Wednesday 19 October 2011

Longsight bay leaves




St John's has a large Bay tree that needs trimming (we need to wait until spring to really cut it back) so the school Gardening Club cut some branches and then used scrap paper to make packets that they designed. The smell of the bay leaves was wonderful and the pupils came up with some lovely designs.

We're going to give the packets away to parents and community members at a school Open Day on Thursday. Maybe we'll find some people interested in getting involved in the school garden and greenhouse?

Wednesday 12 October 2011

Planting on playgrounds




Armitage Primary want to green the school and use plants to enhance its appearance. In particular they asked me to think about ways to cover some metal fences and a pergola in the EYFS outdoor area.

So we asked Timber Recycling in Manchester (TRIM) to make us some wooden planters. Children painted the inside with linseed oil and we've filled them with a mix of soil from Kennedy's in Salford and compost from Fairfield Composting who use the waste fruit and veg from Manchester's main wholesale market. Hulme Community Garden Centre gave really helpful advice about planting options, what to fill them with and how to preserve the wood. I was interested that both TRIM and HCGC advised on just preserving the inside.



The first plants are now in, some winter bedding with a few onions and garlic mixed in. Climbers will go in in November, probably a mix of winter jasmine, evergreen clematis and others that will provide cover over the winter.