Who has been eating our brassicas?

It would appear that some little pest has been munching on our brassicas. On first inspection, we thought that it was slugs and snails. However, the extent of the damage and the telltale droppings suggest our vegetable assassin is of the winged variety. So the question is how do we stop the pigeons!!

The best option is probably going to be netting, though the children quite fancy the idea of making scarecrows so we may go for a 'belt and braces' option.

Unperturbed by the damage to our current crops, the children got on with sowing some rocket and radishes. They also topped up the potato tubs with what remained of the compost stockpile. At the rate the potato plants are growing, we will need to buy in some more compost very soon.

Pumpkins are in

Today, the children planted out some pumpkin plants. The variety we are growing are called 'Ghost Rider' and are particularly good for using as Halloween lanterns.

We also watered the veg that had been planted out on Tuesday and labelled the beds with the names of the veggies growing in them.

So in time honoured Bullseye style, here is a rundown of what has been planted so far!

In 1 - the Italians call them zucchini, they can be green or yellow - yes they're courgettes.

In 2 - they are big orange can can be very spooky - they're pumpkins

In 3 - no Christmas lunch would be complete without them - they're Brussels sprouts

In 4 - this variety is January King - It's winter cabbages

In 5 - just keep cutting and they'll come again - they're salad leaves

In 6 - nothing yet (unless you count the weeds!)

In 7 - great with cheese - It's cauliflower

In 8 - don't cry about this one - they're Spanish onions

In 9 - they dig a good beat - It's beetroot

And bully's special prize, the crazy guys on the block - they're wildflowers!

Hoe, Hoe, Hoe

Today, we tackled the weeds with a vengence.

The children got busy and hoed the weeds out of three of the unused raised beds. They then planted out the courgettes, brussel sprouts and cabbages that had been started off in pots.

Over the holiday, the salad leaves had run to seed, so these were pulled out to make way for new sowings. The beetroot and cauliflower beds also had a thorough weeding.

The potatoes are coming along nicely. Today, the children added extra compost to the poato barrels and gave them a good watering.

And then the heavens opened!

Today, we ventured out hoping to dodge the showers.

The children transplanted the climbing beans sown by class 2, into larger growing containers. We just managed to get two of the containers planted up and a wigwam of support canes into one of the containers before the heavens opened. So we hastily beat a retreat indoors.

The children planted up the final container indoors. Hopefully we will be able to dodge the showers for long enough this week to get outside and put support canes in the other two containers.


Whilst inside, the children planted some more courgette seeds. We have put these seeds into the mini-greenhouse to germinate as the ones put in the heated propagator last week grew too leggy.

With all the rain forecast, at least we don't have to worry about the raised beds drying out over the spring bank holiday!

Anyone for salad?

Today the children planted out the flower seedlings that were sown a few weeks ago. They have been placed in the grounds of the children's centre and will provide a splash of colour in the coming months (provided they survive the marauding snail population!)

The cauliflower plants have taken a bit of a battering in the high winds over the last week so it may be necessary to transplant a few more and provide them with some cover until they can become more established.

The cut and come again salad leaves planted several weeks ago have done very well and we were able to harvest some today. The children all had a little taste and the rest of the leaves will be accompanying tomorrow's school lunch. The children are very excited about the rest of the school sampling their first crop. We also sowed some more salad leaves so that hopefully we can provide the kitchen with a regular supply of fresh produce!

Day of the Triffids!

Last week, the children sowed strawberry, wildflower, tomato and courgette seeds in pots and we popped them into our new propagator.

When we returned on Tuesday after the bank holiday, we made an amazing discovery. Some seeds had germinated and the courgette plants were actually scraping on the top of the propagator! Some of the shoots are looking a little bit leggy. Perhaps because it was a little too warm and not quite light enough in the propagator.

We have transferred the courgette plants to the mini greenhouse to harden off and will plant them out next week.

After a spot more weeding, the children planted the cauliflower and beetroot plants into the raised beds, so now we will have to begin snail watch to protect our tender young plants!


The cold frames arrived form the Morrison's Let's grow campaign this week, so once we have decided the best spot to site them, we will be able to start some plants off in them.

We have been aiming to get the whole school in on the growing and so potato tubs have been distributed to each class so be planted up over the next few weeks.

To tie in with Class 2's science topic of 'Plants and Animals in the Local Environment' the children have planted climbing beans. They will be studying the bean's progress over the coming weeks.

Not to be outdone, the children in class one have sown cress seeds.

It's all growing on!!!!!

Weeds Galore!

After a relatively sunny Easter break, we came back to discover a whole host of little shoots had appeared in our raised beds. Unfortunately, we hadn't been responsible for planting them! Yes, hundreds of little weeds had sprung up everywhere. So we set to work plucking them out. We even got the children involved at break times and luckily, there were plenty of willing hands.

During gardening club this week, the children also potted a variety of flower seeds including, sweet peas, marigolds, impatiens and nemesia. The intention is for them to provide a welcoming splash of colour in the Children's Centre garden.

The children checked on the cauliflower and broccoli seedlings that they planting a few weeks ago. They look to be doing very well and once we have ousted all the weeds from the raised beds, we should be able to plant them out.

This week, the heated propagator arrived from the Morrison's Let's Grow campaign, so next week we will be looking at what we can get started in there.

There is also good news on the watering front. It seems we are to have an external tap fitted, which will certainly make it easier to keep the raised beds hydrated.
We are still hoping to incorporate some water butts at some point though, to enable us to utilise the rainwater.

Guess The Vegetable Competition

This week, we are running a "Guess the Mystery Vegetable" competition in school.

The children have eight mystery vegetables to identify for a chance to win an Easter treat. Some of the vegetables are widely known. Others, such as our friend the kohlrabi may take a little more working out!
Kohlrabi is a fantastic turnip like vegetable which works well in soups stews and salads.
This kohlrabi recipe is courtesy of Able and Cole:

Kohlrabi, Apple and Creamy Mustard Salad

Serve on the side, or mix in some cooked meat and serve over lettuce for lunch. Serves 4
Whisk together 80ml crème fraiche or cream, 1tablespoon lemon juice, 2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard, and 1/4 teaspoon sugar – season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss the dressing together in a large bowl with 1 peeled kohlrabi, cut into matchsticks, and 2 diced apples. Add 1/2 a red onion, sliced, if you have it. Otherwise, you’re done!

Another veg which may be unfamiliar is beetroot. Many people are put off the wonderful ruby sweetness of beetroot as their first encounter of it is pickled in jars.
Beetroot is delicious simply roasted with a few woody herbs such as rosemary and served with a nice dollop of soured cream.
Beetroot is busting full of vitamin C, potassium, fibre and antioxidants, but
you might get a shock when you pee after eating – your wee will be bright red! Don’t be alarmed – this is completely normal, and this may keep happening for a couple of days afterwards. This is caused by the purple pigment betacyanin that gives the beetroot its fabulous colour!*
The beetroot seeds we sowed a few weeks ago have yet to show any signs of germination. Fingers crossed that something will emerge from beneath the soil soon!


Broccoli (or calabrese to be more accurate) is probably one of the most popular vegetables. It is from the same vegetable family as cauliflower, Brussels spouts,kale and kohlrabi. As with all dark green vegetables, broccoli is packed full of iron and vitamins A, B1, B2, B3 and B6. This makes it a particularly good addition to your diet if you are vegetarian.

Did you know?

Did you know that the little bobbles that cover the florets are actually little
unopened flower buds!*


Next up we have parsnips. I have to admit that as a child, this was probably one of my least favourite veggies, but now I love them. Parsnips make a delicious spicy soup. They can also be used in a whole range of sweet puddings. In medieval times ( when sugar was rare and very expensive in this country) parsnips were often used in sweet breads and cakes in the same way as we have carrot in carrot cakes today. However, my favourite way to cook parsnips is sliced into twig-like chips and roasted with a sticky coating of maple syrup. Yummy.


Cauliflower (a close relative of broccoli) is a lovely crunchy addition when added raw to salads. It is also great lightly steamed or added to vegetarian curried dishes.
We recently sowed some cauliflower seeds at Gardening Club. It's amazing that such tiny seeds grow into the huge cauliflower plants (so long as the slugs don't get to them that is!).


Also making an appearance in our "Guess the Vegetable" competition is the wonderfully versatile Aubergine (or Eggplant as it is also known). Aubergines are a Mediterranean favourite and the plants require warmth to bear fruit. Aubergines can make nice houseplants with it's pretty purple flowers, but watch out for the spiky stems!

Did you know?

Italians call Aubergines 'melanzine' which means 'crazy apple!'

Not forgetting the pride of Wales, next we have Leeks.
Leeks can be planted from May through to July and are harvested from October onwards. Leeks with their subtle onion flavour are fantastic braised or added to soups, stews and pies.

Finally in our mysterious vegetable line up, is the pumpkin. Pumpkins come in a whole host of different sizes and work equally well in sweet and savoury dishes. Pumpkins seeds make a delicious protein packed snack. Last October, the gardening club decorated pumpkins with ghoulish paintings. We are hoping to grow some pumpkins of our own this year.

*Abel and Cole

Little green shoots

Today, the children began by checking on the beetroot and cauliflower seeds that we planted a few weeks ago.
The beetroot hasn't germinated as yet, but the cauliflower seeds have begun to sprout.
Next, we ventured outside to check on the onions and garlic in bed number 8. The children were very excited to see that little green shoots were poking out of the soil. The soil had started to dry out and so the children gave it a light watering.

We also planted some mixed lettuce leaves and salad onions in bed number 5.

Finally, the children documented the new sowings on their garden plans.

Next week, we plan to sow some wildflower seeds.

Spring is just around the corner

We had splendid weather for gardening club this week.

This week we concentrated on drawing up plans of the raised beds. The children measured each of the raised beds and made a sketch of them. These were copied up on squared paper. The children have stuck their plans into their garden scrapbooks.
As we begin to sow more crops over the coming weeks and months, we will record the details of them on our plans.

The children also watered the onions and garlic (which are starting to show shoots) and the beetroot and cauliflower seeds.

Next week we will sow some more seeds under cover and hopefully our goodies from the Morrisons 'Let's Grow' campaign will have arrived.

The Easter Bunny Comes Early!

After a wet, windy and wild weekend we were blessed with a sunny afternoon today.
We seized the opportunity to head outside.

We began by planting some beetroot and cauliflower in pots and trays. These have been put in our mini greenhouse (which will hopefully stay upright now it is weighed down with two bags of compost!).
The beetroot and cauliflower plants will be transferred to the raised beds once the risk of frost has passed.

We then turned our attention to preparing the raised beds. The children used the hoes and riddles to break up the surface of the soil and dug in some soil improver.

Whilst digging one of the children hit something hard which we thought was a rock. On further investigation, we discovered it was a cute little gold bunny garden ornament! (piccie to follow once he has had a bath)

The children have decided that he is going to be our Garden Club Mascot. Hopefully he won't turn out to be like Peter Rabbit and munch all our veggies!!!

The New Beds Are Here!

We returned from the half term break last week to find the newly built flowerbeds in place.
The beds have been filled with topsoil but will need a little bit of preparing before they are ready for planting.

The gardening club began by tackling three of the ten new beds. Using riddles and hand forks we have removed some of the stones and large chunks of soil from the beds.
Unfortunately we discovered that the local cat population have taken a shine to the new beds, so we will need to look at measures to discourage them!

To one of the beds, we have added some compost and planted our first crops, garlic and onions.
This week our new storage container has arrived, so we now have somewhere to store our tools.
Over the next few weeks, we will continue to prepare the soil so that as soon as the frosts pass, we can get sowing.

Tomorrow will see the re-launching of our gardening club.
Over the half term break, the old raised beds have been demolished and smart new wood framed ones put in their place.

The new beds attracted a good deal of attention at playtime today. The children found the new wide wooden frames were the prefect place to sit and chat to each other.
The plan for tomorrow's garden club meeting is to start sowing a few hardy crops such as beetroot and garlic straight into the beds and possible start a few more tender plants in pots.

We will also need to make some signs to remind the children not to disturb the newly sown beds.

Well, the growing season is nearly upon us and we are looking forward to getting outside.
Our main concern has been about where we can grow our veggies. The existing raised beds are in a sorry state and so we had been considering using temporary beds.

However we have had some fantastic news. Funding has been secured to renovate the existing beds. The work is due to commence during February half term.
As you can see from the pictures, they are in desperate need of some TLC.
The plan is to site the new beds in the same place as the old ones. The five large beds are to be replaced by 10 smaller ones, making them easier for the children to access. The borders will be lower and constructed from railway sleepers.

Any time now, the products ordered from the Morrisons 'Let's Grow' campaign should also be arriving.
Among other things we have ordered:

A cold frame
Potato planters
A heated propagator
Watering cans
A Mini greenhouse
and oodles of seeds.

So when we return after the February break, it will be all systems go.

We are hoping to plant the following vegetables:
Peas
Beans
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Lettuce
Potatoes
Pumpkins
Onions
Beetroot.

We also intend to have a space dedicated to wildflowers.
The British bee population is in serious decline and hopefully we will be able to do our bit to help conserve them