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The New Growing Season

April showers, bring May flowers (and lots of weeds too!)

Yes, it looks set to be a decidedly soggy start to the growing season. Next week will involve preparing the ground for planting this years vegetables and flowers.

In the vegetable garden, the leeks and garlic planted over the winter are coming on nicely and the carrot and beetroot seeds sown a few weeks ago are starting to germinate. The remaining vegetable beds will need to be hoed in preparation for planting out this years' legumes and brassicas.

The fruit trees seemed to have survived the winter in good health and they are beginning to get their shiny new leaves.

The ground in the area set aside for our Olympic wildflower meadow was turned during the Easter holidays, so after the removal of the weeds and rubble it will be ready for us to start sowing. We have acquired some wildflower seeds from the RHS as part of their Britain in Bloom campaign (www.rhs.org.uk/britaininbloomlaunch). The seeds include corncockle, cornflower, corn marigold, corn poppy and corn chamomile.

Preparations are also underway for our Olympic rings flowerbed. Again, there is more weeding to be done, prior to us planting the flowers in June. The final display will include blue lobelias, green lettuce leaves, red petunias, yellow marigolds and black....well this is still to be decided! The black basil which was being grown for the display was unfortunately wiped out by the recent frosts. We are also raising some black coleus from seed, but it is touch and go as to whether they will grow big enough in time for the display. Black petunias are and option, but as black flowers are rather rare, this option would be rather pricey. If all else fails we might have to take a leaf out of James May's book and make some plasticine flowers!!!

If any parents, grandparents or guardians are interested in helping out with any of our gardening projects, you are more than welcome to come in and lend a hand.

Landscape Designers

Yesterday, as part of a training day I attended on gardening in schools, I was set a task to create a landscape in a seed tray from things I could forage in the woodlands. 

I enjoyed creating my own miniature world so much, that I couldn’t wait to share this activity with the children.

So, at lunchtime today, I set out my little landscape on the playground along with some seed trays and natural materials to get the children started.

After lunchtime, I went back to see what had been created. Aren’t they wonderful!

Olympic sized plans afoot!

If you have visited our school since the latest phase of building works was completed, you may have noticed the magnificent (but at present rather bare) new raised flower bed which is taking pride of place outside our new entrance.

Filling it with promises to be a feat of 'Olympian' proportions!


Watch this space for exciting developments

Frozen Ground

Like much of the country, we have been sub zero conditions over the past week. This has left the ground frozen, putting pay to our planting plans. We have temporarily potted the bare rooted  trees and hopefully, after the half term break, we will be able to transplant them into their permanent positions.

Lots of Lovely Tree-liveries!

We are looking forward to a few busy weeks of planting at Fagley Primary (weather permitting).
On Tuesday, we received our first delivery from Morrisons following our successful Let's Grow campaign last autumn. Our delivery included two Bramley apple trees, two pear trees  and some gooseberry, blueberry and raspberry bushes. Thank you so much to all the parents who sent in vouchers enabling us to acquire these new additions to our ever growing mini orchard. If you would like to be involved in helping the children to plant our new trees and bushes please let me know.


On Wednesday, a delivery or hedgerow plants (including holly, hazel and dogwood) arrived courtesy of the Woodland Trust. These plants are still very small and will require lots of care and attention, which I am sure our gardening team will be happy to provide. Our new hedgerow will provide a valuable habitat for the animals and birds with whom we share our school grounds.


Finally, on Friday three fig trees were delivered from Palmer's Plants (the suppliers of our impressive Christmas tree). These will be planted on Friday as part of our Jewish Faith Day.

A Family of Tigers Take Up Residence at Fagley Primary!

The tigers arrived in the post today all the way from Devon.  A Year 5 boy helped me to build their new home in the quad and then carefully release them.  Next he gave them their first meal of pear cores, banana skins and soggy newspaper.

I sense an air of disbelief among you. Ok, I will come clean. Our new residents are in fact TIGER WORMS. There are several hundred different species of worm, but tiger worms are particularly suited to composting kitchen waste. Our new wormery will allow us to recycle some of our kitchen waste and produce nutrient rich compost to use in the school vegetable garden.

Our tiger worms will eat any dead or decaying organic matter such as kitchen scraps,  vegetable peelings, bread, tea bags, egg shells and paper kitchen towels. Small amounts of leaf litter and grass cuttings can also be added. We need to be careful not to add too much citrus peel as this can make the environment too acidic for the worms.

Class 2,  along with a year 5 child and myself will be helping to feed and look after the worms, so if you would like to know any more about our wormery please ask.