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Post by Juliet on Jul 10, 2007 19:50:24 GMT
Good to hear you have got a result 4P  Might be worth having a look at Chris Beardshaw's own site: www.chrisbeardshaw.com/index.php - there is a link on the home page to a bit about the Hampton Court garden, and also to the "Growing for Life" website, which seems to be relevant (in the press/newsroom section of that there's an article entitled "Are gardens the next school dinners?" which might interest you). |
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Post by 4pygmies on Jul 10, 2007 20:19:41 GMT
Thanks, OM and Juliet. That's a really good link Juliet. I shall have a thorough explore of it tomorrow. Shall I ask him to come and advise me? That would get some of the young mothers interested!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2007 11:21:39 GMT
4P, you've done an amazing job!! ... cheers ...
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Post by 4pygmies on Jul 11, 2007 12:22:52 GMT
Hi, CC! I haven't done anything amazing yet but give me another year and I hope I will have! Ooh, I went into school this morning and the Infant teacher was up at the dipping ponds with a big bunch of kids, putting her tadpoles into the water. They'd gotten too big for the classroom tank. Coo, gave me a warm glow!
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Post by Chuckles on Jul 11, 2007 12:32:18 GMT
 4P  how can you say you've not done anything amazing yet. You are amazing just by taking on the project and you have been amazing throughout despite all the ups and downs you've had thrown at you. So there  Chuckles
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Post by 4pygmies on Jul 11, 2007 12:45:40 GMT
Aw shucks.......  ! |
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Post by Chuckles on Jul 11, 2007 12:48:32 GMT
If I hear anymore of that nonsense 4P I'll be down to Norfolk and give you a real spanking ;D We all know how hard you have worked  |
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Post by bagpuss on Jul 11, 2007 12:54:37 GMT
I really enjoy catching up with the news on your SGC 4P. Schools could really do with more people like you in them. I'm looking forward to hearing more news of the good variety, you've had more than your fair share of disasters.
Have you thought of trying to approach Diarmuid Gavin to up the support. He visited a school in Kent not that long ago.
Just a thought.
Keep up the good work.
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Post by andy on Jul 13, 2007 9:41:12 GMT
Some good news at last on our school project. We've had £600 put by to make a start on the garden but last week, we raised another £1,600 at the school fete and that is all going to be used for the garden.
We've got a meeting at the school next week to start discussions on how we're going to proceed and what direction we'll go in and hopefully the landscaping work will start in autumn.
But i could do with some ideas. Some people at the school have suggested a "grow it, eat it" garden....basically an allotment. But for a school, i feel there is far too much work involved in this, the plants are prone to too many P&D and most of the stuff is ready for harvesting when the kids are on holiday.
I would suggest a garden that is as low maintenance as possible.....self seeding annuals, shrubs, herbs etc etc. My other suggestion would be to split the garden up into 5 sections with a large wildlife pond in the middle as a focal point. Each section would be a different sense ie touch, sound, sight, smell and hearing.
What would you do ?
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Post by madonplants on Jul 13, 2007 9:53:52 GMT
Some good news at last on our school project. We've had £600 put by to make a start on the garden but last week, we raised another £1,600 at the school fete and that is all going to be used for the garden. We've got a meeting at the school next week to start discussions on how we're going to proceed and what direction we'll go in and hopefully the landscaping work will start in autumn. But i could do with some ideas. Some people at the school have suggested a "grow it, eat it" garden....basically an allotment. But for a school, i feel there is far too much work involved in this, the plants are prone to too many P&D and most of the stuff is ready for harvesting when the kids are on holiday. I would suggest a garden that is as low maintenance as possible.....self seeding annuals, shrubs, herbs etc etc. My other suggestion would be to split the garden up into 5 sections with a large wildlife pond in the middle as a focal point. Each section would be a different sense ie touch, sound, sight, smell and hearing.What would you do ? Sounds great, Andy! ;D The only problem could be the pond, if 4p's school's policy on H & S is anything to go on. She HAD to have a raised pond, which obviously is not 'very' wildlife friendly! Keith |
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Post by madonplants on Jul 13, 2007 9:57:56 GMT
If I hear anymore of that nonsense 4P I'll be down to Norfolk and give you a real spanking ;D We all know how hard you have worked 'If' that happens, Chuckles, can I join you?  If I had half of 4P's enthusiasm and work ethic, I would be more than happy!! Keith |
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Post by andy on Jul 13, 2007 10:43:57 GMT
Some good news at last on our school project. We've had £600 put by to make a start on the garden but last week, we raised another £1,600 at the school fete and that is all going to be used for the garden. We've got a meeting at the school next week to start discussions on how we're going to proceed and what direction we'll go in and hopefully the landscaping work will start in autumn. But i could do with some ideas. Some people at the school have suggested a "grow it, eat it" garden....basically an allotment. But for a school, i feel there is far too much work involved in this, the plants are prone to too many P&D and most of the stuff is ready for harvesting when the kids are on holiday. I would suggest a garden that is as low maintenance as possible.....self seeding annuals, shrubs, herbs etc etc. My other suggestion would be to split the garden up into 5 sections with a large wildlife pond in the middle as a focal point. Each section would be a different sense ie touch, sound, sight, smell and hearing.What would you do ? Sounds great, Andy! ;D The only problem could be the pond, if 4p's school's policy on H & S is anything to go on. She HAD to have a raised pond, which obviously is not 'very' wildlife friendly! Keith Yeah...this one will have to be fenced off i think Keith. The H&S side has already been mentioned  |
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Post by oldmoleskins on Jul 13, 2007 10:58:13 GMT
Some good news at last on our school project. We've had £600 put by to make a start on the garden but last week, we raised another £1,600 at the school fete and that is all going to be used for the garden. We've got a meeting at the school next week to start discussions on how we're going to proceed and what direction we'll go in and hopefully the landscaping work will start in autumn. But i could do with some ideas. Some people at the school have suggested a "grow it, eat it" garden....basically an allotment. But for a school, i feel there is far too much work involved in this, the plants are prone to too many P&D and most of the stuff is ready for harvesting when the kids are on holiday. I would suggest a garden that is as low maintenance as possible.....self seeding annuals, shrubs, herbs etc etc. My other suggestion would be to split the garden up into 5 sections with a large wildlife pond in the middle as a focal point. Each section would be a different sense ie touch, sound, sight, smell and hearing. What would you do ? Good news for your project Andy - and quite a 'blank canvas' problem too, though I think you're on the right lines already... While understanding your reservation about harvesting, on the veg front, could I put in a plea for a representative wigwam or two of runners? It's no bad thing to introduce youngsters to the notion of growing stuff to eat, and runners are so easy to start - a class could be given seed to start, have the fun (competition? is that allowed these days?) of seeing them climb and blossom - and should still be at school when the first beans appear with any luck. You can have the rest during the summer holidays! OM. |
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Post by andy on Jul 13, 2007 11:07:28 GMT
While understanding your reservation about harvesting, on the veg front, could I put in a plea for a representative wigwam or two of runners? It's no bad thing to introduce youngsters to the notion of growing stuff to eat, and runners are so easy to start - a class could be given seed to start, have the fun (competition? is that allowed these days?) of seeing them climb and blossom - and should still be at school when the first beans appear with any luck. You can have the rest during the summer holidays! OM. It's not just that Brian, Firstly, most veg require very rich soil.....all we have is the spoil from the school extension ie thick chalk and flint !!!. You then have to think about slug and blackfly problems and the amount of weeds we have there is unbelievable....we're not allowed to use chemicals in any way. We have to get a rota for watering...weekends, school holidays, inset days etc and that is a logistical nightmare. I know it would be fantastic for the kids....maybe in the "taste" section of the sensory garden, we could grow some of the less demanding stuff. IMO, the garden has to be as low maintenance as possible. |
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Post by Chuckles on Jul 13, 2007 11:34:17 GMT
If I hear anymore of that nonsense 4P I'll be down to Norfolk and give you a real spanking ;D We all know how hard you have worked 'If' that happens, Chuckles, can I join you? If I had half of 4P's enthusiasm and work ethic, I would be more than happy!! Keith Mmmm, she might like that Keith ;D I think enthusiasm is her middle name and she won't be beaten by those stupid people I'm sure |
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Post by 4pygmies on Jul 13, 2007 12:42:37 GMT
All right! All right! That's enough....! You can call me Saint 4P...
That's really good news Andy. Good luck with it - I hope you've got acres of patience because you need it! I agree with you about the allotment. It's just too difficult to maintain and the timing is all wrong for the kids. You could try some container gardening though - I want to give each child a reasonable size pot next year and let them grow whatever they want in it. There are some veggies that could be grown quite successfully like that and at the end of term they can be taken home to be looked after (A cunning plan to get the parents involved!) I also would like to do some larger group pots so they can design, plan, research and plant them up.
Are the kids themselves going to be do some of the work ? There is nothing like a bit of digging in the dirt to attract them - the tricky bit is stopping them....also I have found them quite hard to teach about weeding and watching...they tend to pull anything out once they start - so very tough plants are a must!
Chalk and flint would be great for herbs and lowland wild flowers - start the kids on some research, if you have any old and mature enough! Or sempervivums and other dry stone wall plants - you could create some specific habitats for different groups.
Try and get some compost bins too - the children absolutely adore chucking stuff in them - and if you can get some horse/chicken/goat/cow/ muck - they positively queue up to get stuck onto that!
I have loads of ideas for the future with my school grounds and I intend to use as many of them as possible to encourage the children outside and to drag their teachers out too. I do hope your project goes well. It sounds as if you have already got a goodly amount of support.
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Post by bagpuss on Jul 18, 2007 12:14:49 GMT
Hi 4P/Andy I don't know if either of these sites might be of any interest/help to you: Learning through Landscapes: www.ltl.org.uk. This site does have some free information under resources One of Chris Beardshaw's sites: www.growingforlife.org |
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Post by Chuckles on Jul 27, 2007 12:22:39 GMT
Any good news to report on the two School Gardens Clubs |
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Post by Juliet on Jul 28, 2007 12:38:26 GMT
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Post by 4pygmies on Jul 29, 2007 7:03:05 GMT
Thanks for the links! I am already a member of the Garden Organic school scheme and I can't recommend it highly enough - absolutely brilliant resource material and very very informative.
My gardening club is on hold obviously for the summer break but I have all the wild flower plugs here to repot ready for planting in September - still don't quite trust the groundsmen......and we have a builder coming into school next week to do all the hard landscaping and slab laying for the greenhouse area. So, fingers crossed, it should be all ready for us to put the greenhouse up and start a proper programme of sowing and REAL gardening as soon as term starts! I have stacks of pots and "stuff" knocking about at home ready to make the GH look like a proper gardening area....can't wait! (But I have to cajole some hapless man to erect the GH - obviously I can't do it, I haven't got a willy...). ;D
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Post by 4pygmies on Jul 29, 2007 7:10:58 GMT
I really enjoy catching up with the news on your SGC 4P. Schools could really do with more people like you in them. I'm looking forward to hearing more news of the good variety, you've had more than your fair share of disasters. Have you thought of trying to approach Diarmuid Gavin to up the support. He visited a school in Kent not that long ago. Just a thought. Keep up the good work. Morning Bagpuss! Diarmuid Gavin? I don't think my extremely conservative school is really ready for Diarmuid! Nice thought though.... ;D My personal fantasy is that the wonderful Dick Strawbridge will drive up in his red truck and get stuck into all the hi tech "Green" innovations (like wind turbines, heat sinks, solar powered bird cameras....sigh)...I just sit back and watch him drag the teaching staff outside and infuse them with enthusiasm................ |
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Post by jean on Jul 29, 2007 7:22:52 GMT
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Post by 4pygmies on Jul 29, 2007 11:52:28 GMT
I am a member of that forum already actually! And at Brigit's suggestion I started a thread about the Gardening Club...I dropped some large hints about a visit from Dick but nothing happened.......he might have been away playing with the rich would-be eco warriors that week..(ooo, bitchy!)
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Post by jean on Jul 29, 2007 21:44:06 GMT
I should have know that you would have tried. Perhaps the drip drip method may take a while but worth persevering |
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Post by 4pygmies on Sept 19, 2007 16:40:49 GMT
Thought I'd bring anyone who's interested up to date. Things are really starting to happen now that we have had the hard landscaping done. The GH started to go up today and the fence is nearly finished. This space is where the old mobile classroom stood and is alongside the main entrance to school. The beds to the side are going to be a Herb and Sensory garden and I am hoping to have some nice tubs filled with bulbs planted up for next Spring. It's getting really exciting now - we've been doing this for 2 years....... This is the area that has been landscaped below...looks great, I think! I can't wait to get going... ;D     I'm really hoping that as all the parents and children have to walk past twice (at least) every day that it will create a bit more interest.........it's really exciting! |
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Post by 4pygmies on Sept 20, 2007 11:39:25 GMT
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Post by Juliet on Sept 20, 2007 12:27:28 GMT
Why  4P? It's looking good! |
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Post by Rosefriend on Sept 20, 2007 13:05:54 GMT
Must admit that I am thinking the same as Juliet, I enjoy seeing it all developing.
Just looking at the pics - is the GH going to be in the full sun or is there some shade during the day. My GH was always in the sun (no shade in the whole garden) and in hot summers it was a job and a half keeping it watered, even using shading materials etc. as you will know - hope you are not too far away, or you have people to help you.
At the same time you want people to see what is in it don't you.
RF
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Post by 4pygmies on Sept 21, 2007 5:55:35 GMT
Morning! Sorry, Juliet and RF - I was a bit low spirited yesterday...partly because no one on here had taken any notice of my lovely greenhouse but mainly because I just cannot understand the apathy and disinterest of all the people at school....I quite understand that they all have busy lives, I even understand (sort of...) that a percentage of them have no interest in gardening at all ( ) but I just can't fathom why only the same few have shown ANY interest in the massive GH and lovely landscaped area that's being built right in front of their noses........what is the matter with these people?? It is honestly is beyond me how they can all be sooooo completely uninvolved.............. |
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Post by Shrubrose on Sept 21, 2007 6:36:59 GMT
Hi 4P. Was just thinking about what you said about them being completely uninvolved. Might it be that some are wondering what it's about? Has the school advertised it? You know the sort of thing - school newsletters, annual report, letters home with the children? And they could be asked for ideas on what plants could be grown - asked to sponsor a plant even. Most parents wont have time to be actively involved but maybe a regular piece from yourself in the school newsletter's not a bad idea (just to add another job to those you've already got!). All brilliant projects need a bit of marketing to bring them to wider notice and to foster a sense of ownership. It's future success will probably rely on their continued support and getting them involved early on is one way of ensuring this. What do you think?
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4P 
!
If I had half of 4P's enthusiasm and work ethic, I would be more than happy!!
