needle in a haystack. She needn't have worried, I sent her a massive email full of them.

And tomorrow I shall share my Big List of Autumnal School Gardening Ideas with you. Catchy, no?

Bug Hotel

 

One of the last things we did at gardening club was to make a bug hotel. I had mentioned it to the children and they were very keen so make it we did. I was very keen to ensure they felt the garden belonged to them and I was just helping and guiding. Basically, their wish was my command.

But what to make it from? I searched the internet and there were some wonderful examples but I knew space was a premium for us, plus I had to source and deliver the materials. So large wooden crates, an ideal hotel, were out.

Then along came Hubby, riding on his proverbial white charger. He is a natural recycler and declutter (whereas I have to work at the latter). A quick scout around the house revealed some unused wooden Ikea drawers/storage unit.

He also very kindly made them, complete with a wooden roof and a sign, written expertly by my six-year-old. It was ideal; he got rid of some clutter, I had something that was light and small enough to transport and the children had the basis of a bug hotel. And the critters? They had, eventually, a palatial home.

The children loved it and set to work finding old leaves, twigs, a toilet and a bath (nut shell halves). Well it was a hotel. They found some straw (thank you school rabbit) and some plant pots while I snapped some canes into the required length.

You wouldn't believe how long this took, as well as the assembling. But, y'know, we were aiming high, a five star residence at least.

Before we'd even finished, five spiders were checking it out and one had even moved in. I think it was the toilet that swung it.

 

Goodbye Gardening Club

I taught my last ever gardening club at my daughter's primary school on Wednesday (and yes, I know I'm behind with my blogging. I'm still searching for my groove).

I've written before about how I'm sort of decluttering my life so, as my 11-year-old comes to the end of her primary education, it seemed the right time to hand over my little register and sheaf of gardening club ideas (as well as the equipment I've managed to amass).

I could have continued, I guess, but I need to focus on other stuff including my other children's primary school although I doubt I'll help at their gardening club. It's already established and I don't think they need any more willing hands.

This ending feels bittersweet, as do most I guess. On the one hand it will be nice to have my Wednesday afternoons back. Although it might not have looked it, the sessions took some planning and some buying of particular seeds/plants.

On the other, weepy, hand I feel sad not to be working with the children any longer. All of the kids that have gardened with me have been amazing. So keen and generally lovely. One used to give me such big bear hugs she used to knock me almost off my feet.

Still, I'm hoping some of the creativity I poured into that school garden can be channelled into our garden at home and more into my children.

And as I look at the plants I plan to buy with some of my leaving gifts (gardening vouchers! Yay!) I shall remember the club. That's one of the wonderful things about gardening - you can tell a story with plants.

In a way it feels as if my life is shrinking. I hope it's not. I hope it's just being spring cleaned a bit to allow something else, some different energy, in.

A Must-Have Book

I hope, if you read this blog, that you're not left with the feeling that I am some sort of wonder woman. Actually that sounds quite arrogant and laughable. As if.

So, while I do run a school gardening club I'm not particularly sure I run it really well, nor am I even remotely organised in any aspect of my life.

Which is why books like Gardening in School All Year Round by Clare Revera are life-savers. I know, sounds a bit dramatic but I just love this book. I was sent it ages ago to review and, well, there you go: a perfect illustration of how I'm not even particularly good at blogging.

And while I did get this book for free, I wouldn't hestitate to say if it was not up to much. Previously, my school gardening book worship has been reserved solely for Dominic Murphy's Playground Potting Shed. It wasn't hard, it was the only book out there on the subject.

And it did help me in the early club days, holding my hand and giving me confidence and ideas. But for ease of use and practicality my heart belongs to Gardening in School.

It's easy to read, very visual, has a quick weekly to-do section at the back and the the contents start at September through to the summer holidays with lots of ideas.

Some of these you may already be doing, like growing hyacinths for Christmas, but there are things I haven't considered such as writing a school policy (with a sample included), making a weatherproof scarecrow and even hosting your own horticultural show.

But the thing that sets it apart is the CD-ROM containing such wonderous things as the Weed Identification PDF. Yes, I know I could have easily thought of this and photographed my own weeds but I didn't. I guess if you're running a club, you're fitting it into a busy life so there is little time for dreaming and creating such projects. Or maybe that's just my life.

It may be that you wouldn't refer to this book a lot, filled as you are with your own ideas, but it is so reassuring to have it to hand just in case. Its even great if you're a parent wondering what on earth you can do with children in the garden and when.

This is the book I would have been proud to have written if a) I had thought of it and b) wanted to write a book. As it is I don't have to because it's already been done. And for that we should give lots of thanks.

School Gardening Club: Home-made propagators

I can't believe how quickly the school gardening club comes round (despite not running last week) but I have, finally, realised it's easier to have a plan. And today's? Home-made propagators.

This, I should not point out, is not my idea but one I've taken from Ready Steady Grow. It basically involves an empty, clean clear plastic 2l bottle with cap and some cotton material.

They are going to plant a courgette seed although I fear that is cheating a bit as those babies will grow anywhere. I don't think I've ever had one not germinate.

This is something they can take home; partly because the school (like many nowadays) does not have windowsills ('tis the bane of my gardening life) and partly because I love sending them home with things.

I shall show you the one that ends up coming home with us at a later date. This is, I feel, the perfect gardening club activity, cheap and easy and fun.

:: If you'd like another idea as to an easy children's gardening project check out my latest ReadyforTen post about planting a herbal bath pot ::

Spring at the School Gardening Club

Sometimes I think that I have completely run out of steam with the school gardening club, and then I realise that I am probably heading to my last term and a half and, well, I feel a bit lump-in-the-throatish.

I admit that I don't have the confidence that I'm doing it well and therefore lack some of the enthusiasm I started with thanks, in part, to the jealousy of someone who should know better. And falling numbers. Yes, that can leave you feeling that what you're offering is a bit pants.

I also have help now, which I didn't in the early days, although I'm not sure it's needed with just nine children (one of whom is mine). It also still means that, however much I wish it were otherwise, organising activities from getting the goods to planning what we shall do still falls on my shoulders.

So last year I decided we would finish at the end of November thanks to December being particularly jam packed not to mention dark and cold by 4pm. I also decided we wouldn't start again until after February half-term.

I know other clubs plough on through the winter but I need to recharge my club batteries, Grandad, who babysits needs to have a bit of a break, and I don't want to put off the children by being constantly indoors doing vaugely green-fingered activities or by freezing them outside.

We were supposed to start back last Wednesday but the school decided it was still too cold, or something, so tomorrow is the big day. Despite my attempts I have never been amazingly organised but during the last autumn term I was and it made a huge difference to my stress levels.

There are just five (FIVE, that's all!) weeks until we break up for Easter so here's what we shall do:

• Week 1: Dig in some blood, fish and bone or chicken pellets and get ready for the new season by washing out old seed trays and making some plant labels from old plastic milk bottles and yoghurt pots. Carry out a soil test with a jam jar
• Week 2: Sow some tomato seeds (I don't have much hope of them amounting to anything given our lack of windowsills but shall give it a go) and beetroot. I also want to introduce the children to square foot gardening (something I've never done) so will hopefully have a frame made up and will have done some research beforehand). Check the jam jar soil test
• Week 3: Plant out our potatoes which have been chitting at home and sow nasturtiums (possibly in comic plant pots)
• Week 4: Sow some  more flowering annuals both direct and in pots including sunflowers. Try and make this the year we actually get some giant sunflowers growing
• Week 5: Sow carrots, lettuce, radish and peas. Lots. Remember to come and water them over the Easter holidays.

As always I have worked from memory, checked my bible (The Playground Potting Shed) and a new one (that I will review and tell you about later this week). This timetable will be added to the main gardening club pages (found by clicking the button at the top of the blog).

:: I have received some lovely, encouraging emails from other school gardening club leaders and, while I have been spectacularly rubbish at replying, please know that I read, appreciate and smile at every one. Yes, I have a big grin on my face while I read. Thank you xx ::

 

School Gardening Club Returns

It was the first day back for our school gardening club and I'm just so grateful that we were lucky enough to hold it on the last day of the Indian Summer. It would have, I think, been a bit dismal if we had to be inside.

This year I surprised myself by being quite organised. I had snapped up ten kneeling pads that I found reduced late summer at Tesco for a mere 30p each (before that we had only three, the usage of which were hotly disputed).

Although they were bright pink, no one seemed to mind. In fact, we only have one boy at the moment so there were no complaints about the bright colour.

I also managed to write a letter to parents explaining our Three Rules (wear gloves, nothing in mouths and no mucking around with the tools) and what we would be doing up until the October half-term. After that we're going to be mostly inside doing more nature-type stuff (I am obviously hopeful of having good weather up until then).

So here's the programme:

Sept 22: Harvesting, seed saving and tidying up the plots

Sept 29: Planting hyacinth bulbs (remember to bring a jam jar or old mug from home) and daffs

Oct 6: Sowing broad beans, onions and garlic and potting up strawberry runners

Oct 13: Making paper pots (as now we can't use loo roll inners for health and safety reasons) and sowing sweet peas

Oct 20: Getting the beds ready for winter (making compost lasagne, green manures).

If you have any ideas, planning any interesting activities this term or I've missed something obvious let me know.

The Last School Gardening Club

The school gardening club I run, now with help, has now finished for the year. It is not the greatest time to be finishing frankly as, thanks to the slow spring, we are only harvesting sweet peas and black currants.

I have in the past continued to right to the end of term but....well, I don't feel like it this year. My diary is packed full of events as having five children in four educational places can produce and so I'm cutting myself some slack.

The numbers of children are down too and I'm not sure why (and yes, I know other clubs are thriving!). I am thinking perhaps it is time to hand over to new blood...

Challenges

I am also thinking perhaps we should move the garden to a better spot that isn't under a huge oak tree, that it would be nice to commandeer the school's few windowsills, that I'd like to see the garden used by teachers during lessons (so many lessons), that I would like to have funds without having to personally fundraise (could someone else perhaps take over that responsibility...), that we could (for once!) successfully raise plants from seedlings, that I could implement a watering regime that everyone would remember and stick to (or if not, could someone who's at school regularly take on this), that I do love it despite current challenges.

I am thinking a lot.

There is obviously certain repetition in gardening so I don't know if that's the problem. Now the children have a sensory garden they've created to use during lesson time perhaps they get their fill.

The children who do attend are the ones who appear to enjoy gardening with parents or grandparents but then mums tell me their children don't join the club because they do gardening at home.

Presents

As this was the last session I wanted the children to go home with something. I even dreamed that morning that I bought a bumper bag of mini sweets and some seed packets and tied up sweet and seeds with ribbon as a present. Then I woke up and common sense got the better of me.

So I got the children making their presents. They did that old club favourite of cutting, sticking and decorating pots and planting a geranium (spares from home). They looked pretty and seemed fitting.

And while they did that I gave the garden a good soaking with the hose (finally, after three years there is a hose we can use thanks to the new sensory garden) and pondered.