Grow Your Own Magazine

hi all, just posting again, had email from mods trying to merge 2 of my threads but it got lost, so re-posting.

hope you can help, gardening club well under way at school, just wondering best veg to plant for children to see before summer hols in july? was thinking of lettuce, beans, potatoes etc.

any other ideas?

i can get garden watered and weeded over school hols, a bit of space, 2 raised beds 15' x 10' plus lots of other borders and woodland etc

Eeek not too sure... How about early carrots, radishes and salad leaves?

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

Have you thought about peas or beat spinach?

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I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.
W. C. Fields

Yes, best to go for salad stuff. Sow early spuds, lettuce, baby leeks, early cherry toms, radish, baby beetroot, chives etc.

Chard "Bright Lights" boy is it well named.

Courgette "Gold Rush" .. although this will produce more than you'll be able to use ! climbing French Beans but try some of the coloured pod ones "Neckargold" for Yellow and I'm sure the other grapes will be able to recommend purple podded ones.

For Carrots get some of the coloured ones just to show them they aren't all orange (Rainbow I think is a mix)

For Winter how about Brussell Sprout "Bridgette" it's suposed to be "the sweetest one and Kids will love em" ... mine didn't

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

wow lots 2 think about, varieties anyone? cheap and cheerful, we're on a budget

I have loads of salad leaves spare if you want some.. PM me if you'd like some

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

hi NTG, posted my reply at same time as yours, like the carrot idea 'rainbow' we have a recycling theme, we are using old cds and have painted them to create a rainbow in the garden (might put behind perspex) one of the childrens ideas and we liked it. creating a multi sensory/environment garden etc etc, can you get them by mail order only?

I think they'll wilt in the post shortie

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

eh ntg i'm being serious lol!

hi bw, thought about peas yeah, but not beat spinach, think cos we have soooo much to think about in terms of the garden itself, not only the veg garden but multi sensory etc, fitting in with curriculum etc, its hard to see everything together because so much to take on board, that's why i thought of posting on here

No I think they are available in garden centres as well. If you'r doing a sensory garden you need Lambs ears - I can guarantee the Kids won't be able to pass them without a feel.

For enviroment I assume you mean a wildlife friendly garden, See if you can get hold of a book by Chris Baines called "creating a wildlife garden" that will tell you all you need to know but essentials are water - not the obvious choice in a school I guess with fears of them drowning themselves but you caould make a pebble pond with big stones/cobbles in it and it will allow frogs space to breed and birds place to bath. Log piles are really good as well. I've just sown some mixed wildflower seed in plugs to take up the allotment to plant around the hedge if anything comes up and I have any spare I'll let you know and send them up to you.

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

ntg many thanks!!!! we have log piles for wildlife etc, bats boxes and bird boxes etc, was thinking about lambs ears for the 'touch' area as well, great minds think alike, have a lot to put in place and very little time,the children love the gardening/environmental club but want to see results the next day lol! thanks xxx

Lol NTG!

Mrsc2b give me 5 mins (okay maybe 15, my contact lenses are glued to my eyes with hayfever ) I'll pop down to the shed to raid my seed stash, I *might* also have some rainbow carrots as I grow them for fun for my little boy, but they taste fine too

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

Hi Mrs C2b, what about a giant pumpkin for Halloween and some green joint (Corn) both easy to grow.

Looking at the tomato packets they say harvest from June. I've always found I'm really harvesting in Sept but that might be because I don't care for them as much as they need?? Anyone found they can crop tomatoes as early as june?

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

Okaaaaaaayyyy looked at the packets and found these. Anyone advise if they're any good to grow in practice? Also, some packets are a tad old so germination may not be 100% but it doesn't stop me from trying (hence I still have them, lol)

Carrots
Rainbow: Sow April-June, Harvest from July (sow by end of Aug 2008)
Early Nantes 2: Sow march onwards Harvest from May-July (sow by end of Aug 2008)

Spring Onion
White Lisbon (in date) & North Holland Blood Red (Sow by 2007) - Sow March - July, Harvest June onwards

Radish
French Breakfast 3 - Sow Feb - Sept, Harvest March onwards (Sow by 2007)

Spinach
Perpetual Spniach (Leaf Beet) - Sow March onwards, harvest June onwards (Sow by 2007)
Spinach Long Standing - Sow March onwards, Harvest May onwards (in date)

Courgette
Tristan (scratch free foliage) - Sow Arpil onwards, Harvest July owards - is this too late? (in date)

Peas
Twinkle - Sow Feb onwards, Harvest June to July (sow by 2007)

Good ol' cress and mustard too, and the salad leaves

Pheeeeeeew that took longer than I thought

Anyone advise if the above are really any good?

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

Mrsc2b have you registered with the Rocket Gardens people? Dig for Their Future - How to obtain a Rocket Garden for your School - Instant organic vegetable garden uk - Rocket Gardens
I think they're giving away veg plants to schools - you tell them how much space you have, and they send you plants to fit in the space. Might help with having things ready to pick fast enough for the kids? If you get enough plants for half of your space & the kids sow some stuff too?
Just a thought...

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Sarah

http://www.hypermobility.org


“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”