http://www.leef.org.uk/files/resource-repository/04_Gardening-School-Grounds

Gardening in the school grounds • Introduction • Setting up a school garden • Tips for a successful school garden • Rules and tools – Safety in the garden • The National Curriculum in the garden • Activities for garden clubs • Garden calendar • Gardening for wildlife • HDRA leaflets

a joint project

Introduction A garden is an invaluable resource for any school. It provides alternative opportunities for teaching the National Curriculum, a venue for wildlife clubs to study and enjoy nature and the passing seasons, opportunities for gardening club members to develop green fingers as well as a place to relax, reflect and draw inspiration from nature.

This section is designed to help you in the process of setting up and running a school garden, whatever your existing level of knowledge, by bringing together a body of basic information. It details the benefits of setting up a school garden and how to go about it. There are tips to help you run your garden and garden projects successfully, activities to keep gardening clubs busy, gardening for the benefit of wildlife and a seasonal planting guide. Some of the resources made available here are included with the kind permission of Garden Organic (Henry Doubleday Research Association), the Royal Horticultural Society and Growing Schools. No matter what your current level of knowledge there should be something to help you make the most of your school grounds.

Initial support is available from the EC1 Young Persons Environmental Outreach Officer, if your school is in the EC1 NDC area. They will help you to set up your school garden or, if you are lucky enough to have one, show you how to make full use of it. No matter what space you have, be it a window ledge or quiet corner in the playground, it can be transformed into a space for growing and learning.

Setting up a school garden The case for a school garden Gardens when well thought out and used are fantastic resources for any school. Whatever its size, whether it has been designed for growing vegetables, attracting wildlife, studying habitats or as a quiet space it will provide opportunities for delivering aspects of the National Curriculum. Some suggested links to the curriculum are made later on in this pack so with a little bit of thought you can maximise the potential of your school grounds or existing garden.

Curriculum linked activities in gardens can be extremely rewarding and stimulating for children, providing a fantastic opportunity for them to more fully connect with their environment and work in cooperation with each other and nature. Some of the key benefits of a school garden are • They are an ideal way to develop cross curricular teaching as well as provide a complete change from the normal school timetable.

• Garden based curriculum activities are ‘real’.

• Children often learn better outside, finding the outdoor classroom a more relaxed yet stimulating environment.

• Gardens offer opportunities for children to learn about food production and healthy eating.

• Working in a garden provides children with the chance to participate in a healthy physical activity.

• Gardens may kindle a new interest or hobby.

• Gardens afford children close contact with wildlife and nature, particularly important for inner city children.

• They can help children develop social skills including cooperation, communication, patience, respect and responsibility.

• Gardens are the perfect place for young people to develop knowledge and understanding of biodiversity, sustainability, local and global environmental issues.

• They provide opportunities for children to participate in extra curricular gardening and wildlife clubs.

• A garden can be a sanctuary or stimulating environment, calming and inspiring children who visit or work in it.

• It is a place in which less academic children can succeed and build confidence without the pressure of the formal classroom setting.

The therapeutic qualities of gardens should not be overlooked. In inner London, where few children have access to gardens, teachers will find children often behave quite differently outdoors giving them a more balanced picture of children’s individual strengths and personalities. Achievements made in the garden can instil a sense of value and pride both in the children themselves and their surroundings, having positive knock-on effects throughout the rest of the school.

Form a garden team Once you have decided to set up a school garden you must identify who will be able to help. All too often gardens are created because one person has an interest in gardening and wishes to share it with their pupils or there is a teacher who is interested in nutrition or the environment. This is an excellent starting point, however if the garden is to be sustained in the future it must become a valued integral part of the school - and outdoor lessons part of its culture - lest it lapse into overgrown scrub within months of the person moving on.

To ensure your garden is a success a team of individuals is needed at different times to: • ensure curriculum links are established and maintained; • provide knowledge on gardening and garden maintenance; • address access issues; • publicise garden developments; • set up volunteers; and • gain funding for future developments.

Appointing a Garden Coordinator to ensure all of these different activities are undertaken and make sure the project runs smoothly is invaluable.

A small garden management team of approximately four people often works well. The team can be made up of teachers, teaching assistants, parents and/or volunteers. In addition, an administrator and grounds maintenance staff member should be involved in important decisions. An ideal initial setup would be a head teacher, teacher, specialist teacher, parent governor. You may also involve a specialist from outside to assist in the project if you feel the need.

In theory, garden setup can be done with fewer people or even just one person, however it will then be a sizable commitment for each individual and if one person leaves or is ill the extra work will be felt more keenly than if you have a group.

Things to consider before you begin Once you have formed a team you need to work out who will do what and how you will complete and sustain your garden. Some things to consider are • Who will maintain the garden – you may have the funding to hire someone to carry out basic garden maintenance. In most circumstances though this will not be the case and other arrangements will need to be made e.g. parent/teacher volunteers or specific classes/year groups using and maintaining the garden on a termly basis (as long as you establish firm curriculum links this is the more sustainable option).

• Who will be involved in consultation – all teaching staff should be consulted to ensure they are able to provide input on how they would like to use the garden to deliver curriculum topics. From a pupil perspective it could be as little as a specialist group or class to the whole school and community, dependant on the size of the garden and the wishes of the school (you will find more information about consultation in the next section).

• Where will you have your garden - you may not have much option as to where your garden will be but if you do it is worth bearing in mind factors such as wind, shade, adjacent areas, access, security, water supply, tools storage, proximity to classrooms, nearest toilets and access to hand-washing facilities – remember children are likely to have muddy hands and boots and cleaning staff are unlikely to be pleased to have this run through the school.

• Who will design the garden – if this is part of a larger grounds development programme a landscape architect may be hired. Alternatively you may leave this to a specific class or group though bear in mind that it is unlikely you will be able to carry out all of the children’s wishes for various reasons ranging from financial restraints to practical restrictions. It is important to be clear on how you will pull these designs together into a workable garden plan.

• Who will build the garden – again this may be part of a larger development programme with professional landscapers already onboard. Alternatively you may call in the help of organisations such as BTCV, the Prince’s Trust, London Cares or you could carry out the work with volunteers from the local community during weekend working parties, or a combination of these.

• Record your progress – this is essential to help you stay on track. It may be necessary to evidence your achievements to funders but is also a fantastic record for the future and may even be useful when entering into competitions. Decide how you will record the progress of your project. Take minutes at meetings noting all action points and who will action them, set targets and deadlines for achieving specific tasks, record all volunteers on the project from those who attended meetings to carrying out practical work and ensure you take plenty of photographs as a visual record for the future.

• It is well worth getting any school garden project written into the school development plan to ensure sustainability.

Consult the school community To ensure sustainability you must think about both the type of garden the school community would like to have and what they will use it for. You may want to set up a garden to: • Attract wildlife or be an environmental area.

• Be a sensory garden, involving plants with strong scents, bright colours, edible leaves/flowers, interesting texture or which make a noise in the wind.

• Provide shade or shelter in an exposed area.

• Display composting and recycling.

• Provide healthy produce and herbs.

• Study specific aspects of the National Curriculum.

• Be a memorial garden.

You may want the garden to be a combination of these.

When deciding to set up your garden it is best to choose two or three key aims. Decide what you want to do in the garden rather than what you want in it. This prevents you incorporating unnecessary features but ensures you include what you need.

Teachers’ opinions are needed to decide which formal and informal curriculum objectives they want to reinforce. This will in turn determine the resources you need to include in the garden. It may help you to refer to the National Curriculum in the garden section to help you decide what is possible and most practical for your school. It is worth bearing in mind that vegetable beds require a lot more maintenance than meadows (which incidentally require less upkeep than close mown grass) and some wildlife areas but may be just as effective for studying certain aspects of the curriculum.

Find out who is currently using the site and how; this will ensure you take their wishes into consideration.

People may be using the space unbeknown to the rest of the school.

Deciding what you want to use your garden for is particularly important during consultation with children, as asking them what they want will, more often than not, provide you with all manner of imaginative yet impractical suggestions.

There are various techniques for consulting children, such as asking them to lead adults on tours of their space explaining the things they like/don’t like and what they currently use it for. Some younger children may find it easier to do this by taking a toy on the tour. Children who have difficulty communicating may find it easier to attach happy/sad faces to maps to indicate areas they like/dislike. They could use cameras to record the spaces, or a combination of all of these techniques.

It is important to share the vision of a garden and its benefits to as many people as possible. Introduce the school garden project during a school assembly. Publicise what you are doing in the school newsletter so that parents are aware of developments. Create a garden notice board to keep teachers and children up to date with developments and achievements. If your plans for grounds developments are on a large scale you may want to hold an open event to invite suggestions and feedback from parents and the local community. This is a good way of drawing in local support as well as various skills and knowledge. If you are lucky someone may come forward to offer his/her help with aspects of the school garden whether it be donating materials or offering their time and horticultural knowledge. If you are planning to carry out a lot of the garden construction work yourselves this would be a good time to sow the seed of working parties in the minds of the community.

The EC1 Young Persons Environmental Outreach Officer can help EC1 schools work out what you want to use your garden and green spaces for and how best to design them to meet your needs. Other organisations such as Groundwork and London Conservation Services can also help carry out all aspects of small to large scale school grounds development from consultation and design to project completion.

Groundwork can also help carry out fundraising for your project. .

Designing your school garden Once you have gathered all the information you need about what you want to use your garden for and where it is going to be you need to come up with a design. If you intend to have the children do this it is a good idea to organise a trip to a working garden as children who do not have gardens or have always been faced with tarmac and close mown grass will often not know what is possible. Good ideas can be gleaned from a trip to the Growing Schools Garden at 77 Bexley Road, Eltham, London SE9 2PE or, if you are trying to create a wildlife refuge, the Islington Ecology Centre is wonderful.

When designing a garden there are certain steps you need to follow to ensure your completed design will suit the site. If children are designing the garden be sure to remind them what the garden is being used for to try to keep ideas as realistic as possible.

• Survey the site – ideally you should monitor the site for a year noting areas of water logging as well as sun and shade. Note orientation of the space, existing slopes, hazards (e.g. slippery surfaces, position of underground services) and existing wildlife. If you are going to be gardening straight into existing ground, check your soil type and depth, as well as for any toxicity (an environmental consultant can do this). Alternatively consider using raised beds lined with plastic and importing clean soil for growing food plants.

• Measure the space carefully – enlist the help of the children, perhaps as part of a maths lesson or extracurricular activity, to obtain accurate measurements of your space and of the positions of any existing features you would like to or need to keep e.g. existing trees, paths, doorways, windows overlooking or opening onto the space, water supplies etc. However don’t get tied to specific features such as areas of tarmac, benches and bins just because they have always been there; if they are inappropriately positioned or surplus to requirements they can be repositioned or removed.

• Draw a scale diagram – if appropriate children can work out their own scale and transfer their measurements and positions of existing features onto this.

• Add essential garden features – you can do this in many ways, for example - Fix tracing paper over the initial outline and draw features onto this. This allows you to make changes without affecting the basic outline.

- Make cut out scale diagrams of individual features e.g. pond, shed, compost bins, bird feeding station, raised beds, pond, paths, gates, fences etc. This is an excellent tool as children often have difficulty visualising how large things really are and how they actually fit into their space.

When positioning raised beds orient them north-south if growing low crops (allows both sides to get full sun). East-West is best if taller plants are to be grown (allows you to plant lower growing crops on the south side and still get full sun).

- Collect natural materials from the grounds for inspiration and mock up wildlife areas, raised beds etc. with these. These are often 3D creations, useful for obtaining general ideas which will form the basis of your practical working plans.

• Pay particular attention to details such as health and safety features and access in and around the garden.

As a guide footpaths need to be a minimum of 1.2m wide if they are to be accessible by wheelchair.

• Think about the construction materials you will use and how you will balance cost, environmental implications and durability. Bear in mind the opportunities for demonstrating sustainability and recycling.

• Choose your plants. Plants are suited to specific conditions so take this into account when choosing where to position borders and beds or creating specific zones in your garden such as woodland edge, meadow, alpine, food production. You may want to consider drought resistant plants.

Funding your garden project The EC1 Community Gardening Project (CGP) has funding available for EC1 school grounds ‘greening’ projects of all kinds. If your project is an extension of previous work or occurring beyond the life of the EC1 CGP you will need to fundraise for your garden project.

There are lots of national organisations which have pots of funding available to schools on a yearly basis and these are listed in the funding section of this pack. It is also worth joining several different organisations (many of which have free school membership) e.g. RHS and Garden Organic who will often keep you up to date with new funding opportunities as they come up. Local businesses often have money available for local projects as part of their corporate social responsibility policies.

As well as carrying out consultation, design and project works, Groundwork can help schools raise funds for their projects. However they do need to cover their costs for work carried out prior to this and thus charge for their time, so you will need an initial pot of funding to work with them. They will however come and visit the school and discuss your project with you for free.

Funding does not need to come in the form of money but may be ‘in kind’ donations of everything from materials and plants to skills and time. You could involve the children in writing letters to local businesses asking for their help and donations.

Getting the work done Once you have consulted, designed and raised money for your garden it’s time to don gloves and get the work done.

You may contract out some or all of the work to a professional landscaper or other organisations such as BTCV who can be hired to come in with a team of volunteers and have years of experience in constructing ponds, footpaths, fences, dipping platforms etc. If your garden is part of a larger school grounds development programme you may have included labour costs in certain, if not all, aspects of the build and landscaping in your funding applications.

When creating any garden it is important to get the hard landscaping features in place early on.

Footpaths, steps, raised beds, decking, pergolas and hard edgings are all types of hard landscaping. Lawns, meadows, trees and plants are known as soft landscaping.

Planning to do the work yourself need not be a daunting task. The EC1 Community Gardening Project has a range of adult and child sized tools and equipment EC1 schools can borrow to carry out the practical work. Alternatively associated groups of BTCV can borrow tools from their nearest office by prior arrangement.

If your garden has been properly planned and the children involved in the consultation and design then they will most probably have been publicising it for you to their families. Harness the enthusiasm of the children and organise weekend working parties.

Organisations such as London Cares (part of Business in the Community) will often be able to provide a corporate team from a local business on ‘Team Challenges’. Teams will carry out a range of tasks from painting and planting to construction work and sometimes come with a small budget to help with the project. However they are likely to be inexperienced so you will need someone with some experience and knowledge of the tasks to be accomplished to instruct team members on the project day.

Alternatively you may be able to forge links with other schools in the area and enlist the help of 6th Form students as part of their citizenship studies.

For easier tasks requiring less skill, such as planting and mulching, children from individual classes or groups can be involved, completing the project.

Celebrate!

Once your garden is complete celebrate your achievement! You may wish to hold an opening event, involving children, parents and any businesses, funders or specialists who helped you along the way. Invite a photographer along from the local press or take some pictures yourself and issue a press release.

Thank volunteers with a letter or card and photograph of your completed project. Share your success with other schools either by inviting them to come and visit your garden or you may wish to create a presentation or booklets explaining how you created your garden.

Tips for a successful school garden Gardening should be fun and rewarding for you and your students. Here are some tips to ensure it all goes smoothly and that your garden is a success:

Ensure you’ve got enough staff Confident teachers with good garden knowledge will often be able to run a garden club single handed.

However this leaves the club at a bit of a loss if the teacher is ill or moves on. For this reason, and for anyone who doesn’t fall into this category, it’s a good idea to start off small with a couple of leaders sharing the load. Begin with a ratio of 3 children to 1 adult until the children (and you) find their feet in the garden. It’s easy to increase garden club members once it is established.

Carefully plan what to grow Start with fast-growing, reliable, easy plants to keep students excited and interested. Children will be more drawn to some vegetables than others. Have a look through seed catalogues for unusual and colourful varieties of common vegetables and ensure you plant things which the children like to eat.

Inexperienced gardeners may want to consider spending a few hours in a local community garden to gain experience.

Mulch thoroughly Mulching helps to prevent weeds and helps plants better tolerate extremes of heat and cold. Some children love weeding however you should try to minimise the number of weeds by keeping your soil covered with a 10cm layer of mulch. Mulch will prevent most weed seeds from germinating. Good mulches include hay or chipped bark. Mulching will also maintain soil moisture by reducing evaporation, vital to a successful garden in these days of water shortages.

Use sturdy, child-sized tools Using inappropriate tools can be frustrating and dangerous. A good trowel is sufficient for most jobs and many places sell them. The Joseph Bentley ‘Gardener’s Apprentice’ range of tools are excellent quality, real tools scaled down for children. BTCV can also supply a range of childsized tools at a discounted rate to associated groups. The EC1 Community Gardening Project can supply a selection of tools to schools in the EC1 NDC area to start you off. As a guide you will find it useful to have a spade, fork, hoe, rake, trowels, hand forks, wheelbarrow, watering cans and secateurs.

Exercise sun safety In hot weather, try not to go out to the garden during the peak hours of afternoon sun. If you are running your club at lunchtime or are out in the sun ensure children wear sunscreen when they are outside or loose-fitting long-sleeved shirts. Don’t forget to give them plenty of water breaks and limit sun exposure as much as possible. Encourage students to wear wide brimmed hats; making garden hats for themselves can be a fun project for younger students. It is worth creating a shaded area for any activities e.g. potting, sowing and tool maintenance, which are away from the main beds.

Be appropriately dressed Though you should never be put off by the weather, no one enjoys getting soaked or cold so ensure children are dressed appropriately for the weather. Gardening when it is a chilly is well tolerated as long as children are kept active and wrapped up.

Have fun and be creative Incorporate art into the garden. Scarecrows are fun projects. Be creative with layout and colour. For more ideas see Activities for Garden Clubs.

Plan year round activities The central London micro climate is warm enough so that students can be active in the garden almost every month of the school year. A vast array of plants can be grown in the area though there is a time and a season for each of them. To ensure a healthy garden take the time to consult the Garden calendar found in this pack. There are also a range of suitable activities in this pack to keep children occupied when they are not engaged in practical growing and maintenance.

Plan for holidays When you are deciding what to plant you need to think about what will be happening to the garden during the holidays and particularly in summer. Will there be anyone to tend the garden or will it need to survive on its own? Will there be a summer gardening club? With the effects of climate change becoming more evident, London summers are becoming unpredictable. Add to this the pressure of there not being many students or teachers around and things can look a little tricky in the garden. Fortunately, with a good layer of mulch many plants are fairly drought-tolerant. Planting a large crop of heat-loving plants will keep your garden going all summer long, even when not many people are around to weed and water.

Alternatively a summer programme of activities may be set up to help maintain the garden. If you choose not to garden in the summer months, cover your beds with cardboard or 10 sheets of newspaper and three inches of hay. This will prevent weeds from taking over the beds and ensure you retain nutrients in the soil.

Increase your knowledge Confidence in running a club comes with experience and knowledge. There are a whole host of activities in this pack to keep children occupied throughout the year. Before going out on sessions ensure you have a couple of back up activities to keep you going if one doesn’t work out. The EC1 Young Persons Environmental Outreach Officer is also on hand to offer advice and informal training to EC1 based teachers and volunteers in all aspects of the school garden, with funding available to send garden leaders on relevant training courses. Organisations including the Royal Horticultural Society, Permaculture Association, Freightliner’s Farm, London Environmental Education Forum (LEEF), Thrive, the Islington Ecology Centre and BTCV provide CPD days and/or other relevant courses.

Books and magazines are also useful resources. Joining the RHS school membership scheme is free, and this entitles you to reduced-fee training, keeps you updated with termly newsletters and garden ideas as well as allowing you to access the RHS advisory service. The Duchy Originals Garden Organic for Schools project is also a valuable free source of information. It is worth starting a garden library at your school so that teachers can share these educational resources.

Rules and tools – Safety in the garden Gardening, whether as part of the curriculum or an extra curricular club, should always be a fun and enjoyable activity. The importance of rules or good garden manners can not be overemphasised in ensuring that the area stays safe. Schools often have their own set of rules for out of hours clubs, however the following are examples of some you may wish to adopt specific to the garden (and why).

Walk on paths, not the garden beds The concept of not walking on the garden beds can be a difficult lesson for children to learn, especially when there are few or no visible plants and what appears to be a ‘clear’ route to where they want to be.

They may have been involved in the initial construction of the garden and will have stepped into beds to mulch or plant. Prepare children by telling them that this is the only time anyone can step on them and explain how stepping in beds will cause the soil to compact and is bad for their plants. Demonstrating that compacted soil is harder to work in than soil that is loose and friable will also help them understand the reason for this rule.

Occasionally children will set a challenge to successfully jump over beds. In the first instance explain why they should refrain from this. If the thought of tripping and injuring themselves on the other side is not enough to deter them, knowing it may put an end to their activities in the garden might be.

Always ask before picking or eating anything As many a keen grower knows eating the fruits of your labours is one of the finest rewards, and children are no different. Making sure that children ask before picking and eating allows you to not only monitor what the children are eating (thus preventing any incidences of them consuming something which may make them ill) but it also allows you to make sure that all the produce is distributed fairly. You may plan to grow food for a specific celebration, activity or event... it would be a pity to grow all season only to discover you have none left!

Wash fruit or vegetables before eating It is hoped that you will be gardening organically both for the health and safety of the students and the environment. However it is still essential to wash all produce to remove any traces of contaminants before eating. Air borne pollution (particularly in London) is just one source of toxins which can build up on produce and may not always be visible. Discussing with children why they should always wash fruit and vegetables before eating also allows you to raise issues of pesticide use in conventional agriculture and how this impacts on the health of people and wildlife.

Wash hands after gardening It is all too easy to take it for granted that children know how to and do wash their hands properly.

Ensure that you allow adequate time at the end of the sessions for children to get cleaned up. Hold regular healthy hand washing sessions until you are sure that the children are doing this properly for themselves. Ensure there is plenty of antibacterial soap available and that they clean under their nails as best they can without using nailbrushes. It is also important that they dry their hands thoroughly, particularly in the winter to prevent irritation and chapped hands.

Be aware and take care of each other It is easy to become so absorbed in an activity that we forget to pay attention to what is going on around us. Children should be taught to maintain a safe working distance from each other (usually 2 tool lengths) and encouraged to alert each other to potential hazards.

Occasionally children will take great pleasure in startling each other in the garden with minibeasts (or the threat of minibeasts). Earthworms on the end of sticks or being thrown at fellow students causes much distress and is counterproductive to developing a love of the natural world and should not be tolerated.

If students claim they were merely showing their classmates the worm, explain how unnecessary it is to show others creatures they have probably already seen. If the group is new to gardening they will understandably become excited when they discover minibeasts. Encourage them to alert you to the presence of new minibeasts so that you can briefly discuss them and their roles in the garden as a group or hold regular minibeast hunting sessions.

Don’t kill living creatures If you do not include this earthworms may be chopped in half and lacewings crushed. When students encounter an insect ask them to identify it. Discuss what it is and its role in the garden. Some creatures are beneficial e.g. worms, others detrimental e.g. grubs. Regardless do not kill it.

When dealing with the less beneficial garden creatures such as grubs teach them to identify it so that they learn it is the larval stage of a beetle. They should then learn that grubs eat plant roots and are therefore not good for their garden. When they encounter one in the soil teach them to pick it up and place it somewhere on the lawn or away from where you are working or on the bird feeding station if you have one. Explain how this gives birds the opportunity to eat the grub (which it wouldn’t have if gardeners simply crushed them) thus continuing the food chain.

Use tools safely For children who usually associate outside with play time tools can be viewed as toys and the garden an extension of the playground. For the most part children do not mean any harm, but the possibility that they could harm each other is high. Instruct them to keep the working part of tools below knee height and always show them how to use tools correctly so that they keep themselves and each other safe.

Place sharp edges or points of tools face down Never underestimate the potential of a rake to cause harm! Most children will have seen cartoons involving rake injuries and you often need give little more explanation than this for why we must always put tools down safely. However it is also worth mentioning how much less it will hurt them if they do accidentally stand or fall onto tools which have been placed point or sharp edge down.

Keep tools off the paths It is important at all times to keep paths clear of obstacles to prevent trips and falls. When children (and adults) are absorbed in their gardening activities it is all too easy to simply put down a tool on the footpath for a moment, which in a busy school garden is all it takes for an accident to occur. Some children pick safe tool handling and usage up very quickly and can be fantastic for politely ensuring others store their tools safely when not in use.

Clean and put away tools when you’re finished with them Looking after tools and equipment is a valuable lesson for all children. If tools are cleaned and stored properly at the end of each day they will not only last longer but will be more pleasant and easier to use and will work more efficiently. Use a wire brush to scrub off dry mud or rinse off mud in a bucket of water and stand up tools in a safe place to dry. It is worth occasionally wiping down cleaned metal parts of tools with a linseed oiled rag though this best done by an adult with care and in good ventilation as linseed oil can cause irritation.

Maintaining effective rules For rules to be effective children need to know what they are and the consequences for not adhering to them. Go over them quickly at the beginning of each session and have a plan of what you will do if they are broken e.g. going back to class or sitting out of an activity. Never use specific garden tasks as a punishment. When you are trying to teach children that the garden is an amazing place to learn and experience wonderful things, the last thing they need to hear is that cleaning tools is the penalty for misbehaving. This will turn the garden into a source of unhappiness and probably ensure these jobs are never done properly.

Be sure to inform children of the consequences for broken rules and stick to them, that way it is ultimately their decisions and choices which allow them to participate or go back to class. For after school clubs it may be worth drawing up a garden rules pledge, or use the one on the next page, which each child agrees to and signs. However when children are new to the garden there is a lot to take in and in their excitement they may not remember all of the rules. It may also be difficult for them to grasp their importance until they are actually working. So unless children are engaged in blatant bullying or other unacceptable practises remind children of the rules and reasons for them frequently and allow some leeway at first.

Correct handling and use of tools is a lesson in itself and again you should start each session with a ‘tools talk’. Introduce each tool, how to use, carry and store it safely. Correct tool use is a valuable skill.

Shovelling soil has a technique that can give you better results with less strain. If you are unfamiliar with safe tool use and maintenance it is wise to undergo further training; BTCV and LEEF both run excellent courses or contact the EC1 Young Persons Environmental Outreach Officer for further on-site guidance.

Generally children quickly become used to the garden and what is expected of them. You will often find that they take on the responsibility for ensuring rules are respected and tools used safely within the group without you needing to do anything.

Some people see the idea of rules as restrictive and you may want to change the language to garden manners. Either way these are just to get you started on a good foundation. You may want to research garden rules online or in books before you begin your own garden programme. Overall children love being in the garden and thrive on the practical tasks they are engaged in. As long as they are kept busy and encouraged, instances of bad behaviour are usually kept to a minimum. When children do misbehave it is often because they associate being outside with free time. All children need boundaries and garden rules continue a level of discipline from the indoor classroom to the outdoor one. They are there to protect the children and ensure everyone has fun and enjoys the garden in safety.

Good garden manners When I am in the garden I will always... walk on paths, not the garden beds ask before picking or eating anything wash fruit or vegetables before eating them wash my hands after gardening be aware of other people and take care them respect living creatures use tools safely place sharp edges or points of tools face down keep tools off the paths clean and put away the tools when I am ďŹ nished with them

Name

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Signed

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Date

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The National Curriculum in the garden The school garden is an excellent medium for teaching a large portion of the National Curriculum.

Lessons based on garden activities or in the garden can be stimulating and make curriculum topics ‘real’.

Students can grow and study plants, monitor wildlife, study lifecycles; use it as an inspiration or setting for art; record and relate fictional or factual events for English; find creative solutions to problems; and gain an understanding of and take practical action to address issues of local and global concern. Many activities and discussions can take place indoors so need not be restricted to dry days.

The following are examples of how garden related activities will link into the curriculum for both key stages 1 and 2. All activities are general ideas which can be simplified or extended to meet curricular needs. It is worth bearing in mind that there are a lot of opportunities for cross curricular work due to the nature of practical gardening activities.

English En1 Speaking and listening Speaking • Hold group discussions around activities in the garden or horticulture on a local and/or global scale.

• Tell garden-related stories of factual occurrences or imaginary tales. One good way to do this is to ask children to gather one item from the garden (e.g. a stick) and then tell a fantastical tale about what it is and how it came to be there e.g. the horn from the mythical grindlebeast lost in a vicious battle for the sacred juice of the pond weed... just as long as it’s not a stick.

• Read aloud garden-related books and stories in class.

• Describe their experiences in the garden, use appropriate language to give garden tours explaining highlights.

Listening • Listen to safety talks and instructions and be able to recall and repeat information back.

• Listen to recordings on gardening topics e.g. video of gardener’s world, online recordings.

• Listen and respond to others opinions on garden/food/wildlife related issues.

Group discussion and interaction • In groups, make plans for the garden. Discuss things they would like to grow; or make to go in the garden to make it more wildlife friendly; or what they will need to organise before they can begin work short or long term. Consider short and long term goals.

• Share ideas about the nature of a sensory garden. What might they include to stimulate the senses?

• Share garden experiences of things they have enjoyed most in the garden, things that went well or could be improved.

• Give factual reports of garden events and activities e.g. provide summaries at the end of the day or week.

• Anticipate consequences of growing a vegetable garden (e.g. how might the children stop birds eating the crops?)

• Give a talk on gardening in different cultures.

• Group discussions on topical issues such as GM food, organic farming, food miles, water.

Drama • Dramatise garden events from lifecycles or a gardener’s tale to more global issues such as water, or the impact of cash crops on communities and the environment.

En2 Reading • Read fictional texts based on gardens, plants or wildlife.

• Read garden or wildlife-based classic and modern poetry.

• Explore stories from other cultures and traditions.

• Research relevant information in factual gardening manuals and encyclopaedias.

• Use ICT to find solutions to garden problems or instructions on how to grow specific plants.

• Read a range of magazine or newspaper articles, leaflets and advertisements and evaluate the various formats.

• Identify opportunities to recognise varying degrees of reliability of information in texts e.g. encyclopaedias, letters, advertisements and fictional tales.

En3 Writing • Record factual information in garden diaries using familiar and unfamiliar vocabulary.

• Create a garden care manual or write instructions on how to grow seeds, potatoes, take cuttings etc.

Extend activity by asking children to aim text at different audiences.

• Write garden labels, take notes.

• Write fictional stories, poetry and plays set in the garden or on growing-related themes (local or global, cultural or traditional).

• Write letters to local businesses or garden suppliers for donations of goods and materials for the garden and /or letters of thanks for help received.

• Write articles for a gardening newsletter or magazine.

• Write notices for garden notice board.

• Write adverts for upcoming garden activities.

Mathematics Ma2 Number • Count seeds, vegetables, plots, plant parts or plants. How many window boxes are needed to fit one to each window? How many hanging baskets would you need to put one either side of each external door? How many plants to fill one planter/all planters? How much will this cost?

• Estimate number of plants required to fill a space, number of birds to visit garden feeder in a day, number of worms in a garden bed (be sensitive to worms needs, keep handling to a minimum and return to soil quickly or create worm habitat).

• Convert measurements from m to cm in beds; use seed packets for planting distances and calculate how many seeds will fit in a row; how many rows in a bed (giving plants suitable room); how many plants you can grow in a bed.

• Grow seeds and record how many germinate; convert to fractions and percentages.

Ma3 Shape, space and measures • Measure beds and garden space in non-standard units e.g. paces, feet, hand span, trowel length. Remeasure in standard units. Convert between the two, use non-standard to estimate standard. Discuss importance of standard units and usefulness of non-standard for estimation.

• Design a school/dream garden to hold specific items of specific dimensions e.g. raised beds, shed, seating and footpaths.

• Use a variety of measuring equipment to measure garden space, footpaths etc, draw scale diagrams, calculate perimeter of rectangular components.

• Study minibeasts and show lines of symmetry.

• Identify 2D shapes in garden plans.

• Identify 3D shapes in the garden/garden structures.

• Use bird nesting box diagrams and amend so as to have some lengths and angles missing. Ask children to calculate all missing angles/lengths. Build boxes.

• Calculate volume of compost required in raised beds or pots.

Ma4 Handling data • Record data of various garden activities e.g. birds visiting feeders; number and frequency of species in garden; number and types of minibeasts; and different types of seeds germination rates. Display these in a variety of charts and graphs. Use seed data to compare two or more species.

• Grow sunflowers; record rate of plant growth, calculate mode and range of heights.

Science Sc1 - Scientific Enquiry There is so much scope to develop scientific enquiry in the garden it is impossible to list all of the possibilities. Many aspects of Sc1 should flow naturally through the exploring Sc2, Sc3 and Sc4.

• What will happen if we grow crops in different parts of the garden/different types of container? How do we make this a fair test? What will happen if we have a dry spell? Why does this happen? How can we make sure our plants get the best chances to grow well?

• Explore the garden using the senses, including taste where appropriate.

• Record qualities (rough, smooth, prickly, bright, noisy, sweet, bitter, fragrant) of garden features and plants.

• Ask children what they think will happen if they feed the birds/water the plants daily. Record results (use more than one type of bird food/plant), discuss actual results and why any differences from predicted outcomes occurred, birds needed more shelter, cat in the area, different birds prefer different food, some plants need more water than others etc.

• Discuss why it is important to test garden theories from observation and measurement.

• Study features of garden ‘weeds’/wildflowers. Do all buttercups have the same number of petals? What happens to daisies in the dark? Are all seeds the same? How do seeds spread?

• Question where to find answers to problems: experiments, encyclopaedias, ICT. • Use gardening tools and field studies equipment appropriately and safely.

• Use a wide range of methods, including diagrams, drawings, tables, bar charts, line graphs and ICT, to communicate garden data in an appropriate and systematic manner.

• Draw conclusions from practical observations – why did some vegetables grow better than others?

• Use knowledge and understanding of life processes in the garden to explain observations.

• Experiment growing vegetables with different soil types.

Sc2 - Life processes and living things Life processes • Look at the lifecycle of plants and animals commonly found in the garden or pond e.g. fish, toad, ladybird, bird, squirrel, human.

• Look at seed dispersal in the garden by studying dandelions, chestnuts, berries etc.

Humans and other animals • Tell the children they are going on a minibeast safari and discuss the creatures they might find. Teach them how to collect and handle the minibeasts properly with care and respect and ensure they are all returned to where they were found within 15 minutes (otherwise mini habitats will be needed to get them back to class).

• Conduct a minibeast safari. Once children have studied their minibeast ask them to draw it and label all of the parts.

• Research what their minibeast(s) need to survive and present the findings in a presentation, discussion or class display.

Green plants • Study plants by growing some indoors (geraniums are particularly easy) and study the effects of - light by keeping one plant in the dark and one in light or part cover a leaf with tin foil or card to exclude light; - water by giving a few plants of similar size differing amounts/frequency of water (please note geraniums do thrive in relatively dry conditions and suffer when over watered); - temperature by keeping plants in different places (indoors, in a cold frame, outdoors, but try to keep all other conditions the same to ensure a fair test).

• Study plant structures by drawing and identifying parts of plants in the garden.

• Ask children to identify different parts of plants.

• Ask children to identify the same parts of plants e.g. root, leaf, flower on quite different plants e.g. chive and pea.

• Study how plants make food by photosynthesis and how they store it.

• Discuss which part of the plants we eat to aid identification and understanding.

• Study how plants reproduce (sunflowers are particularly effective for this).

Variation and classification • Study garden birds. Look at different beak shapes to show variation - tits have short tough beaks for cracking seeds, blackbirds have longer softer bills for catching and eating worms, sparrow hawks have curved beaks for tearing flesh. Or study feet shapes designed for perching (tits conduct most of their lives in trees), walking (blackbirds are ground feeders) or catching prey (sparrow hawks).

• Look at the variety of plants in the school grounds and garden, discuss why they are suited to their habitats, extend by explaining how gardening is a human controlled replication of nature to create optimum growing conditions (which is why even wildlife gardens need maintenance).

• Use classification charts to identify plants and ask children to create their own charts to identify between classes of plants and animals in the garden.

Living things in their environment • As you are going about your gardening, group things you encounter as living, things that have lived, things that have never been alive e.g. plant, stick, rock.

• Study the life processes of a garden bird, directly record where possible or alternatively research in books and using the internet.

• If you have a school pond study the life processes of frogs or toads.

• Study first hand things that live and grow in the school garden and wider grounds e.g. sunflowers, peas, beans, potatoes, butterflies, birds. Make links between their life processes and their environment.

• Study the role of plants in the food chain. Note everything in the garden that eats plants and what they in turn are eaten by. Create simple food chains to complicated webs.

• Study plants growing in the garden/local parks and how they are suited to the environmental conditions in which they are found. Locally there are links to global warming, for example olive trees grow successfully in London when they were previously confined to Mediterranean areas. Similarly, there are fears that traditional English crops such as apples will not thrive in the future as mild winters cause trees to blossom early which are killed off by frosts leading to decrease in apples formed.

• Discuss water shortages and plan a ‘dry’ garden.

• Set up a worm composter in your garden. Study how worms and micro organisms help to break down organic waste matter into nutrient rich compost.

Sc3 Materials and their properties • Gather a range of items made of different materials from the garden e.g. wood, stones, plastic pots, feathers and explore their properties e.g. hardness, roughness, ability to float, flexibility and discuss their uses in the garden and beyond.

• Look at the structures in your garden (raised beds, composter, coldframe) discuss what materials they are made of and the properties they have which make them ideal for their roles.

• Study soil by sifting it to look at the components it is made from – organic matter (leaves, twigs), clay, sand, stones and moisture. Research how all these materials came to be there – whole studies can be conducted, using soil as a starting point, on the water cycle, cycling of nutrients, erosion.

Sc4 Physical processes • Keep garden diaries noting seasonal changes and garden firsts i.e. first snowdrop, first hawthorn flower, first ripe blackberry, first frost as well as weather changes, hours of daylight and how these are all interconnected.

• Study light by creating a human sundial with plants as markers around the circumference.

• Map areas of light and shadow in the garden. Discuss how you could increase light in shady areas e.g. using mirrors.

• Examine the forces applied in different garden tasks, such as digging in soil using a spade, pushing a wheelbarrow with and without a load.

Design Technology There are many DT projects children can undertake from simple to complicated e.g. design and make welly boots clips, make plant row markers, bird scarers/scarecrow, slug traps, bird feeding stations, cold frame, develop and build containers for growing, design and build a simple raised bed.

Developing, planning and communicating ideas • Whilst designing, children must consider - Who will use it - What it must do - Materials suitable for the purpose - Aesthetics and practicality • Layout designs, listing materials and tools required, plan the method of construction, suggest a sequence for the job.

• Select and work with suitable tools, equipment, materials and components in order to make quality products for the garden environment.

Evaluating processes and products • Evaluate how their projects are going throughout the process and modify as necessary.

• Study garden tools, what they are made of and how they work. Use tools of different qualities and compare which they prefer, which work best and why.

Geography Geographical enquiry and skills • Ask children to describe places they like and dislike in their local environment and how they might be improved.

• Conduct a survey (in school or local community) about a topical local issue e.g. garden redevelopment.

Knowledge and understanding of places • Draw plans of the garden marking features such as orientation.

• Map green and wildlife friendly features on maps or school plans.

• Look at how people can improve environments (creating wildlife areas in school gardens, creating organic food growing projects on bare areas) or damage them (intensively farmed monocultures replacing diverse habitats, litter, dog poo).

Knowledge and understanding of patterns and processes • Ask children to describe places in their local environment, school grounds and gardens ask them to explain why they are like that, and why they might change.

• Discuss local changes in climate and the implications e.g. water shortages, mild winters, ability to grow more Mediterranean plants. Discuss the effects of this in other countries and impacts on crop production and the communities dependent upon them.

• Discuss how deforestation to grow cash crops (e.g. coffee) affects the environment and the effect this has on climate.

• Discuss how children can prevent erosion in the garden (green manures, mulch).

Knowledge and understanding of environmental change and sustainable development • Discuss why and how people manage environments sustainably e.g. the garden, parks and allotments.

Discuss which aspects of your school garden you manage sustainably and how you could improve what you do.

• Study food as a topic, changes in food production over time and implications of growing their own compared to buying from markets, local shops and supermarkets. Compare what the children can grow in their garden to the produce they can buy locally. How far have these products travelled?

Investigate who these things may have been grown by and the impacts of that on the grower.

History Chronological understanding • Create a food timeline detailing shifts in major changes in food production, e.g. hunter gatherer to 21st century food production.

• Create a garden construction or seasonal timeline.

Knowledge and understanding of events, people and changes in the past • Look at the role of gardens for people in the past.

• Study how the landscape has changed around the schools grounds and how it might still change.

• Plant a historically themed bed, exploring plants and their uses in different times e.g. Victorian, Saxon.

Historical enquiry • Conduct research on rationing and the ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign of the Second World War. Compare features of gardens then to what they are growing now. Do they have relatives who remember the campaign or had allotments? Conduct interviews with people in the community who may be able to tell them more about the campaign and how it affected them.

ICT Finding things out • Students can research the types of plants they’d like to grow and what those plants need in order to grow.

Developing ideas and making things happen • Keep electronic garden scrapbooks or diaries using digital cameras to record changes in the garden, stages of plant growth; recording weather changes in tables and other information in databases.

• Record and compare their own garden discoveries online by registering as nature detectives www.naturedetectives.org.uk

Exchanging and sharing information • Create a presentation about the garden for others in the class, the school or for parents.

• Create health and safety notices for the garden.

• Design a garden newsletter for distribution around the school.

• Make an online garden care manual, instructions on how to grow seeds, plants for senses etc.

Reviewing, modifying and evaluating work as it progresses • Compare hand drawn posters and newsletters to ones they have created using ICT. Discuss effectiveness of various techniques.

• Continually appraise all work as it develops and discuss how they can make improvements over time.

Art and Design Exploring and developing ideas • Take children into the garden to record and draw plants.

Investigating and making art, craft and design • Grow plants which yield dye in the garden e.g. dyers broom, rhubarb, onions. Research other plants and experiment with making your own dyes in class.

• Draw different stages of seed growth and record in a diary.

• Discuss ephemeral art (temporary or short-lived). Ask children to create ephemeral art projects in the garden (see Useful Websites for inspiration).

• Use natural materials from the garden as the basis or inspiration for craft projects.

• Explore the theme of gardens in art.

• Ask children to draw simple pictures or designs which can be transferred in plant form to a disused space in the school grounds or garden. Use summer bedding for a good show of colour or plant up spring bulbs (you will need a reasonable area for this).

Evaluating and developing work • Ask children to discuss their ideas, the inspiration behind them and how they could develop their art projects further. Children can present their work to the class.

Modern Foreign Languages Although MFL is not compulsory, it provides a great opportunity for schools to celebrate and share the diverse languages and cultures of their community.

• Use the garden as a starting point to discuss simple topics such as colours, food, weather and wildlife.

• Conduct garden tours.

• Make information signs for the garden in various languages.

Activities for garden clubs Running a gardening club can be a daunting prospect if you’re stuck for ideas beyond the usual tasks of sowing, growing, planting, weeding, watering and harvesting, or in the quiet winter months or on rainy days. Providing you have a sheltered area or classroom you can retreat to, there are plenty of gardenrelated activities you can choose from to keep your garden apprentices occupied. The following activities are grouped by seasonality (where relevant) to allow you to choose appropriate activities at a glance, though most of them are suitable all year round. Many of these activities can be easily adapted to meet curriculum requirements.

All year round: Keep a garden diary You can either do this by asking each child to keep their own individual diary or just one for the class/ group which is updated every session (which will give you more complete records). Diaries can be theme related e.g. nature, planting/growing/harvesting, or general to record all garden activities. Diaries engage children fully in their environment as they observe and take note of activities and changes as they are happening. They are invaluable tools for recording your garden successes (and activities which require improvement) and allow you to plan and build on successful activities year on year. Recording events such as the first snowdrops/hawthorn flower/swift/blackberry all allow you to build up a picture which the school can use to compare change over time and will allow you to participate in nationally important spring and autumn watch surveys. They are also useful for proving your activities when you are applying for funding or awards.

Record the weather An extension of the garden diary, you should decide which aspects of the weather you would like to record as a group e.g. temperature, rainfall (precipitation), wind direction, cloud cover. From this the club/class can work out what equipment it will need and design and build instruments for recording.

As with all experiments if you are to use your recordings meaningfully you must sight any equipment permanently or at least measure from the same space each time so discuss factors which may affect your recordings and choose the most suitable permanent positions.

Sow seeds Many seeds are tied to a specific planting season, however there is always something you can sow all year round e.g. cress or chives for indoor use. If you do sow seeds there will be opportunities to record things such as germination success rate and follow-on recording work.

Collect seeds Plants produce seed at different times of the year so keep an eye out for when the different plants in the garden are about to set seed and be ready to collect and store it. Seed should be saved in dry, dark conditions to prevent it from sprouting. It is often worth growing some plants which you would normally harvest before seed was produced and allowing them to set seed so that you may replenish your stock for free, exchange with other schools or sell to raise funds.

Make seed packets Photocopy the template in this pack (or take apart a seed packet to copy) and ask the children to design their own seed packet. They can sketch and colour pictures of their chosen plant with instructions/ descriptions on the reverse. Glue together and use to store saved seed from the garden or home. This can be extended as a cultural project with children researching traditional or favourite plants from their family’s background and forming a display. You could also host a seed swap or sale using the seed packets.

Make seed boxes Reuse old greetings cards to make seed boxes (template in this pack).

Design dream gardens Allow children to design their own perfect garden. They can do this on paper drawing features to scale, reuse scrap or waste materials to represent features and build on initial sketches, or children could gather natural materials from the garden and build 3D structures (it’s a good idea to do this in a shoe box or something similar to prevent the scale getting out of hand).

Make miniature gardens The only limits here are growing conditions and imagination. Plants can be grown in almost anything which has room to hold soil and some form of drainage, from conventional pots to old packaging trays, buckets, kettles, boots.... You can ask children to produce miniature-sized gardens including ponds, rocks etc. or garden in a range of unusual containers. These can be grouped to create an overall themed space in the garden, displayed in the school or taken by the children to be nurtured at home.

Make a bottle garden Bottle gardens can be made in any large jars big enough to fit you hand in. Sweet jars from local newsagents are ideal (if you use glass bear in mind their weight and suitability for children particularly if they are to take them home). Whatever container you use add a layer of small stones/gravel 4cm deep, and then potting compost 6-8cm. Plant up with small plants e.g. ferns, succulents (teaspoons, forks and pencils are useful here), add a layer of gravel as mulch and any other small items e.g. painted pebbles, signs . Water the garden gently without drenching it, place on a sunny windowsill and water weekly as necessary. Bottle gardens need to be replanted once or twice a year as plants grow but you can pot the plants on into 3” pots.

Make a rock garden Ask the children to collect rocks when they’re on holiday. You can either create a larger rock garden within the school or on a miniature scale on plastic food trays brought in from home. Place a layer of sand soil mix at the bottom, arrange rock as desired and plant in between with sedums, aloe etc.

Topiary in a pot Use old wire coat hangers or sturdy craft wire to create a basic shape e.g. dinosaur, rabbit, conifer tree, ensuring you leave enough wire at the bottom to secure in a pot. Plant up a small ivy in a pot, fix your wire frame in place over it and twine the ivy around the frame holding in place with garden twine. As the ivy grows children can continue to weave it around the frame, pruning as necessary to create and maintain the desired shape.

Decorate terracotta pots Terracotta pots can be decorated using acrylic paints; ask children to draw the outline of their design using pencils or chalk first. Chalk can prevent the paint sticking so ensure it is just the outline in chalk.

Decorate pebbles and stones These can then make decorations in the garden or be added to miniature/bottle gardens. Paint and finish with a coat of clear varnish.

Create nature mosaics Mixed/broken mosaic tiles can often be picked up relatively cheaply. Draw the design onto a piece of 6” square ply with pencil, glue tiles on with pva (leaving gap to grout but not too much) and leave to dry for at least 24 hours. Grout either at home or at the next session.

Feed the birds This is particularly helpful in winter and spring when food is scarce though it can be a year round activity.

Research how and what specific birds eat and make bird feeders and bird cake to suit. Do weigh up the pros and cons of feeding birds with the children. Ensure you clean all feeding stations thoroughly with bird friendly disinfectant to prevent the spread of infections and please do not feed birds peanuts when they are likely to have young as young birds can choke and die on peanuts.

Build minibeast homes Attract minibeasts such as lacewings, ladybirds and bees into your garden by building homes and places for them to hibernate. You can do this by simply drilling different sized holes into scrap wood and fixing it in your garden. You can also bunch garden canes or drinking straws (or a mixture of both) into bundles with elastic bands and suspend in the garden. You can improve on this by wrapping the whole bundle (leaving straw ends open to allow creatures in) with plastic or rubber. An overturned pot filled with dry straw will also make an inviting home.

Make habitat piles Minibeasts and small mammals need quiet undisturbed places to rest. Make piles of brash (twigs and sticks from pruning) in quiet corners, create log piles or even single logs where they will remain undisturbed. Even an old piece of carpet or stones will provide hiding places. These are excellent for then studying minibeasts later though try not to disturb them too often.

Take cuttings Not strictly a year round activity but ‘nodal’ cuttings can be taken from tender perennials such as pelargonium as long as they are actively growing. Cut off the top 10cm of a healthy growing tip, trim just below a leaf node, remove all but top 2 leaves, plant in a 50:50 mix of moist compost and perlite (available in garden centres) and place on a sunny windowsill. Don’t cover pelargonium as they will rot but keep compost moist.

Study weeds No school is without them but as they are simply very successful wild flowers they are excellent for children to dissect and learn from. Ask them to identify different parts of the plants, compare different weeds, examine seeds and seed dispersal processes and discuss how plants multiply.

Make dream catchers See instruction sheet. Add in natural materials, beads etc. as you’re making the web.

Make bath sachets Cut small squares of muslin and fill with mixtures of dried ground herbs from the garden, oatmeal and/or powdered milk. Tie with ribbon or string. Children can research recipes on the internet or create their own.

Make welly boot clips Pre cut garden shapes e.g. flowers, ladybirds, birds, from hardwood. Ask children to sand, paint base coat of emulsion, draw fine detail, paint and varnish them. Use a glue gun to attach shapes to wooden clothes pegs and use them to keep their wellies tidy.

Grow pips Gather a range of pips from fruit e.g. grapes, apples, plums, oranges, avocados. Research their point of origin and growing conditions as a guide to what they might require. Plant and grow, compare your successes and discuss why some work better than others.

Make garden food chains/webs Laminate pictures of various garden inhabitants and features including children, crops, flowers, insects, birds, log piles and the sun and trim to suit. Use a hole punch to make holes around the edges of the pictures (you’ll need lots for the sun). Use the picture of the sun as a central/starting point and ask children to link them together showing direct lines of consumption.

Press leaves and flowers To keep colours truer press flowers and foliage as soon as you pick them. Place the flowers between two sheets of paper and place inside a telephone directory or similar. Add extra weight (another pile of books) and wait a couple of weeks. As soon as flowers are dry you can then use them in other craft projects or to make identification sheets or games for the children to use.

Grow hedgehogs/potato heads Cut the ends from old tights and place grass seed in the end. Then add compost (continuing to place seed around edges for a hedgehog) until it resembles a head or hedgehog shape, knot end (this will either be the base or hedgehog head) and keep moist to grow spines/hair.

Make egg heads Pack eggshells with their tops removed with damp cotton wool. Sit on collars of plasticine or egg box bases. Decorate egg heads with faces and plant up with different quick-growing seed, such as cress or mustard.

Make a simple clinometer Fold a square of card in half to form a triangle. Tape a drinking straw along the outside of the long folded edge (this will act as a sight). Attach a weighted piece of string (a washer tied to the end is fine) to one end of the folded side (ensure the weight hangs down below the end of the card). Use to measure trees etc. in the grounds by looking through the straw at the top of the tree, walk towards or away from the tree until the string and card edge are parallel. Distance from the tree to the student plus the height of the student is the height of the tree. Discuss why this works.

Make decorative paper Make papier mache and colour with food dyes. Add seeds, dried leaves etc. and dry on a wire rack to make craft paper. Use to make cards or in other craft projects.

Make seed collages Cover a small piece of old card with a thin layer of plasticine. Press a variety of seeds into the surface to make a pattern or picture. Seal this with a coat of varnish.

Make plant row markers Draw pictures of plants or cut out pictures from catalogues or magazines. Stick onto plain paper. Write, stencil or print on common and Latin names. Cut to size leaving enough blank paper for noting planting dates. Laminate or seal onto hardboard with sticky back plastic. Attach these to sticks, reshaped metal coat hangers etc. to peg at the end of the row. Note planting dates or other relevant information with a chinagraph pencil.

Make potpourri Children can research recipes online, however you should gather petals, leaves, flower buds, herb clippings, interesting seed heads etc. from the garden. Dry in a warm place in a single layer (to prevent them decomposing) for approximately one week. Mix to make your potpourri blend. Add essential oils to increase fragrance if necessary (Eau de Cologne, mint - menthe citrate and lavender are great for making authentic pot pourri). This can be packaged in boxes (see earlier) or stitched into little bags for hanging in wardrobes, rooms or drawers. You will need to harvest approximately four times the amount of fresh flowers etc. as you want finished product due to shrinkage on drying.

Research garden terms Ask children to find out about the meaning of garden terms e.g. annual, perennial, and then design a garden knowledge book for use by the club. They could illustrate with pictures and examples. Introduce Latin names for plants and why Latin is used. Make connections with Latin-rooted words in English through plant names.

Ephemeral art projects Try creating ephemeral art in the garden e.g. leaf blankets, colour lines, natural sculptures. Discuss how these will change over time and record digitally or keep diaries.

Make recycled minibeasts Cardboard tubes, yoghurt pots and plastic bottles all make good body sections of minibeasts. Elastic bands or wire can be used to join moving legs or sections. Bottle tops make good eyes and feet.

Cardboard from cereal boxes can be used to make wings. Plastic bags are useful for their bright patterns and when bunched up can add bulk to the body, secure these with sellotape or fishing line. It’s a good idea to direct the activity and select a single type of minibeast for construction and have one ready made to show the children.

Make a scarecrow Recycle old clothes and junk to make a scarecrow. Stuff you scarecrow with straw or old plastic carrier bags and stand it in your vegetable plot.

Make a bird scarer Discuss how to make one (things that are shiny, move in the breeze, make a noise etc.) and why this would be a good or bad idea.

Grow plants from vegetable tops Root vegetables e.g. carrot and parsnip, can all produce foliage by planting and growing the tops.

Pineapple tops also work well.

Go on a scavenger hunt You can set themes of something for every colour of the rainbow, animal, vegetable or mineral, or perhaps something for every letter in the alphabet. Alternatively you could use a list of qualities e.g. something prickly, tickly, something that flies, something red, a leaf, a flower, a nut, a stalk, a seed, a berry, an evergreen leaf, a cone... Set rules e.g. do not pick rarities, no creatures to be included.

Go on a litter hunt Bring the litter back and discuss what the litter collected tells us about today’s society. How can we control litter in the school grounds/garden? Where does it go to after we have finished with it if it won’t rot down? How could we reduce waste created?

Potato printing Ask children to draw and scoop out their own designs.

Play ‘I’m thinking of a plant’ One child thinks of a plant (you might want to bring in a variety of potted plants to help). The others ask questions until they guess the plant. Only ‘yes or no’ answers are allowed.

Run a competition Though make sure these are fair and not at the mercy of nature. Try ‘How many garden things can you fit into a matchbox?’, ‘Make a gardening apron’, ‘Make a plant label’, ‘Be Tool Safe’. Or have the children design posters on ‘The virtues of gardening’ or ‘Safety in the garden’.

Make a tree/plant identity game Collect leaves, buds and flowers from around the school at different times of the year and press them.

Once dried, laminate them to make an ID game. One way to do this for trees is to collect leaves/flowers and images of their fruit (or nuts), order them in sequence according to when they where collected (January to December) collecting enough pieces equivalent to the number of letters in the tree name.

Laminate the pieces including a letter from the name with each in order. You could either hang these in the relevant tree or use as an indoor game asking children to piece them together. This is easily adaptable to various plants/shrubs in the grounds, you can add more letters per piece for longer named species, add common and Latin names, or section a single leaf into parts as children become used to existing cards.

Make a leaf match game Laminate cards introducing leaf descriptions e.g. simple, composite, lobed, serrated, lanceolate, palmate, pinnate. Collect, dry and laminate leaves to match these terms and ask children to match them up.

Extend this by encouraging children to identify leaf types in the school grounds.

Crosswords/word searches Ask children to design their own garden/wildlife word searches or crosswords to share with each other.

Design a school composting campaign Ask the children to think about how to promote composting in the school and wider community. They could design posters and think about how they will reach out beyond the school gates and/or make a school display on worm composting and set up wormeries. Arrange a visit to Freightliners Farm for a composting workshop.

Make wall charts These could be informative about useful or dangerous plants, herbs in the garden, trees or wildlife in the school grounds.

Plant hunter adventures Ask children to research plant hunters e.g. Joseph Banks, George Forrest, Francis Masson, David Douglas, Joseph Hooker, Robert Fortune, Ernest ‘Chinese’ Wilson. Many plant hunters had magnificent adventures in their pursuit of plants; children could create a mural depicting their favourites.

Play group descriptions Split children into groups giving them leaves or herbs etc. Ask them to write good descriptions of the items. Once they are finished bring the groups together and see if the others can match the descriptions to the plant. If you choose things which are fairly similar it will encourage them to study the wildlife more closely and improve their observation and communication skills.

Make plant models Ask children to collect materials (ideally recycled) to make models of trees and/or flowers.

Make habitat collages Research different habitats and the communities within each one. Use waste materials to create habitat collage adding pictures of the plants and animals you would find there.

Invite people in There are many groups in the local area that may be willing to visit and give talks or do activities with the club, e.g. story telling, making cards or decorations. Invite them in and help foster community links.

Observational sketching Ask children to sketch plants, flowers, wildlife, seeds, seed heads, seedlings, fruit, vegetables etc. labelling all the parts.

Spring Plant summer bulbs Lilies, decorative onions (alliums), gladioli, pineapple plant (eucomis) and cyclamens will all grow well in pots, containers and the garden.

Take leaf cuttings Saintpaulias (African Violets) and Streptocarpus (Cape Primrose) root easily from leaf cuttings. With Saintpaulias simply cut the leaf (including 1” of stalk) and insert into cutting compost until the base of leaf is just below the soil surface. Streptocarpus will grow if just a 2-3” piece of leaf is pushed about 1/3rd into compost (though make sure it is the piece which was originally nearest the stalk in the compost).

Water gently and cover with a clear bag and place on a sunny window sill.

Plant herb pots Plant a mixture of culinary herbs for growing in a sunny spot though beware of mint as it can often take over other plants until only it remains. If you want to grow mint ensure it is contained in its own pot.

Summer Take semi-ripe cuttings Rosemary, cotoneaster and fuchsia stocks can all be increased by taking cuttings 2-4” long. They should be nearly mature apart from the growing tips. Remove lower leaves, dip the root end in rooting hormone and plant into pots to raise on a window ledge or propagator, and water well. This is a good summer club activity as children can take them home to nurture.

Go on minibeast safari Minibeasts are at their most active in the summer months so make the most of them. Ask children to look closely in the school grounds; cracks in walls, on trees, under stones, in shrubs, long and short grass will all reveal different beasts. Children can collect minibeasts to study but fingers can accidentally squash them so try to get children to gently encourage creatures into collection jars with leaves. Only keep minibeasts away from their environment for 15 minutes (if you must keep them longer to make it to a classroom you will need to create mini habitats in margarine tubs) and do make sure they are returned to where they came from. Ensure children wash their hands on completion and that all collecting jars are thoroughly cleaned to prevent transmission of infections.

Study worms Children will encounter many worms in the garden and there will be plenty of opportunities to study them up close. Investigate worms under hand lenses though do keep this activity short as earthworms really do not like the light. Ask children to research worms on the internet and make a display about the benefit of the humble worm, the gardener’s best friend.

Make crystalised violets/rose petals Heat 1 volume of water with 2 volumes of sugar to make a syrup. Cool and immerse the flowers/petals in it. Then, in stages, bring slowly back to the boil. When cool enough to handle, remove from the syrup and place on grease-proof paper. Leave to dry somewhere warm. Ensure you only use organically grown, unsprayed petals for this.

Study daisies Pot up a daisy and when it is in flower study its response to light and dark.

Autumn Plant spring bulbs and corms Daffodils, grape hyacinths (Muscari), crocuses, hyacinths and irises will all grow well in pots. Some will also grow in water - suspend the bulb so that the base just touches the water and continue as per usual.

Collect tree seeds You may wish to collect tree seeds to grow in pots to plant around the rest of the school grounds, though bear in mind that some seeds can take up to four years to produce results, which is a valuable lesson but definitely a long term project. Oak and beech will germinate and grow in the same year but they must be left outside over winter as they need to experience a frost to trigger their germination.

Silver and downy birch will also grow in a year, collect cones from lower stems, store in a paper bag until they dry and seeds are released, then sow and grow.

Take root cuttings You can take root cuttings from herbaceous plants like Oriental poppy and Echinacea from September to March. Simply lift the plant with as much root as possible. Each root will provide more than one cutting. Using a knife divide the roots into lengths of 1cm to 7.5cm (the thinner the root the longer the length), place on top of a tray of moist compost and cover with 1cm of compost. New shoots should sprout in spring.

Make autumn leaf windows Press a variety of autumn leaves. Arrange leaves onto laminating pouches ensuring there will be enough clear edge all the way round each leaf for trimming. Laminate and trim to suit. These can be suspended in a window on fishing line or similar by punching a hole at the top. You can group these to form a chain or make a web. This also works with pressed flowers or pictures.

Make lanterns from pumpkins Grow your own pumpkins to carve lanterns and discuss the tradition of Halloween.

Winter Carry out soil tests This is the perfect time to test the soil in your plots as it is also the ideal time to take any necessary action to improve it. Kits can be bought inexpensively from garden centres and come with instructions.

Build nesting/habitat boxes Though this can be done year round winter is an excellent time for building and siting new boxes. Birds begin exploring for nest sites early on in the calendar year and other animals are likely to be dormant in the winter. Whether you build a box for a bird, bat, toad or hedgehog ensure you use untreated wood (exterior grade ply is fine) as treated wood can poison the very creature you are trying to help, instead cover the roof of the box with roofing felt to prolong its life. Clean out nest boxes at the end of each nesting season using a specific wildlife friendly disinfectant (be careful to monitor that there are no occupants though).

Make a pomander Tie a ribbon around an orange twice (so that this divides the orange into quarters) leaving a length to suspend the orange from (you can use dress pins to secure the ribbon in place). Stick whole cloves, closely together, into the exposed orange skin for a festive ornament.

Make Christmas decorations Spray twigs and interesting seed heads silver/gold and group together with ribbon to create festive ‘trees’.

Decorations can also be made by stringing nuts, leaves and seed heads together. Including things like cinnamon, bay leaves, cranberries, chillies, dried orange slices and cloves will add more colour and scent.

Make a compost/leaf bin Research designs online and build a compost bin. You can reuse old pallets for this quite easily.

Alternatively make a leaf mould bin by securing chicken wire or other mesh to posts secured in the ground.

Plan a themed garden/plot Soup garden, pizza garden, salsa garden, salad garden.

Make a garden calendar You can add digital photographs of the school garden or pictures from magazines. Add month by month jobs and seasonal garden tips.

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Seed boxes Old greetings cards can be used to make simple boxes for seeds or baskets for gifts.

You will need two rectangles (or squares) of card, one slightly bigger than the other, if you are making boxes with lids. For baskets you only need one and a narrow strip of card which should be glued or stapled on at the end to make a handle.

Folding Place the smaller rectangle piece right side down and fold it in half the length wise. Unfold.

Fold each long side in to the center fold, then open them again.

Fold the paper breadth wise in half, then unfold it.

Fold each short side in to the center, then fold each corner in diagonally from the ďŹ rst fold line, both sides.

Fold back, each center strip to partially cover the corners and hold them in place.

Grasp each strip and gently pull open the box. Use your ďŹ ngers to press the corners and edges. Repeat with the larger rectangle piece (b) to make a top of your box.

(source: www.webindia123.com/craft/kids/box/ďŹ rst.html)

Dream Catcher instructions Soak willow ‘whips’ for at least 1 hour for every 30cm of length to make the whip pliable (see Useful contacts for suppliers). Bend into hoops no more than 20cm diameter and wrap excess around to hold in place. You may wish to bind the hoop with brightly coloured wool for added strength.

Using a length of wool tie a knot at the top of the hoop (leave excess to make a loop to suspend catcher from). Take the other free end and make a loop around the hoop approximately 5cm away to make a hitch knot. Continue to work around until you reach the beginning.

Once you have completed one full circle continue as before only this time pass the wool through the existing loops of wool instead. For best results you should try to keep the wool as tight as possible.

Thread beads on as you go to decorate the web.

Decorate by tying up to 3 lengths of wool to the lower half of the dream catcher frame attaching dried leaves, feathers and beads to the ends. (source: www.teachersfirst.com/summer/dreamcatcher.htm)

Garden calendar This is not an exhaustive list of garden tasks or crops you may like to grow but should help you keep on track in the garden. Fruit and vegetables shown in bold can be sown, planted and cropped within one school year.

January Vegetables Harvest brussels sprouts, winter cabbage, chard, kale, leeks, parsnips, winter radish, salad leaves

Fruit Plant apples, currants, gooseberries, pears, plums Prune apples, pears, autumn raspberries

Other activities Plan improvements to the garden Draw up crop rotations Order seeds and seed potatoes Collect egg boxes for ‘chitting’ (sprouting) potatoes Collect and clean pots in preparation for seed sowing Put up bird nesting boxes

February Vegetables Sow outdoors beetroot, early carrots, salad onions, peas, radish Sow indoors broad beans, lettuce, salad leaves Protect beetroot, early carrots, peas, radish Harvest brussels sprouts, winter cabbage, chard, kale, leeks, salad leaves

Fruit Plant apples, currants, gooseberries, pears, plums Prune apples, pears Feed fruit shrubs

Other activities Continue to order seeds ‘Chit’ or sprout seed potatoes in egg boxes with buds on top Add compost to vegetable beds Mulch permanent beds and new plantings before plants get too big, take care not to cover emerging bulbs Feed birds (February-April is the leanest time of year for birds)

March Vegetables Sow outdoors beetroot, broad beans, early carrots, chard, salad onions, parsnips, peas, radish, salad leaves, summer cabbage Sow indoors aubergine, brussels sprouts, calabrese, chillies, french beans, leeks, lettuce, peppers, tomatoes Plant out broad beans, lettuce, onion sets, early potatoes, salad leaves Protect beetroot, early carrots, lettuce, peas, early potatoes, radish, salad leaves Harvest calabrese, rhubarb, salad leaves

Fruit Plant strawberries

Other activities Prune shrubby herbs e.g. lavender, rosemary and sage Divide clumps of snowdrops Top dress container plants and winter planted crops with compost Sow green manures (Mustard, Phacelia or Tares) in beds which will otherwise be bare until May Hoe to keep weeds at bay Protect beds with fleece Install a water butt Feed birds

April Vegetables Sow outdoors beetroot, broad beans, summer cabbage, calabrese, early carrots, chard, french beans, kale, leeks, lettuce, salad onions, parsnips, peas, radish, salad leaves Sow indoors brussels sprouts, chillies, courgettes, cucumbers, french beans, leeks, peppers, pumpkins, runner beans, squash, sweetcorn, tomatoes Plant out lettuce, onion sets, early and maincrop potatoes Protect beetroot, early carrots, peas, french beans, lettuce, early potatoes, radish, salad leaves Harvest spring cabbage, rhubarb

Fruit Protect early strawberries Feed fruit shrubs

Other activities Hoe to keep weeds at bay Sow outdoors sweet peas Protect beds with fleece or plastic to warm Protect blossom from frosts with fleece Dig in green manures 2-4 weeks before planting bed Watch out for pests and diseases Sow annual wildflowers Erect wigwams or poles for peas, beans Feed birds

May Vegetables Sow outdoors beetroot, winter cabbage, calabrese, maincrop carrots, french beans, kale, leeks, lettuce, salad onions, radish, runner beans, salad leaves Sow indoors courgettes, pumpkins, squash, sweetcorn Plant out brussels sprouts, cucumbers, french beans, lettuce, maincrop potatoes, pumpkins, runner beans, squash, sweetcorn, tomatoes Plant indoors aubergines, chillies, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes Protect courgettes, french beans, early potatoes, pumpkins, runner beans, squash, sweetcorn, tomatoes Harvest beetroot, spring cabbage, lettuce, salad onions, radish, rhubarb, salad leaves

Fruit Protect early strawberries Harvest gooseberries, early strawberries

Other activities Dead head daffodils, tulips Divide overcrowded clumps of daffodils Train and tie sweet peas Hoe to keep weeds at bay Liquid feed plants in containers every 2-4 weeks Keep pond topped up Continue to watch out for pests and diseases Build minibeast homes, go on minibeast safari Build and site a bat box

June Vegetables Sow outdoors beetroot, calabrese, courgette, french beans, lettuce, salad onions, pumpkins, summer radish, runner beans, salad leaves, squash Plant out brussels sprouts, courgettes, cucumbers, french beans, kale, leeks, pumpkins, runner beans, squash, sweetcorn, tomatoes Plant indoors cucumber Harvest beetroot, broad beans, early carrots, garlic, lettuce, overwintering onions, salad onions, peas, early potatoes, radish, salad leaves

Fruit Harvest currants, gooseberries, raspberries, strawberries Protect fruit

Other activities Stake tall plants Hoe to keep weeds at bay Remove excess pondweed (leave at edge of pond for 24 hours before composting to allow wildlife to crawl back in)

July Vegetables Sow outdoors beetroot, spring cabbage, chard, winter radish, salad leaves Harvest beetroot, broad beans, summer cabbage, calabrese, early carrots, chard, courgettes, french beans, garlic, lettuce, overwintering onions, salad onions, peas, early potatoes, radish, runner beans, salad leaves

Fruit Harvest plums, blackcurrants, redcurrants and whitecurrants, gooseberries, raspberries and strawberries Prune trained apples, gooseberries, trained pears, plums, redcurrants and whitecurrants

Other activities Collect seeds Mulch plants after watering Plant buttery and bee plants in gaps in the borders Dead head bedding plants Order catalogues for spring bulbs Mow spring owering meadows (remove and compost clippings after a few days) Cut and dry herbs Hoe to keep weeds at bay

August Vegetables Harvest aubergines, beetroot, summer cabbage, calabrese, chard, courgettes, cucumbers, french beans, lettuce, onions, salad onions, potatoes, radish, runner beans, salad leaves, sweetcorn, tomatoes

Fruit Harvest apples, blackberries, hybrid berries Prune trained apples, trained pears, raspberries

Other activities Sow green manures (e.g. crimson clover and Italian ryegrass) in bare areas Pot up strawberry runners Cut back marjoram for a second flush Take pelargonium cuttings Take rosemary cuttings Trim flowers from lavender Continue to weed Hoe to keep weeds at bay Go pond dipping Mow spring flowering meadows Cut summer flowering meadows after flowers have set seed which may be in September (remove and compost clippings after a few days)

September Vegetables Sow indoors salad leaves Sow outdoors spring cabbage, winter radish Plant out overwintering onions Harvest aubergines, beetroot, summer cabbage, calabrese, maincrop carrots, chard, chillies, courgettes, cucumbers, french beans, lettuce, onions, salad onions, peppers, maincrop potatoes, pumpkins, radish, runner beans, salad leaves, squash, sweetcorn, tomatoes

Fruit Plant strawberries Harvest apples, blackberries, hybrid berries, pears, plums, autumn raspberries Prune trained apples, blackcurrants

Other activities Clean out cold frames and green houses Sow green manures Take lavender cuttings Order spring owering bulbs Save seed Tidy up dead garden material Plant daffodils Plant winter hanging baskets Remove excess pondweed (leave at edge of pond for 24 hours before composting to allow wildlife to crawl back in) Top up pond Continue to cut meadows Build habitat piles Make leafmould and compost bins

October Vegetables Sow outdoors broad beans Plant out garlic, overwintering onions Harvest aubergines, summer cabbage, maincrop carrots, chard, chillies, courgettes, cucumbers, french beans, lettuce, peppers, maincrop potatoes, pumpkins, winter radish, runner beans, salad leaves, squash, sweetcorn, tomatoes

Fruit Plant blackberries, hybrid berries Harvest apples, pears, autumn raspberries Prune blackberries, gooseberries, hybrid berries

Other activities Clear fallen leaves Dig empty beds Order seeds Continue to cut meadows Plant trees, hedges, shrubs and perennials Plant spring bulbs (tulips should be saved until late October – early November)

November Vegetables Plant out garlic, rhubarb Harvest brussels sprouts, winter cabbage, maincrop carrots, chard, kale, leeks, parsnips, winter radish, salad leaves Protect salad leaves

Fruit Plant apples, currants, gooseberries, pears, plums Prune apples, pears, blackberries, hybrid berries, gooseberries, redcurrants and whitecurrants

Other activities Clear fallen leaves Dig beds Carry out soil analysis Apply leafmould to bare beds Clean out bird nesting boxes early in November Give meadows a ďŹ nal cut Cut down perennials Plant bare root trees, shrubs

December Vegetables Plant rhubarb Harvest brussels sprouts, winter cabbage, maincrop carrots, chard, kale, leeks, parsnips, winter radish

Fruit Plant apples, currants, gooseberries, pears, plums Prune apples, pears, autumn raspberries

Other activities Raise containers off the ground to prevent water-logging Take hardwood cuttings of blackcurrants, redcurrants, white currants, gooseberries and grape vines

Notes on terms SOW OUTDOORS Cultivate soil to produce a fine, crumbly seedbed. Avoid sowing into cold, sodden soil, sow indoors instead. If dry, water soil before sowing.

SOW INDOORS Sow in pots or trays of multipurpose compost. Place in a greenhouse or on a well-lit windowsill. Some veg need extra heat to germinate – check the seed packet. Once seedlings are large enough to handle, transfer into individual pots. Move to final positions once they are 7cm-8cm tall with several leaves.

PLANT OUT Hardy veg such as peas, carrots and radish will tolerate some frost, but grow better if protected until the weather warms up. Tender veg, e.g. courgettes, french beans and potatoes, must be protected from frost.

PLANT INDOORS Aubergines, chillies, cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes can be grown on in large tubs or greenhouse borders.

PROTECT Rigid translucent plastic cloches or clear polythene tunnels will protect young plants from cold wind and a few degrees of frost. Horticultural fleece can be added to increase protection overnight.

GREEN MANURES Green manures are plants which are grown specifically to improve soil fertilitiy. Most are grown directly on the soil you wish to improve and the green plant dug in before it forms seed. Covering bare areas of soil with green manures not only improves fertility but protects nutrient rich top soils from erosion or colonisation by weeds.

RUNNER Runners are creeping stems or off-shoots of plants which grow along the ground. Buds along these are capable of producing new plantlets. Peg these down in compost to increase or replace your old plant stock for free.

Gardening for wildlife Even if you only have a little room to spare it is easy to create attractive spaces for wildlife that will be relatively easy to maintain whilst providing educational opportunities. Choose small scale activities, such as planting a wildlife container or more involved projects, for instance sowing a meadow or building a pond. All will be valuable additions to your school grounds and your pupils’ development.

The following pages include some ideas and tips to increase the appeal of your grounds or garden to wildlife. Most wildlife improvements can easily be carried out by yourself with children or involve the wider school community. If you would like to carry out large projects such as meadow creation or pond construction there are a number of organisations which can help you. These are listed in the Useful Contacts section of this pack. There are also leaflets included which give you basic guidance on how to complete projects yourself, should you have a team of willing volunteers who are happy to carry out the work. With prior planning and the necessary resources all are achievable and worthwhile projects.

For more ideas for wildlife friendly activities see the Activities for gardening clubs section of this pack.

Planting for wildlife Plants are primary food sources for all creatures, whether they feed on the plants directly or the insect populations sustained by them. Whether you decide to establish a range of plants to attract a whole variety of wildlife to your garden or simply plant up a container including just a few to attract specific creatures such as butterflies or bees you can be sure you will be enhancing your grounds for wildlife and education.

When choosing plants and shrubs for wildlife try to choose cultivars which are closest to their original forms as these will be more useful to wildlife. For example choose single blooms rather than double varieties. When choosing berry bearing shrubs avoid varieties described as ‘holding berries well into winter’. If they are holding on to berries it’s usually because the local wildlife doesn’t want to eat them.

Planting your patch - General planting tips • As a general guide, when planting up flower beds and borders, position plants in groups of 3 or 5 of the same plant. This gives an informal appearance whilst ensuring that smaller plants are displayed at their best instead of being lost in the crowd. Larger ‘specimen’ plants may sit singly.

• If you are going for a natural effect offset plants and avoid planting in uniform lines, rather aim for curves and informal groups.

• Where beds are to be viewed from all sides plant tallest plants to the centre and the shortest to the edge. Again try to avoid straight lines.

• Give plants room to grow! In this day and age of instant garden makeovers it is tempting to crowd plants together to create a packed display. However it is best when positioning plants to leave enough room for them to reach their full potential which most will do relatively quickly. Cover bare areas of earth with a mulch to cut down on weeding (and provide a habitat for minibeasts) whilst they grow. However you should still check labels for growth rate and under-plant slow growing shrubs if necessary.

• Think about shading. As plants and shrubs grow up they will invariably shade out areas of the garden. When positioning larger plants factor in areas of shade as the seasons and years progress.

• Try to plant in proportion to your space. If you decide to go for a larger shrub and plan to prune it back hard to keep it in proportion make sure this is detailed in the garden management plan.

• Plant in succession. Plants have varying seasons of interest, flowering at different times of year. To provide a rich source of nectar throughout the insects’ active year make sure you include early flowering bulbs e.g. snowdrops for an early source of nectar; spring flowering plants e.g. crocus, anemone, honeysuckle, forget-me-not; and summer flowering e.g. geranium species, hebe and phlox.

• Plant in layers. Different species of birds, mammals and insects are generally to be found at different heights in wooded habitats. A carpet of nectar rich plants and wildflowers at ground level will be a fabulous addition to your school grounds. However this will be enhanced by additional planting of shrubs, trees and climbers. This creates a variety of ‘layers’ to accommodate a greater range of wild visitors to your garden.

Planting a simple wildlife container The following are tried and tested mixes for attracting wildlife. However do mix and match from the following lists to create your own mixed wildlife planter.

For a herbaceous perennial mix, which will come back year after year, plant a mix of marjoram, wild thyme and oregano, to provide a source of nectar. Add sedum as a food source for the larvae of many butterflies and moths.

A brightly coloured alternative that will appeal to children and adults alike could include a mix of phlox (annual or perennial), lavender (shrub), verbena (annual or perennial) and scabious (annual, biennial or perennial). All of these are nectar rich. Add to this aster (perennial) and lobelia (annual) to provide a source of food for butterfly and moth larvae. This container will need annual attention to keep it looking at its best. This regular maintenance makes it particularly suitable for garden clubs, providing opportunities for taking cuttings from lavender and gathering seeds from annuals.

When choosing containers try to use something fairly large, 10-15 litres is fine. If it doesn’t already have drainage holes you should drill some in the base to prevent water logging. Add some crocks or broken pieces of polystyrene packing to the bottom to maintain free drainage. Fill to within 5-10cm of the rim of the planter with compost and level. All you need do is now add plants.

Be sure to use plants which will thrive in their final location or find a location to suit. A sunny sheltered spot is ideal if your planting is for butterflies. Whether you are planting pot grown or bare root plants ensure these are planted to the same depth as they were grown at. If you plant them sitting higher in the soil the roots will be exposed, any lower and the stem, which is used to being free from soil and moisture, will be submerged and prone to rot. Neither of which will aid your plants chances of success.

Remember to plant the tallest plants at the centre (or back if your container is being positioned against a wall) so that smaller plants don’t get lost or kept in the shade.

Planting a tree When planting trees for wildlife it is generally a good idea to stick to native varieties as they tend to support a greater variety of insects and wildlife than more exotic varieties. However some are not particularly well adapted to growing in harsh urban environments.

Hawthorn are fantastic as they grow quickly, are covered in thorns making them ideal nest sites for birds, provide blossom for nectar, berries through the winter and respond well to pruning. For a slightly less prickly customer you could try Bird Cherry or Crab Apple. If space allows plant a mix of trees to create a wildlife hedge.

When selecting trees choose the youngest you can find. These will generally establish better and can often catch up with the larger trees available which can take a few years to properly adapt to the move.

However you may need to choose larger specimen trees where an instant effect is needed or where trampling/accidental strimming may be an issue.

The best time to plant trees is during their dormant season from November to March. Transplanting at this time will cause them least shock. Pot grown stock can be planted at any time of year though they will require more maintenance if planted in hot weather. Trees purchased bare root are much cheaper than pot grown varieties but will only be available out of the growing season.

Regardless of whether trees are pot grown or bare root it is essential that they are planted in the ground at the same depth they have come from. With a bit of careful inspection you should be able to see the soil line on bare root trees. For pot grown specimens it is easier to prepare the hole and keep checking the depth by sitting the tree, pot included, in the hole until the soil in the pot is at the same level as the ground you are planting into.

Keep tree roots protected from damage by cold or wind. Leave bare root trees in the bags they were supplied in until you have prepared the ground to receive them. Ensure roots are not squashed into slots or holes in the ground which are too small for them.

All trees should be kept well watered during their first year until they are established.

For more advice on planting trees visit the Tree Council website: www.treecouncil.org.uk.

Install a pond Ponds are fascinating habitats in themselves and will provide endless opportunities for studying lifecycles as well as a basis for studying other aspects of the National Curriculum. In addition to their value as educational tools they are a valuable asset to any balanced organic garden. Not only do they provide a source of food and water for birds and mammals but will potentially attract frogs and toads to feast on garden ‘pests’ such as slugs.

Many people have concerns about installing ponds in schools for fear of children drowning. However if they are well planned, properly secured and supervised you should be able to safely include one in your school grounds. For further information and guidance see the enclosed HDRA leaflet Creating a pond and if in doubt seek advice from the experts listed under Useful Contacts.

Create a wildflower meadow Wildflower meadows will support a fine array of flora and fauna and even a small patch of ground can be converted to meadow providing excellent opportunities for scientific comparisons.

There are many different types of meadows you can cultivate. Each requires a different maintenance regime but once established should be relatively easy to maintain requiring less intensive management than close mown grass. Creating and maintaining meadows is covered in depth in the enclosed garden organic leaflet Creating a wildflower meadow.

Butterflies To attract butterflies to your schools grounds you will need to provide them with a warm, sunny spot out of the wind containing a range of their favourite brightly coloured plants. If you want to create a butterfly paradise you could include food plants for their larvae and a butterfly house for them to roost in.

Plants to attract butterflies Allium schoenoprasum - Chives

Aster novae-belgii - Michaelmas daisies

Aubrieta deltoidea - Aubrieta

Buddleia spp. - Butterfly bush

Calendula - Pot Marigold

Ceanothus - Californian Lilac

Ceratostigma willmottianum

Choisya ternata - Mexican Orange Blossom

Cimicifuga simplex - Bugbane

Cirsium rivulare - Thistle

Clethra alnifolia - Sweet pepper bush

Cotoneaster lacteus

Dianthus barbatus - Sweet William

Echinacea purpurea - Coneflower

Escallonia

Eupatorium cannabinum - Hemp Agrimony

Hebe

Hedera helix - Ivy

Helenium - Sneezeweed

Helichrysum bracteatum - Strawflower

Heliotropium arborescens - Heliotrope

Hesperis matronalis - Sweet Rocket

Hydrangea macrophylla - Lacecap Hydrangea

Hyssopus officianalis - Hyssop

Iberis amara - Candytuft

Kentranthus ruber/Centranthus ruber - Red Valerian

Knautia arvensis - Field Scabious

Lavandula - Lavender

Linaria - Toadflax

Lobelia erinus - Lobelia

Lunaria annua - Honesty

Malcomia maritima - Virginian Stock

Mentha - Mint

Muscari - Grape Hyacinth

Myosotis - Forget-me-not

Origanum vulgare - Marjoram

Pelargonium - Geranium

Rubus idaeus - Raspberries

Sedum spectabile - Ice Plant

Solidago - Golden Rod

Tagetes patula - French Marigolds

Taraxacum officinale - Dandelion

Thymus - Thyme

Verbena bonariensis

Zinnia

Plants for caterpillars Brassicas

Cirisium - Spear thistle

Humulus - Hop

Lonicera - Honeysuckle

Rumex - Dock

Salix - Willow

Ulmus - Elm

Uncut grasses

Urtica - Stinging Nettle The thought of cultivating stinging nettles may appear at odds with all you know about gardening. However they support more than 40 species of insects by providing food and over wintering shelter. They also make excellent fertiliser. Get around their habit of taking over the garden by planting them in a large pot.

Note: spp. - species

Bees Bees are excellent pollinators in the garden. If left to go about their business they will provide you with a plentiful supply of seeds and fruit. The sight and sound of their activity through the flower borders brings much life to a garden.

Unlike wasps, bees will rarely sting unless they feel threatened, by waving arms for example. Indeed many drones do not have a sting. In addition to this if bees do sting many types die. So to prevent unpleasant stinging and bee death encourage children to stand still when bees approach. They should move off when they discover there is no nectar to be found.

There are many different types of bees all nesting and living in different places. To provide habitats you could site a bee nesting box though many will live in holes provided by cracks in walls, stones stacked on the ground and left undisturbed or in leaf litter under shrubs.

If you are interested in finding out more about bees the International Bee Research Association’s website is worth a visit: www.ibra.org.uk

Plants for bees Allium spp.

Lotus corniculatus - Bird’s foot trefoil

Centaurea cyanu - Cornflower

Cotoneaster spp.

Geranium Spp.

Crocus spp.

Succisa pratensis - Devil’s bit scabious

Pyracantha cultivars - Firethorn

Solidago spp. - Golden rod

Eupatorium cannabinum - Hemp Agrimony

Heliotrpium cultivars - Heliotrope

Lunaria annua - Honesty

Lavendula spp. - Lavender

Nigella damascene - Love-in-a-mist

Origanum spp. - Marjoram

Aster spp. - Michaelmas daisies

Limnanthes douglasii - Poached egg plant flowered varieties)

Rosa spp. - Roses (choose wild or single

Ladybirds Ladybirds are voracious consumers of aphids making them much loved by gardeners. Their brightly coloured elytra (wing casing) make them one of the most attractive beetles in the garden, not only ensuring they are accepted but even loved by the most squeamish of children and adults.

Ladybirds hibernate and will take refuge in plants with hollow stems. To provide shelter for them deadhead and leave hollow stemmed plants standing in winter. This allows the ladybirds access to the protection they offer. If you must clear borders cut and stack the stems in a dry sheltered spot in the garden as it would be a shame to throw away such valuable garden allies.

Nettles support colonies of nettle aphids, which are not a garden pest. Nettle aphids are an excellent food source for ladybirds emerging from hibernation in spring. If you want to encourage ladybirds onto other plants, cut the nettles back in summer when there will be a supply of aphids to eat on other plants.

Be sure to identify, look out for and protect ladybird larvae. Ladybird larvae look nothing like the attractive coloured beetles they turn into. Use identification books or make identification boards or posters for your garden so children can recognise insect larvae.

Lacewings Adult lacewings come in different colours although the most visible are vibrant green, slender insects with lace-like wings. Though the adults live on nectar the larvae, which are similar in appearance to ladybird larvae, can devour up to 10,000 aphids in their lifetime. With each female laying about 300 eggs that’s formidable aphid control.

You can buy ready made lacewing boxes for lacewings to over-winter in. However, if you’d like to make your own shelter all you need do is cut the base off a plastic pop bottle, roll up a piece of corrugated cardboard to form a tube and insert into the bottle. Hold the cardboard in place by pinning it with a piece of wire pushed all the way through the bottle or something similar. To make sure the shelter stays dry, leave the lid on the bottle and position it vertically with the lid at the top. Suspend the bottle, or position your lacewing box, where lacewings are likely to be feeding on aphids. For example in tree branches or wherever there is plenty of foliage.

Minibeasts For an ecologically balanced garden you need to make room for ‘unpopular’ species such as caterpillars, snails and woodlice. These minibeasts will reward you by developing into fabulous butterflies, feeding larger creatures, or decomposing garden waste. They are also species children will love to discover and study whilst on minibeast safari!

Make space for minibeasts by creating log piles which will remain undisturbed in quiet corners of the garden. Leave a strip of old carpet for centipedes and slugs to hide under. An upturned pot stuffed with straw will provide the perfect nest for earwigs. A small covering of fallen leaves or bark chippings left under shrubs or in shady spots will encourage many minibeasts including woodlice.

Birds London is home to a vast array of birds from the familiar pigeon, black bird and robin to the less commonly sighted house sparrow and song thrush. By making our gardens more wildlife friendly we can help support both rare and common species, by providing safe nesting sites and food. It is vital that we provide for familiar species to avoid them facing a similar fate to that of the once ubiquitous but now rapidly declining cockney sparrow.

Like all creatures birds require food, water, shelter and safe breeding grounds. You can provide these by installing nest boxes, bird feeding stations and ensuring there is a water supply. However, although beneficial, these are not essential. You may be restricted due to the size of your site or maintenance and so simply decide to plant trees, shrubs or plants which fulfil one or all of these functions. Choose whichever works best for you and your school.

Nesting Birds such as blackbirds, thrush and robins all nest relatively low down in dense shrubbery/vegetation with robins even nesting on the ground. If you decide to site a nest box for these birds ensure it is open fronted, concealed and safe from predators such as cats and squirrels which, like humans, are partial to eggs.

Other birds, such as house sparrows, nest in the eaves of buildings. Sparrows are sociable creatures and like to nest and roost in groups so either site a few boxes together or build a terrace nest box to accommodate them.

Tits on the other hand are more territorial and like a clear run between their nest site and food source so keep boxes designed for these farther apart.

Always position bird feeding stations or feeders well away from nest boxes. This ensures the activity they generate does not interfere with breeding birds’ flight paths or deter breeding in your box.

As a general guide when building standard nest boxes the size of the hole will determine which species can occupy the box: 25mm is ideal for Blue Tits 28mm for Great Tits 32mm for House Sparrows 45mm for Starlings To protect eggs and young birds from predation buy boxes with a metal plate fitted to prevent the entrance from being enlarged by determined squirrels or woodpeckers.

It is a good idea to clean and disinfect nesting boxes with a bird friendly disinfectant in autumn, after the breeding season is over, to prevent the spread of disease.

Feeding Just as birds have preferences as to where they will nest and roost, so they have different eating habits.

Some are ground feeders, others like to feed at height. Whilst some thrive on a diet of seeds, others live largely on caterpillars, insects and berries. However, this changes depending on the time of year and the type of food available.

To attract the greatest number of species you should provide a variety of feeders and food. Your feeding station could include seed feeders, open tables and mesh trays on the ground. These allow you to feed seeds and mealworms to ground feeders such as robins without the food becoming soggy.

Do not supply whole peanuts during the nesting season as young birds can choke on peanuts.

Try not to leave too much food scattered around as it may encourage pests such as rats.

Disinfect your feeders and tables regularly with a bird friendly disinfectant as they will attract a number of birds increasing the risk of spreading disease amongst them.

Artificial feeding of birds should merely supplement the natural food to be found in your garden.

Supplementary feeding will be most valued by birds during late autumn, winter and spring (during the nesting season) i.e. when there is less natural food around.

If you would like more information on attracting birds to your school grounds contact the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds – RSPB or visit their website: www.rspb.org.uk

Plants to attract birds Sambucus nigra - Elderberry

Rubus fruticosus - Blackberry

Berberis darwinii - Barberry

Cotoneaster spp. (berries eaten plus bush varieties make good nesting sites)

Crataegus monogyna - Hawthorn

Dipsacus fullonum - Teasel

Sorbus aucuparia - Rowan berried varieties)

Pyracantha spp. - Firethorn (choose red

Ilex spp. - Holly (only females produce berries)

Malus pumila - Crab Apple (supports over 90 species of insects, apples eaten by birds and mammals)

Ribes sanguineum - Flowering Currant

Lugustrum vulgare - Privet

Euonymus europaeus - Spindle Tree

Symphoricarpos rivularis - Snowberry

Viburnum lantana - Wayfaring Tree

Lonicera spp. - Honeysuckle

Pigeons Pigeons are London’s most plentiful bird and the one which children will not only recognise most but will use as a basis for much of their bird knowledge. Pigeons will happily feed on any scraps they can find, including the seeds you may have just planted! To prevent this having too much of an impact on your school garden you could try the following: • Protect seed beds with fleece until seedlings are established.

• Do not leave too much bird food scattered around the garden.

• By mixing seed with sand not only does it make it easier for children to see and sow but it may also make it less appealing to pigeons.

Squirrels The much maligned grey squirrel is often seen as a pest in London parks and gardens and it would be fair to say that their activities are sometimes less than desirable. However they are bold, entertaining creatures which bring much life and vitality to our gardens and are one of our most familiar mammals.

Here are some tips to help you offset the damage they cause so that you may enjoy their more endearing qualities: • Fit metal plates to the entrances of bird nest boxes to prevent them being enlarged by squirrels looking for eggs.

• Ensure open fronted nest boxes are well hidden and protected by shrubs or chicken wire. Though be sure to leave a clear flight path for birds.

• Use squirrel resistant feeders. A determined squirrel will often work out how to get to the seed inside but they are more likely to look for an easier target.

• Do not leave too much seed scattered around the garden, this will help deter rats too.

• Protect bulbs by placing a layer of chicken wire over the top of newly planted bulbs but under the surface of the soil. This makes digging the bulbs up more difficult for squirrels (and people, so make sure you include a note on this in any garden plans).

• Protect seed beds with horticultural fleece, polythene or mesh to prevent newly planted seeds being eaten.

• Accept that some damage may occur. Squirrels cannot remember where they stashed their seeds and so do go around the garden randomly digging holes to see what they can find. Minimise this by keeping soil well covered with vegetation or mulch and mesh.

Each individual garden will present its own opportunities to squirrels. Observe what is happening and involve the children in looking for ways to minimise any negative impact. But do be prepared to simply accept some misdemeanours if they’re at a tolerable level.

Building a raised bed Raised beds are an ideal solution to growing in schools. They have advantages over gardening straight into the ground in that • they have a greater depth of nutrient rich soil allowing a greater density of crops to be planted • they can be built to a suitable height for children to work at comfortably • the areas around beds can be paved making the area cleaner and accessible by wheelchair • they extend the growing season as they warm up earlier • they can be positioned wherever is suitable, even on areas of tarmac as long as you allow a sufficient depth of soil, drainage at the base and line them to retain moisture and prevent soil escaping from the bottom • when lined to form a self contained growing system they minimise concerns over contaminated soil

Materials Raised beds can be built from almost anything including old car tyres, reclaimed bricks, logs, wood, breeze blocks, sand bags, crates... anything that can be built or arranged to form sound walls. However a quick note on toxins. When growing edible plants be aware that many materials contain chemicals and preservatives which may be harmful if ingested.

For this reason it is advisable when using wood to either use untreated hard wood (always from a sustainable source or reclaimed) or if using chemically treated timber ensure beds are lined with plastic sheeting to prevent chemicals leaching into the soil and being taken up by your vegetables. Do not use reclaimed treated railway sleepers in any project as tars leach causing damage to soil and habitats.

When using car tyres there is a general concern that chemicals may leach from them into soil. However car tyres are particularly resistant to breaking down (hence the problem for landfilling them) and how this occurs, or what the potential harm to humans may be, is unknown. Many people continue to use tyres to grow plants in. However, to be extra safe keep tyres for ornamental planting or where you need to build a solid wall, ensure they are thoroughly scrubbed and separate them from the compost or soil with plastic sheeting as a liner. Car tyres can be obtained free in abundance from the local council or garages as long as you are prepared to go and collect them.

Dimensions Depth - Raised beds can be any depth from 10 - 60cm. Raised beds built on existing soil can be little more than raised earth with the addition of some organic matter e.g. manure or garden compost.

However in schools it is advisable to edge your raised beds as this not only allows you to increase the depth of nutrient rich soil but also acts as a clear boundary to children, showing where the edge is and helping to prevent trampling. Beds over 60cm deep need not be completely filled with compost and could have the lower parts filled with old bricks, broken polystyrene packaging etc to improve drainage without wasting expensive compost. If you are siting beds on tarmac or paved areas you will need to make them deeper than when building straight on to grass.

Width - Raised beds should be a maximum of 1m wide. This allows children to be able to reach into the middle when working from either side. Where space is limited, children are small or access is only available from one side, reduce the width accordingly.

Length - A small raised bed can be 90cm2 making it ideal for square foot gardening (see HDRA leaflet) and allows you to comfortably fit 4 children around, one on each side. On a larger scale, vegetable beds that are 3 - 6m in length are ideal for a class.

Design The design of your raised beds will be determined by the materials you are using and your own choice.

Beds can be curved, straight, round, square or whatever you fancy as long as they are of a workable depth, width and height. Below is a diagram showing a simple layout and position of fixings (galvanised screws, nails or bolts) for a simple timber built raised bed. You could use this as a starting point for children to design their own beds as part of a D&T project.

Plan view Square beds can be built with timber of equal lengths (as shown) or overlapping with two longer sides and two shorter lengths for the centre.

Posts are fixed into the ground and used to fasten timber walls securely and prevent beds being moved.

Posts will not be necessary if using wood of a reasonable thickness (untreated sleepers or >10cm wide) and ‘Timberlok’ fixings which simply screw through one sleeper into the end of the next and can be used to fasten subsequent layers together securely. There is little chance of beds being moved once filled with compost.

Side When building two or more layers on top of each other offset corners as this will make them stronger (try to create the same effect as a brick wall pattern).

Posts are dug into the ground and timber sides attached to them using screws or nails to create strong permanent beds.

Nails need to be at least twice as long as the width of the timber you are going through to secure.

By hammering in at angles you create a more secure fastening preventing boards being knocked off. Be careful not to hammer into another nail when securing. If bolting, you will need to pre-drill a smaller ‘pilot’ hole. This can be horizontal going straight through both board and post.

Position When positioning raised beds orient them north-south if growing low crops (allows both sides to get full sun). East-West is best if taller plants are to be grown as it allows you to plant lower growing crops on the south side and still get full sun.

Creating a wildflower meadow Colourful hay meadows, rich in wildflowers, are everyone’s dream of a vanished countryside. You can recreate this effect in your garden, in an area of only a few square metres, or over several acres.

It is the diversity of species of grass and flower that make a meadow so attractive. The key to this diversity is a low soil fertility. Where soil is poor, especially low in phosphate, coarse vigorous grasses and weeds do not have their normal competitive edge, so giving fine grasses and flowers a chance to thrive.

Traditional meadows are anything but natural. They only existed because of the way the land was managed. Most were cut for hay in early summer, then grazed by cattle into the winter. So a meadow does not mean no work, but that involved is much less than the regular attention required by a conventional grass lawn.

Wildlife benefits Plant diversity leads to animal diversity. A mixed meadow is much more attractive to wildlife than a close mown lawn. Flowering plants and grasses provide food for a host of insects which will in turn attract birds. Larger creatures such as stoats, weasels and hedgehogs will enjoy the cover provided.

Annual meadows When imagining a meadow, many people have a vision of scarlet poppies, blue cornflowers and white corn chamomile nodding in the breeze. These and other wildflowers such as corncockle and mayweed are in fact colonisers of disturbed or cultivated land, which is why they are traditional weeds in corn fields – not meadows.

To create this effect, which can be stunning, a mixture of wheat or barley and appropriate ‘weeds’ is sown. The wildflowers do not actually need the wheat or barley for support, but it does add the authentic look, and the ripe seeds feed the birds. This type of mixture is often sold under the name of ‘Farmers Nightmare’.

An annual show of wildflowers of this type does not need the low fertility of the traditional meadow, so may be more appropriate on rich soil. The seed mixture is sown in autumn for a June flowering, or in early spring for a slightly later show. Here at Ryton Organic Gardens our ‘cornfield’ looks good for around 8 weeks, and is always a popular display with visitors.

The flowers should be allowed to set seed before cutting back and removing the ‘hay’. Each autumn or spring the land must be forked over or rotavated to stimulate germination of the fallen seed. New seeds may also have to be sown.

Converting a lawn If you have an old neglected lawn, it may well contain some interesting flowers and grasses, and even the commonest of lawn ‘weeds can look good in flower. It is worth simply leaving an area uncut for 4-5 weeks some time in early summer to see what appears.

Once the flowers have set seed, the grass can be cut down and the area reverts to the usual mowing regime – but with the blades of the mower set 1.25cm (1/2inch) higher than usual.

Don’t use any fertilisers or weedkillers, and always remove all clippings. Paths cut through the longer grass can maintain a more formal look if required. You should be aware that once the longer areas have been cut, the grass will look rather brown and unattractive for a while.

Growing a meadow from seed Choosing seed – Choose a mixture to suit your soil type and pH, and that flowers at the required time of year. Spring flowering – the meadow is left uncut until late June, then is cut normally until autumn. It is then available from August as a conventional ‘lawn’, though heavy use may destroy some of the less hardy species. Late summer flowering - the meadow is left uncut from June to mid September.

Wildflower seed, and grass/wildflower mixtures is available through the Organic Gardening Catalogue.

If you are lucky enough to have a managed meadow locally (Wildlife Trusts for example) you may be able to obtain some hay which will contain a good mixture of grass and flower seeds. This can be spread over a prepared bed where it will shed its seed.

When to sow?

The best time to sow is in mid September, when the soil is still warm, and damp weather more likely. This also gives those seeds that require it a cold period. The alternative is April.

A poor, well drained soil will give by far the most colourful display, will establish a meadow most easily, and will be simplest to manage. On fertile soils, grasses and unwanted weeds such as nettles and docks can easily outgrow the flowers which are not good competitors.

Reducing soil fertility If your soil is fertile, you will need make it less so. The most effective way to do this is to strip off any turf or weeds present, and remove 25cm (10inch) of topsoil. Replace this with poor soil or subsoil if available. A good source of subsoil is that which you have removed when digging a hole for your pond!

Alternatively, cut existing grass very short and remove all mowings. Keep this up for a year or two to reduce fertility before sowing a meadow.

Soil preparation It is important to eliminate any perennial weeds before sowing a meadow. They will be much harder to deal with later. Prepare a firm, levelled seedbed a month in advance of sowing. Water it well if no rain is likely and watch the weed seeds grow! These can then be hoed off before sowing your meadow.

Sowing the seed The sowing rate is usually very low (3-4g/sq m; 1/8oz/sq yd). Recommendations that come with your mixture should not be exceeded. To make even distribution easier, mix the seed with fine sawdust (from untreated wood) or silver sand. Mix it well before and during sowing. A lawn fertiliser applicator may be tried, and for larger areas a tractor mounted fertiliser spreader. After sowing rake the surface gently, and firm with a roller if available.

Management in the first year when the sward reaches around 10cm (4inch) tall it must be cut. If possible, roll it gently before cutting to reduce the risk of the mower blades uprooting small plants. Use a wheeled rotary mower set at least 5cm (2inch) high; remove all clippings. Regular cutting for the first year, whenever the grass reaches 10cm (4inch), will help to establish the meadow, and will not harm the perennial meadow flowers. It can also help to control weeds. If you have included annual plants, such as cornfield weeds, in your mixture, then leave the meadow uncut in late June and July to allow them to flower.

Cutting an established meadow The cutting regime used will depend on the type of meadow mixture you choose. A spring flowering meadow will be cut from when the flowers have dropped their seed in late June and on into the autumn.

A summer flowering meadow is mown normally until June, then left uncut until September/October.

When mowing, remember not to cut the grass too short. A minimum height of 5cm (2inch) is recommended.

Cutting the meadow A scythe (old fashioned grass scythes are still available from BTCV) A strimmer – not good for wildlife A ride on mower Allen scythe

Using the hay?

If practical, leave the cut hay in place for a week or two to shed its seed. It should then all be removed from the site to keep the fertility low. Gathering up the hay can be a fun communal activity! Hay makes a good mulch for fruit trees and bushes, providing plant foods and moisture retention.

If flowers are always allowed to set and drop seed, then the meadow flora will increase rapidly. Plants of other species can also be introduced by planting pot/plug grown seedlings of appropriate species (purchase or grow your own) in autumn. Remove a plug of turf then introduce the plant. Introducing new seed is much less likely to succeed.

Suppliers of wildflower plants and seeds When creating a wildflower meadow, use only native species that have been collected/grown from British stock. Always check before you buy.

Source: www.gardenorganic.org.uk/factsheets/gg30.php

Attracting wildlife to your garden It is surprising how many creatures you can attract into your garden, just by planting suitable plants, giving you a fascinating range of creatures to watch. You will also be giving the creatures food and somewhere to live.

Many of their natural habitats have been destroyed by buildings, industry and pollution.

So what can you do to create a garden that attracts wildlife?

The First Steps 1. Stop using garden chemicals Insecticides will kill the pests they are supposed to kill, but can also harm other creatures. For example slug pellets will kill slugs but can also harm hedgehogs and black beetles, both of which eat slugs.

Herbicides can harm worms and other creatures that live in the soil.

2. Native Plants Native plants are the ones the insects and other creatures usually feed on so they attract more wildlife. Native wild flowers are attractive and can easily be grown in a flower border. Native trees and shrubs can be used as an attractive hedge.

Different habitats If you want the creatures to live in your garden then you need to provide them with habitats.

3. The ‘woodland edge’ The edge of a wood is a great habitat for many creatures because it has many layers of plants. If you have no room for a tree then a hedge or climbing plants over a trellis can be used to create a high level. Shrubs should be grown below this and at ground level woodland wild flowers. It is also important to have dead and decaying material on the soil surface.

This will provide hiding places for creatures. Forest bark or leafmould can be used for this.

4. Lawns and wildflower ’meadows’ If you leave areas of lawn uncut for a few months wildflowers and grasses will have the chance to grow. These will provide a new habitat for insects and small mammals.

For a ‘spring meadow’, leave the grass uncut until the end of June. Then cut it down. After cutting leave the grass to give the seeds time to fall before raking. Rake off the hay. For the rest of the year mow as normal. For a ‘late summer meadow’ keep the grass roughly cut in early summer, then leave it until late September when it should be cut and raked.

Attracting Wildlife—A Student’s Guide

Removing the dead material is needed to reduce soil fertility, which encourages wildflowers.

See HDRA factsheet—Creating a wildflower meadow.

5. Ponds A pond will quickly attract a huge range of creatures such as beetles, pondskaters, damselflies, frogs and toads. The pond will also provide a place for birds to bathe and drink.

A pond should be in an open sunny space and the larger it is the better. However, even a small pond will attract plenty of wildlife. A wildlife pond must have some shallow edges to allow creatures to climb in and out and in one place a minimum depth of 60cm.

It should also have plants around it on at least one side.

See the HDRA factsheet—Creating a pond

6. Old walls and log piles Many wildflowers grow well in gaps in rocks and old walls. The gaps between the rocks are ideal homes for many insects and small animals. A pile of logs is also a good place for insects and small animals to hide.

Other ideas

Food Flowers will attract butterflies, bees, hoverflies and other nectar and pollen feeding creatures.

- rotting.

- the amount of nutrients in the soil.

Habitat - a place where a creature lives.

Hay - cut grass Herbicide - chemicals that kill weeds.

Insecticide - chemicals that kill creatures.

Native - plants that have grown in the area for hundreds of years.

Decaying Fertility

Glossary

A compost heap is an ideal hiding place for many creatures. Worms, beetles and other insects that help the waste to rot can be found there, as well as larger creatures such as toads.

10. The compost heap

Many birds, bats and hedgehogs will use manmade boxes as a home if there is no natural home for them. These boxes can be bought or made.

9. Shelter

Food for birds in the winter months can be a life saver. A bird table gives birds a safe place to feed. It should be on an open site so that cats can not hide, and catch the birds.

8. Bird-table

Once these are in your garden the birds and small animals that feed on them will follow.

See the plant list opposite for ideas of plants to use which are attractants. Berries on shrubs are another source of food.

Marsh marigold—Caltha palustris Yellow flag—Iris pseudacorus Water mint—Mentha aquatica Water forget-me-not—Myosotis scorpioides

Wildflowers for in the water at the edge

Alder buckthorn—Frangula alnus Wayfaring tree—Viburnum lantana Goat willow—Salix caprea Dogwood—Cornus sanguinea

Native shrubs

Snowdrop—Galanthus nivalis Wood anemone—Anemone nemorosa Bluebell—Endymion nonscriptus Primrose—Primula vulgaris Selfheal—Prunella vulgaris

Wildflowers for dappled shade

Beech—Fagus sylvatica Field maple—Acer campestre Hawthorn—Crataegus monogyna Geulder rose—Viburnum opulus Hazel—Corylus avellana

Plants for a native hedge

Field poppy—Papaver rhoeas Field scabious—Knautia arvensis Meadow cranesbill—Geranium pratense Cornflower—Centaurea cyanus Ox-eye daisy—Leucanthemum vulgare

Wildflowers for a the flower border

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A student’s guide to attracting wildlife into the garden

Attracting wildlife

Attracting wildlife to your garden It is surprising how many creatures you can attract into your garden just by having a good range of suitable plants. Provide creatures with the food and shelter they need and students will be able to observe a fascinating range of creatures. Many of their natural habitats have been destroyed by buildings, industry and pollution.

The greater the variety of plants, features and habitats provided the greater variety of creatures will be attracted to your nature area.

The First Steps 1. Stop using chemicals Insecticides will not only kill the pests they are supposed to kill, but they can also harm other creatures. For example slug pellets can also poison hedgehogs and black beetles, both of which eat slugs.

Fungicides and herbicides can harm worms and other soil-dwelling creatures.

Many pesticides persist in the environment long after they have been applied, affecting a wide range of creatures and soil life .

2. Native Plants Native plants usually support far more life than exotic plants. This is because native plants are those which the insects and other creatures have evolved with and make best use of. Always make sure that plants will benefit the creatures who live in your garden. The plant list on this leaflet will give you some ideas to get started.

Attracting Wildlife—A Teacher’s Guide

Wild flowers are attractive and can easily be grown in a flower border. Native trees and shrubs can be used to make a hedge.

Different habitats If you want creatures to live in your garden then you need to provide them with the habitats they require.

3. The ‘woodland edge’ The edge of a wood is one of the richest wildlife habitats because it is made up of several layers. Where trees and shrubs end and the sunlight breaks through, you can find more species of plants and animals than anywhere else in a wood.

A woodland edge can be easily recreated. If you have no room for a tree then a hedge or climbing plants over a trellis will be enough to create a high level. Shrubs should be grown below this and at ground level woodland wild flowers. It is also important to have dead and decaying material on the soil surface to provide hiding places for creatures.

Forest bark or leafmould can fulfil this function.

4. Lawns and wildflower ’meadows’ Leaving areas of lawn uncut for a few months will give many native wildflowers and grasses a chance to bloom. These will provide a new ‘ habitat’ for insects and small mammals. Even small areas of wildflowers will attract butterflies, moths and provide a feeding area for birds, bats and hedgehogs.

For a ‘ spring meadow’, leave the grass uncut until the end of June. Then cut it with shears or a strimmer. After cutting allow time for seeds to fall before raking off. Rake off the hay, and for the rest of the year mow as normal.

For a ‘ late summer meadow’ keep the grass roughly cut in early summer, then leave it until late September when it should be cut and raked.

Removing dead material is essential because it reduces the fertility of the ground which encourages wildflowers.

See HDRA factsheet—Creating a wildflower meadow

5. Ponds

A pond will very quickly attract a huge range of creatures. Beetles, pondskaters, damselflies, frogs and toads will all be attracted to a pond.

The pond will also provide a place for birds to bathe and drink.

A pond should be in an open sunny space and the larger it is the better. However, even a small pond will attract plenty of wildlife. A wildlife pond must have some shallow edges to allow creatures to climb in and out and a minimum depth in one place of 60cm.

See the HDRA factsheet—Creating a pond

6. Old walls and log piles

Many wildflowers grow well over rocks and old walls. The gaps between the rocks form ideal homes for many insects and small animals. A pile of logs is also a good place for insects and small animals to hide.

Other ideas

Attractant plants

Flowers such as buddleja and poached egg plant will attract butterflies, bees, hoverflies and other nectar and pollen feeding creatures. Once these are in your garden, the birds and small animals that feed on them will follow. See the plant list on this leaflet for ideas.

Plants for a native hedge Beech—Fagus sylvatica Field maple—Acer campestre Hawthorn—Crataegus monogyna Geulder rose—Viburnum opulus Hazel—Corylus avellana

Shelter

Many birds, bats and hedgehogs will adopt man-made structures as a home if there is no suitable alternative cover. These boxes can be bought or made.

• The Small Ecological Garden - S. Stickland

Search Press

• Muck and Magic - J.Readman, HDRA/

Elm Tree Books

• How to make a wildlife garden - C.Baines,

Organic Gardening - M.Brown ,Southgate

• Growing Naturally, A Teachers Guide to

HDRA

Further Reading • Organic Grounds Maintenance Manual -

This will provide an ideal hiding place for many creatures. Worms, beetles and other insects that help the decaying process can be found there, as well as larger creatures such as toads.

Marsh marigold—Caltha palustris Yellow flag—Iris pseudacorus Water mint—Mentha aquatica Water forget-me-not—Myosotis scorpioides

Wildflowers for the pond edge

Alder buckthorne—Frangula alnus Wayfaring tree—Viburnum lantana Goat willow—Salix caprea Dogwood—Cornus sanguinea

Native shrubs

Snowdrop—Galanthus nivalis Wood anemone—Anemone nemorosa Bluebell—Endymion nonscriptus Primrose—Primula vulgaris Selfheal—Prunella vulgaris

Wildflowers for dappled shade

Field poppy—Papaver rhoeas Field scabious—Knautia arvensis Meadow cranesbill—Geranum pratense Cornflower—Centaurea cyanus Ox-eye daisy—Leucanthemum vulgare

A regular supply of food for birds in the winter months can be a life saver. A bird table provides a safe place for birds to feed. It should be in an open site so that cats cannot hide, and catch birds unawares.

The compost heap

Wildflowers for a the flower border

Bird-table

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A teacher’s guide to attracting wildlife into the garden

Attracting wildlife

Crop Rotation To help control pests and diseases it is a good idea to grow families of vegetables in separate plots and move them around (rotate) them each year.

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Year 1

Year 2

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This means that all the plants from the potato family would go in one area and all the plants from the carrot family in another as shown in the diagrams above.

Why use crop rotation? •

•

Plants need nutrients in different amounts and take them from different parts of the soil.

Changing the crops in an area means that nutrients in all parts of soil are used.

Moving crops around helps to stop the build up of pests and diseases, which are found in the soil.

•

Families of vegetables often need similar nutrients (food). Keeping families together means that crops get the best growing conditions.

•

Some plants have dense foliage (leaves which are close together and lots of them). These plants help to stop weeds growing.

Changing from plants that do not have dense foliage, to those that do the next year, will help to keep the weeds down.

How long should the rotation last?

The longer the rotation the better, but the normal length is 4 years. The first 2 years of a 4 year rotation is shown opposite.

Crop rotation—A Student’s Guide

How do you plan a rotation?

3.

2.

1.

Draw a plan of the growing area.

Divide into equal sections. You need as many sections as the number of years you want the rotation to last. So for a four year rotation you need four sections.

Group the plants together in botanical families. The chart on the back of this leaflet shows you which plants belong in which families.

Make a list of all the vegetable types and number of plants that you want to grow.

You can find examples of crop rotation in many gardening books. However, you can design your own by following these steps:

4.

5.

Work out which crops are going in which area. Families should be together, but if you have more than one crop for an area, then choose plants with similar growing needs.

Keep records—of what actually happens, not just what you planned. Use this information when planning for next year.

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A student’s guide to planning a crop rotation

Crop rotation

Crop Rotation If annual vegetable crops are grown in the same place year after year, there is a tendency for soil borne pests and diseases to become a problem, and for plant health and vigour to decline.

To avoid this it is good practice to move the crops around the growing area. This is known as rotation.

Why use rotation?

Pest and disease control Plants which belong to the same family are grouped together when planning a rotation. Related crops are prone to the same soil-living pests and diseases. Moving them around in an organised rotation helps to prevent the build up of problems.

Nutrient requirements Plants need nutrients in varying amounts and take them from different levels within the soil depending on the species and root depth. Varying the plants grown in a specific area helps to make best overall use of the soil.

Soil treatments Crops vary in the soil treatments that they require.

When a crop rotation is used, crops that require the same soil treatments are kept together as much as possible. This helps to ensure that they have the best possible growing conditions. It also means that over the course of the rotation the whole growing area will receive the same treatment.

Manure and compost—add these to greedy feeders such as potatoes, leeks, brassicas and marrows. Do not use on carrot, parsnip and beetroot.

Lime—if necessary to increase pH, add to cabbage family section in autumn before planting; this helps discourage clubroot. Keep away from potatoes, where it could encourage scab.

Leafmould—can be used anywhere, but particularly beneficial before root crops because it conditions the soil.

Weed control Some plants have dense foliage like cabbage and lettuce, these are good at suppressing weeds because they stop light reaching the soil. Others, such as onion and carrot, do not.

Alternating plants with these different growth habits helps to keep weeds under control.

How long should the rotation be?

The longer the rotation the better, but the usual length is 4 years. This means that crops return to their original site after 4 years. If the soil is already infected with persistent problems such as eelworm or clubroot, try to extend the rotation of susceptible crops even further.

How do you plan a rotation?

Crop rotation may appear to be very complex, but once you start planning you will find that it is relatively straightforward. You will find examples of crop rotations in many gardening books. These tend to be based on standard British crops. Even if you grow other crops you can still plan an effective rotation. The following, outlines the basic principles of crop rotation: 1.

Make a list of all the vegetable types and quantities that you want to grow over a season.

Crop rotation—A Teacher’s Guide

6

5.

4.

3.

2.

Keep records—of what actually happened, not just what you planned. Use this information when planning for the next year.

Be flexible. It is important to keep the major families together. Short term crops for example lettuce and other salads and early carrots and so on, can be fitted into any of your plots.

You may find that it is difficult to divide your area up into 3 or 4 equal sized sections—the quantity of one type of vegetable might be too large. In this case reduce the amount of plants you are to grow rather than abandoning the rotation.

Draw a plan of the growing area. Divide it into equal sized sections according to the number of years that you want the rotation to last. Try 4 to start with. Distribute the crops that you want to grow within these sections. The first rule is to try and keep families together; if a section is to hold more than one family, try and keep those with similar growing requirements together.

Using a bed system can make this part of crop rotation easier.

Group plants together by botanical family.

To find out which are related look at the table on the back of this leaflet.

Further reading

Green Manures for Organic Soil Improvement - HDRA Step-by-Step booklet Beds—Labour-saving, space-saving, more productive gardening - Pauline Pears, HDRA/Search Press 1992 Soil Care and Management —Jo Readman, HDRA/Search Press 1991 The Vegetable Garden Displayed - Joy Larkcom, RHS 1992 Planning the Organic Vegetable Garden - Dick Kitto (Thorsons 1986)

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A teacher’s guide to planning a crop rotation

Crop rotation

Saving seed After flowering, all plants produce seed. This is one way in which plants reproduce. Seed comes in many different types, shapes and sizes. Seeds are also spread in many ways.

Seeds in pods—when ripe, the pods such as those on Broom can explode and split open and the seeds shoot out.

Hooked seeds—tiny hooks on the seeds of plants such as stick to people’s clothes and animal fur.

Fruit—some seeds like blackberries have a juicy covering. Birds and other animals eat the fruit and when seeds pass through the animals, they are deposited on the ground where they can start growing.

Winged seeds—these seeds, for example ash and sycamore have wings.

Wind catches the wings and blows the seeds far and wide.

Seeds on parachutes—these are very light seeds with their own parachute to keep them in the air. Dandelion seeds and seeds of straw flower Helichrysun) are examples of this.

By one method or another seeds get everywhere, which is why we often see plants growing in cracks in walls and in other out-of-the-way places, where noone would have planted them.

It is easy to collect and save seeds when they are ripe. You can store them over winter and sow them the following spring. In this way you’ll get a wide variety of free plants. If you swap seeds with friends and family you’ll get an even greater range.

Saving the seed 1.

2.

Cut off the seed heads and put them into paper bags so they can finish drying.

Look for ripe seeds. After flowerfall the seeds usually found at the base of the flower are likely to be green. The time to harvest the seed is when they turn brown.

3.

Label each bag clearly with the plant name.

4.

Leave the bags open so any moisture still present can evaporate.

9.

8.

7.

6.

5.

Early next spring find out when your seeds should be sown. You will find this information in gardening books.

Store over winter in an airtight container, such as an old clean coffee jar.

Put each batch of seed in a paper envelope and label clearly. Don’t use plastic or foil for wrapping.

See the instructions on the back of this leaflet to make your own seed packets

Blow all the casings away to clean the seeds.

Put the open bags in a warm dry place—an airing cupboard is ideal – until the seed pods are completely dry. You may need to split the pods and shake them to get all the seed out.

10. Before sowing let the seeds rest for a few days , open to the air, to absorb some natural moisture.

Stick tabs A and B to the back of the packet.

3.

8cm

when to sow the seed how large the plants get. flower colour where they like to grow.

Cut out your template, then make folds along the dotted lines.

• • • •

On the back include:

Use the template below to draw your seed packet outline.

2.

1.

You need a piece of card or brown paper that measures at least 18cm x 15cm.

Make your own seed packets

7.

6.

5.

4.

1cm

B

10cm

2cm

1cm

Store in an airtight container.

Stick down tab C to seal the packet.

8cm

A

Date collected and who they were collected by

Name of plant

C

Once the packet has dried, place your collected seed inside.

Stick or draw a picture of your plant on to the front of the packet.

Include information about the plant on the front and back of your packet.

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A guide to saving seed

Saving seed

‘Square Foot’ Garden If you haven’t got much space to grow vegetables at home or at school why not try ‘square foot’ gardening?

The ‘square foot’ garden is an American method of growing as many vegetables as you can in, as small a space as possible, using a plot 120cm x 120cm (4ft x 4ft).

This space is all you need to grow a wide variety of crops. If you have more space you could double the area.

However, the 120cm x 120cm (4ft x 4ft) is enough to get you started.

Creating a ‘square foot’ garden.

Measure out a plot 120cm x 120cm. Edge the area with wooden boards.

For more detailed instructions on developing a square foot garden why not visit the HDRA Organic Network for Schools website. www.schoolsorganic.net Wood– brand new wood can be expensive.

Ask wood merchants for off-cuts and other waste timber, or look for second-hand wood.

Use untreated wood if you can and replace it as necessary. Otherwise any preservative used should be based on natural ingredients or one that acts as a water repellent.

Avoid using creosote as it may possibly damage plants, soil dwelling creatures, and humans.

Improve the soil inside the bed with garden compost mixed with some well-rotted manure. Make sure that the soil is weed free and remove as many stones as possible.

Divide the 120cm x 120cm area into sixteen 30cm (1ft) squares. This can be marked by nailing long shoe laces or string across the box. See below.

Decide which crops you are going to grow.

Each square is planted with a different crop, using close spacing. When planning, this make sure that the tallest plants are at the back of the bed, with sizes decreasing towards the front. The bed should face south for maximum sunlight. Three examples of layouts are shown on the back of this leaflet.

Square foot gardening—A Student’s Guide

As soon as each crop is finished, replace it with a different one. This will help you to rotate crops, but you still need to plan a formal crop rotation.

Crop Rotation

As with any organic garden you need to rotate the crops around the space. This is essential to ensure pest and disease control and prevent the same nutrients been taken from the soil all the time.

See Crop Rotation - HDRA factsheet

Planting methods and bed management.

Instead of sowing long rows of seeds and then thinning out, the square foot garden uses a different method - ‘ station sowing’.

•

•

•

Make holes of the right depth for the seed, at the spacing needed by the plant (check the packet) Drop the seeds into the hole, then fill with fine soil. For most plants 1-2 seeds are enough, but for carrots and parsnips use 4-5 seeds to ensure some seeds germinate.

If more than one seed germinates, simply snip off the weaker seedlings with a pair of scissors. This means you don’t disturb the roots of the other plants.

14 16 x Beetroot ‘Boltardy’

13 4 x Pot Marigold

2 4 x Hamburg Parsley 12 x Radish ‘French Breakfast’

6 9 x Spring Cabbage

10 Radish and Cress

14 rows Pea Provence’

1 2x Strawberries 2x Pot Marigold

5 8 x Buckler—leaved sorrel 4 x Little Gem Lettuce

9 16 x Carrots ‘Nantes’

13 2x ‘Douce

Spring

10 16 x Carrots ‘Amsterdam Forcing’

9 4x Lettuce

12 9x Cabbage Mini Savoy

8 4x Herbs

4 Tomato

12 16 x Turnip ‘Snowball’

8 Potato ‘Swift’

4 16 x Garlic

15 16 Spring onion 9 x Summer mixture cabbage

11 Potato ‘Swift’

7 16 x Carrots ‘Nante’

3 Leaf Lettuce

15 16 Onion mix 4x ‘Paris silver- Nasturtium skin’ ‘Alaska’ ‘Purplette’ ‘White Lisbon’

11 4x Lettuce

6 7 4x Dwarf 4x Leaf Beet French Beans ‘Golden Sands’

5 16x Leeks ‘King Richard’

3 Tomato

2 rows - Sugar Rae

1 2 x 3’’ Sugar Peas

General 2 2 x Raddichio 1 x Hamburg Parsley 1 x Little Gem lettuce

11 4 x French bean ‘Golden sands’ 15 4 x Runner bean ‘Painted Lady’

Glossary

14 6x Kohl rabi

10 4 x Baby Sweetcorn ‘Minipop’

7 Florence fennel

16 4x French beans ‘Blue Lake’

12 Tomato ‘Gardener’s Delight’

8 5 x Celeriac

3 4 4 x Herbs 2 x Lettuce sweet majo- ‘Catalogna’ ram, parsley, 2 x Lettuce winter savory, ‘Lollo Bicelery, leaf anco’ parsley

Germination—when the plant starts to grow they develop a stem and roots.

Manure—animal waste Nutrients—minerals that plants need to survive that are found in the soil.

Preservative—a chemical used to protect wood.

Thinning out– taking out some seedlings to give others more space.

Water repellent—doesn’t let water in through the surface.

13 Limnanthes douglasii and a Little Gem lettuce

9 4 x Baby Sweetcorn ‘Minipop’

5 6 8 x Buckler— 9 x Callaloo leaved sorrel (leaf amaranth) 4 x Lettuce ‘Catalogna’

1 2x Strawberries 2x Pot Marigold

Summer

Examples of crops in a ‘square foot’ garden

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A student’s guide to growing in a square foot garden.

Square foot gardening

‘Square Foot’ Gardening Finding the space in school grounds to grow vegetables is not always easy. This, together with the inexperience of some teachers and many students, can make growing vegetables seem like a daunting task. However, it is these factors that make ‘ square foot’ gardening ideal.

The ‘ square foot’ garden is an American method of growing as many vegetables as you can in as small a space as possible. The area is 120cm x 120cm (4ft x 4ft).

This space is all you need to grow a range of crops. If you have more space you could double the area. However, the 120cm x 120cm (4ft x 4ft) is ample to get you started.

Creating a ‘square foot’ garden.

Measure out a plot 120cm x 120cm (4ft x 4ft).

Edge it with wooden boards.

Brand new wood can be expensive. A cheaper option is to ask wood merchants for off-cuts and other waste timber, or use second-hand wood.

Try to obtain untreated wood and replace when it rots. Otherwise, any preservative used should be based on natural ingredients, or one that is just a water repellent. Try to avoid creosote. It can be harmful to people, soil-dwelling creatures and plants. It can leach into the soil after the wood has been treated.

Dig out and remove any weeds and stones from the area. Improve the soil inside the bed with garden compost or some wellrotted manure.

Sub-divide the 120cm x 120cm (4ft x 4ft) area into sixteen 30cm (1ft) squares. This can be marked by nailing long shoe laces or string across the box. See below.

Decide which crops are going to be grown in your ‘ square foot’ garden. Each square is planted with a different crop, using close spacing. When planning this ensure that the tallest plants are at the rear of the bed, with sizes decreasing progressively to the front of the bed, which should face south for maximum sunlight. Three examples of layouts are shown on the back of this leaflet.

As soon as each crop is finished, replace it with a different one. This helps with the crop rotation, but planning for rotation is still essential.

Square foot gardening—A Teacher’s Guide

Crop Rotation

As with any organic garden, crop rotation is crucial in a ‘ square foot’ garden. It helps with pest and disease control, and prevents nutrient depletion. It may appear that having distinct areas for each crop would make rotation easier, because simply replacing crops with another after they have finished is a natural crop rotation. However, it is not always that simple. Square foot gardeners need to plan a crop rotation carefully. This is further complicated by the fact that tall plants need to be near the rear of the bed.

See Crop Rotation - HDRA factsheet

Planting methods and bed management.

3.

2.

1.

For most plants 1-2 seeds are enough, but for carrots and parsnips use 4-5 seeds to ensure uniform germination.

Drop the seeds into the holes then fill with fine soil.

Make holes of the required depth for the seed at the spacing needed by the mature plant.

Rather than planting long rows of seeds and then thinning out, square foot gardens require a different technique. The suggested method is ‘ station sowing’.

4.

If too many seeds germinate, simply snip off those not required, with a pair of scissors, to avoid disturbing the roots of the remaining plants.

14 16 x Beetroot ‘Boltardy’

13 4 x Pot Marigold

2 4 x Hamburg Parsley 12 x Radish ‘French Breakfast’

6 9 x Spring Cabbage

10 Radish and Cress

14 rows Pea Provence’

1 2x Strawberries 2x Pot Marigold

5 8 x Buckler—leaved sorrel 4 x Little Gem Lettuce

9 16 x Carrots ‘Nantes’

13 2x ‘Douce

Spring

10 16 x Carrots ‘Amsterdam Forcing’

9 4x Lettuce

12 9x Cabbage Mini Savoy

8 4x Herbs

4 Tomato

12 16 x Turnip ‘Snowball’

8 Potato ‘Swift’

4 16 x Garlic

15 16 Spring onion 9 x Summer mixture cabbage

11 Potato ‘Swift’

7 16 x Carrots ‘Nante’

3 Leaf Lettuce

15 16 Onion mix 4x ‘Paris silver- Nasturtium skin’ ‘Alaska’ ‘Purplette’ ‘White Lisbon’

11 4x Lettuce

6 7 4x Dwarf 4x Leaf Beet French Beans ‘Golden Sands’

5 16x Leeks ‘King Richard’

3 Tomato

2 rows - Sugar Rae

1 2 x 3’’ Sugar Peas

General 2 2 x Raddichio 1 x Hamburg Parsley 1 x Little Gem lettuce

14 6x Kohl rabi

13 Limnanthes douglasii and a Little Gem lettuce

15 4 x Runner bean ‘Painted Lady’

11 4 x French bean ‘Golden sands’

7 Florence fennel

‘ Beds’ Pauline Pears HDRA/Search Press, 1992

‘ Square Foot Gardening’ Mel Bartholemew Rodale Press

‘ The square foot marches on’ The Organic Way issue 159

16 4x French beans ‘Blue Lake’

12 Tomato ‘Gardener’s Delight’

8 5 x Celeriac

3 4 4 x Herbs 2 x Lettuce sweet majo- ‘Catalogna’ ram, parsley, 2 x Lettuce winter savory, ‘Lollo Bicelery, leaf anco’ parsley

‘ Square foot’ Gardening HDRA newsletter issue 153

Further Reading

10 4 x Baby Sweetcorn ‘Minipop’

9 4 x Baby Sweetcorn ‘Minipop’

5 6 8 x Buckler— 9 x Callaloo leaved sorrel (leaf amaranth) 4 x Lettuce ‘Catalogna’

1 2x Strawberries 2x Pot Marigold

Summer

Examples of crops in a ‘square foot’ garden

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A teacher’s guide to growing in a square foot garden.

Square foot gardening

Building a compost box

• • • •

Total materials for 10 sections

Building the box 1. Cut 2 boards, each 75cm long from the 7.5cm x 1.5cm timber.

2. Cut 2 boards, each 72cm long from the 7.5cm x 1.5cm timber.

Now repeat steps 4-6 with Diagram 4 the second shorter 72cm board. You will now have two end pieces with attached corner blocks.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 at the other end.

5. Hold the board in position on the blocks. Drill 3 holes, through the board and into the block below.

Fasten with 3 screws.

4. Take one of the two 72cm boards and place it in position with a corner block at each end. The ends of the board should be flush with the blocks; the blocks should be positioned so that they project 2cm beyond the edge of the board, as shown in diagram 3

3. Cut 4 lengths of 5.5cm from the 5cm × 5cm timber. These will make the corner blocks.

Diagram 3

30m of 7.5cm × 1.5cmtimber 2.2m of 5 × 5cm timber 220 of 3.6cm number 8 screws Wider or slightly narrower boards may be used, as long as the size of the corner blocks is adjusted to suit. There is no need to keep the same width for each section if the timber available is variable.

Length and thickness should be constant.

The following instructions will make a moveable, wooden compost box 75cm × 75cm × 75cm. It consists of identical interlocking sections which are stacked one on top of the other. This can be adjusted to suit your requirements and the materials available.

Reclaimed timber is ideal, such as floorboards and pallets.

Keep the rain out with a wooden lid or a square of old carpet or polythene.

As the compost decomposes and decreases in volume, the top sections of the box can be taken off and used to start a new container.

Diagram 1

Materials and equipment To make one section of the box you will need: 2 × 75cm wooden boards, 7.5cm wide* • minimum 1.5cm thick.

2 × 72cm wooden boards, 7.5cm wide* • minimum 1.5cm thick.

4 wooden corner • blocks, 5cm × 5cm x 5.5cm.

20 of 3.6cm screws, • size number 8 1 screwdriver, 1 drill and 1 saw.

Diagram 2

A teacher’s guide to making your own compost box and compost

8. Stand these two 72cm boards on their ends approximately 75cm apart with the protruding ends of the corner blocks away from you. Place a 75cm board on top of the blocks to form a third side. Ensure that the ends of the 75cm board are flush with the outer edges of the 72cm boards.

9. Drill and screw each end of the 75cm board as in step 5. Use 2 screws only this time.

Diagram 5

10.Turn the section over so that the unfinished side is uppermost. Place the second 75cm board between the 72cm boards as before. Position squarely and drill and screw as in step 9.

You have now completed the first section of your compost box.

Continue making sections until you have completed the number you need.

Further Reading

Make Compost and Watch Your Garden Grow - HDRA leaflet

Composting - HDRA Step-by-Step booklet

All about compost - P. Pears, HDRA/Search Press

Backyard Composting - John Roulac, Green Books

Mucking in - The Community Composting pack, The Wildlife Trust

Making compost

1. Gather enough material to fill your compost container in one go. Make sure that you have a mix of tough and soft materials.

2. Chop up tough items using shears or a sharp spade.

3. Mix ingredients together as much as possible before adding to the container. In particular mix items such as grass mowings, that tend to settle and exclude air, with more open items that tend to dry out. Fill the container, watering every 30-60cm.

4. Within a few days, the heap is likely to get hot to the touch. When it begins to cool down, or a week or two later, turn the heap. Remove everything from the container and mix it all up, trying to get the outside material to the inside. Add water if it is dry or dry material if it is soggy. Replace in the container.

5. The heap may well heat up again. Step 4 can be repeated several more times if you have the energy. When the compost no longer heats up leave it undisturbed to mature.

This can take 3-6 months.

Hot Heap

1. Collect a batch of compost materials. Try to get enough to make a 30cm layer or more. Aim for a mix of soft and tough items. If you have time complete hot step 2.

2. Start filling the bin which should be on bare soil. Spread the ingredients out to the edges and firm down. Alternate soft and tough items. Unless items are already wet, water every 30-60cm.

3. Continue to fill the container as material become available. Items can be added individually, but a bigger batch is better. If you are only adding kitchen waste, it will be wet and need some dry material to balance it. Torn up newspaper and junk mail is ideal. If you have time complete hot step 4.

4. When the container is full—which it may never be as the contents will sink as it composts—or when you decide to—stop adding material. Either leave the compost to mature or go to step 5.

5. Remove the container, or everything from the container.

If the lower layers have composted, use this on the garden.

Mix everything else together well; add water if it is dry and dry material if it is soggy. Replace in the bin and leave to mature. This can take up to 12 months.

Cool Heap

Do NOT compost Coal and coke ash Cat and dog faeces Disposable nappies Glossy magazines

Best avoided Meat and fish Perennial weed roots

Other compostable items Wood ash Cardboard Paper towels, bags and packaging Cardboard tubes and egg boxes

Very slow to rot Autumn leaves Tough hedge clippings Woody prunings Sawdust and wood shavings

Older, slower to rot Fruit and veg scraps Teabags and coffee grounds Old straw and hay Vegetable plant remains Strawy manures Old flowers and bedding plants Young hedge clippings Soft prunings Perennial weeds (not roots) Gerbil, hamster and other vegetarian pet bedding Newspaper

Activators, quick to rot Comfrey leaves Grass cuttings Poultry manures Young weeds

What can I compost?

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A teacher’s guide to making your own compost box and compost

Composting

Building a compost box

As the compost decomposes and decreases in volume, the top sections of the box can be taken off and used to start a new container.

The following instructions will help you to make a moveable, wooden compost box 75 × 75 × 75cm.

It consists of identical interlocking sections which are stacked one on top of the other. This can be adjusted to suit your requirements and the materials available. Reclaimed timber is ideal, such as floorboards and pallets.

Diagram 1 Keep the rain out with a wooden lid or a square of old carpet or polythene.

Materials and equipment To make one section of the box you will need:

• •

2 × 75cm wooden boards, 7.5cm wide* minimum 1.5cm thick.

2 × 72cm wooden boards, 7.5cm wide* minimum 1.5cm thick.

Diagram 2

A student’s guide to making your own compost box and compost

• • • 4 wooden corner blocks, 5cm × 5cm x5.5cm.

20 of 3.6cm screws, size number 8 1 screwdriver, 1 drill and 1 saw.

Total materials for 10 sections

• • • •

30m of 7.5cm × 1.5cmtimber 2.2m of 5cm × 5cm timber 220 of 3.6cm number 8 screws Wider or slightly narrower boards may be used, as long as the size of the corner blocks is adjusted to suit. There is no need to keep the same width for each section if the timber available is variable. Length and thickness should be constant.

Cut 2 boards, each 75cm long from the 7.5cm x 1.5cm timber.

Building the box 1.

Cut 4 lengths of 5.5cm from the 5cm × 5cm timber. These will make the corner blocks.

Cut 2 boards, each 72cm long from the 7.5cm x 1.5cm timber.

3.

2.

4.

Take one of the two 72cm boards and place it in position with a corner block at each end. The ends of the board should be flush with the blocks; Diagram 3 the blocks should be positioned so that they project 2cm beyond the edge of the board, as shown in diagram 3.

8.

7.

6.

5.

Stand these 2 shorter boards on their ends approximately 75cm apart with the protruding ends of

Now repeat steps 4-6 with the second shorter 72cm board. You will now have 2 end pieces with attached corner blocks.

Repeat steps 4 and 5 at the other end.

Hold the board in position on the blocks.

Drill 3 holes, through the board and into the block below. Fasten with 3 screws.

Diagram 4

9.

Drill and screw each end of the 75cm board as in step 5. Use 2 screws only this time.

the corner blocks away from you. Place a 75cm board on top of the blocks to form a third side. Ensure that the ends of the 75cm board are flush with the outer edges of the 72cm boards.

10.

Diagram 5

Turn the section over so that the unfinished side is uppermost. Place the second 75cm board between the 72cm boards

as before. Position squarely and drill and screw as in step 9.

You have now completed the first section of your compost box. Continue making sections until you have completed the number you need.

Fruit and veg scraps Teabags and coffee grounds Old straw and hay Vegetable plant remains Strawy manures Old flowers and bedding plants Young hedge clippings Soft prunings Perennial weeds (not roots) Gerbil, hamster and other vegetarian pet bedding Newspaper

Older, slower to rot

Comfrey leaves Grass cuttings Poultry manures

Activators, quick to rot

Autumn leaves Tough hedge clippings Woody prunings Sawdust and wood shavings

Very slow to rot

Coal and coke ash Cat and dog faeces Disposable nappies Glossy magazines

Do NOT compost

Meat and fish Perennial weed roots

Best avoided

Wood ash Cardboard Paper towels, bags and packaging crumpled up Cardboard tubes and egg boxes

Other compostable items

What can I compost?

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A student’s guide to making your own compost box and compost

Composting

No Dig Gardening How to prepare a new site Dig over the ground as usual taking out as many perennial weeds as possible or cut down the vegetation and then cover with a light excluding mulch which will kill the weeds.

Suitable mulches include: • black polythene • cardboard boxes opened out • newspaper, at least eight sheets thick • carpet Using a mulch may take some time, depending on the weeds present.

Fertilising the plot All fertilisers and manures should be applied at the usual rate (manure—one wheelbarrow per 10 square metres). Rock minerals and other powdered materials such as lime, seaweed etc can be lightly hoed in. If plants need to be spaced widely, for example courgettes and potatoes, put the compost directly around the plants.

Remember on a no dig garden it is the worms that take the material down into the soil, so it will take longer for the material to be mixed into the soil than if you were digging it in.

Growing on the no dig system If you are clearing the site using the mulching system you can still grow some vegetables through the mulch.

•

•

•

•

•

•

.

To harvest the crop, pull back the mulch and remove as many potatoes as you need. If you only take a few and leave the plant to grow you must replace the mulch to keep out the light.

Add more grass as needed.

When the mulch is 6” thick and the plants are growing well, top up the mulch with grass mowings. This will form a mat which will keep the mulch in place and keep light out from the potatoes.

Keep adding to the mulch as the shoots grow.

Check regularly for shoots coming through the mulch of hay/straw and help any that are pushing the mulch up, rather than growing through it.

Cover each row of seed tubers with a few inches of hay or old straw. Mark the rows and leave a bare path between each row.

Plant your potato seed tubers by laying them on top of the manure 60cm apart. In a cold spring it might be better to do this later as covering cold soil will keep it cold.

If you are going to do this then don’t put the mulch on in winter. At this time the soil is cold and dry so mulching will keep the cold in, and the warmth and water out. The vegetables that you can grow will depend on the thickness of the mulch. Vegetables you can grow include pumpkins, marrows, tomatoes and potatoes.

Seeds are sown in the normal way. Hoe and rake the soil surface to make a seed bed. If the surface of the soil is poor then a shallow drill can be made with a hoe and the seeds covered with a mixture of damp sand and sieved compost or soil.

•

If you want to harvest the whole crop remove the whole mulch, harvest and then replace the mulch.

Growing potatoes

Transplant seedlings by taking out a small hole to plant them into. Compost or manure can be placed around the seedling at planting time.

Sowing

Once the land has been cleared—which may take over a year - keep it weed free by hoeing and/or mulching. Mulching is a good idea if you can find the materials, but it is not essential.

Planting

.

Cut down any weeds and water if ground is dry.

When using the no dig system potatoes are the only crop that are grown in a different way The method is as follows: •

No-dig gardening—A Student’s Guide

Slugs do not seem to be more of a problem with the no-dig method. The mulch is a nice damp place for frogs or toads who will eat slugs. Mice can be a problem as the tubers are easy to get to. To stop this happening don’t leave the tubers in the ground for too long in the autumn.

•

Spread manure on the surface at the normal rate (one wheelbarrow per 10 square metres)

Better for your back.

Protects the soil structure, especially on light soils.

Makes a good, stable soil structure.

Makes a friable topsoil through which seedlings can easily emerge. Soil is less likely to cap.

Keeps fertile topsoil in its right place.

Reduces moisture loss.

Does not bring weed seeds to the surface to germinate.

Worms like no-dig systems.

• •

Mulch—a cover on the soil surface.

Some people like digging.

Does not expose soil pests to predators.

Takes longer to improve poor soils.

Does not deal with compaction and hard pans.

Disadvantages

•

• • •

• •

• •

• •

Transplant—moving seedlings (small plants) from where they are growing to another pot or site.

The advantages and disadvantages of no dig gardening Advantages

Green Manure—a plant grown to protect the soil surface when nothing else is growing.

The green manure is usually dug in to add nutrients (food) to the soil.

Drill—a shallow trench in which to sow seeds

Annual—a plant that lasts for a year.

Glossary

In a no dig system grazing rye should only be sown where potatoes will be grown the following spring. The rye is cut down with a mower or shears and the potatoes planted on top.

The covering mulch prevents the re-growth of the grazing rye.

Grazing rye is the best over-wintering green manure but it does not work well on a no-dig system as it will grow again if hoed when young, and is rather tough to cope with when older.

A green manure is a plant grown to improve the soil. Green manures are normally dug back into the soil.

However, you can’t do this in a no dig system. Annual green manures can be cut down with a hoe or lawn mower and the plants can either be left where they are or put on the compost heap.

Green Manures

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A student’s guide to developing a no-dig garden

No-dig gardening

No Dig Gardening Starting a new site

If you hope to do this, don’t put the mulch on in winter when the soil is cold. Mulching will keep the cold in, and the warmth out.

The crops that you can grow will depend on the thickness of the mulch. Suitable vegetables are transplants such as pumpkins, marrows, tomatoes, potatoes and runner beans.

Once the land has been cleared—which may take over a year - keep it weed-free by hoeing and/or mulching. Mulch with materials such as newspaper covered with grass clippings.

Sowing Seeds are sown in the normal way. Hoe and rake to create a seed bed. Make a shallow drill then cover the seeds with a mixture of damp sand and sieved soil or compost.

You can dig over the ground as usual, taking out as many perennial weeds as possible.

However, usually no-dig gardening means no digging at all. So simply cut down the vegetation, then cover with a light-excluding mulch to kill the weeds. Suitable mulches include: • black polythene • cardboard boxes opened out • newspaper, at least eight sheets thick • carpet This method may take some time, depending on the weeds present. However, this process can be used by students to investigate the effects of excluding light from plants.

Improving fertility

Transplant seedlings by making a small hole for planting. Compost or well-rotted manure can be placed around the seedling at the time of planting, but should not touch the transplant.

•

•

spread manure on the surface at the normal rate.

cut down any vegetation, and water the soil if it is dry.

Potatoes are the only crop that require a completely different planting method when using the no dig system. The procedure is as follows:

Growing potatoes

Planting

All fertilisers and manures should be applied at the usual rate (manure—one wheelbarrow per 10 square metres). Rock minerals and other powdered materials such as lime or seaweed can be lightly hoed in. Remember to test soil before adding any soil amendments.

Remember, in a no-dig garden it is the worms that take the material down into the soil. It takes longer to incorporate material than if you were digging.

Growing on the no-dig system If you are clearing the site using the mulching system, then you can still grow some vegetables through the mulch.

.

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

slugs do not seem to be any more of a problem with this no-dig method. The mulch is a nice damp place for slugeating frogs or toads.

if you want to harvest the whole crop, remove the whole mulch and harvest the potatoes.

to harvest the crop, pull back the mulch and remove as many potatoes as you need. If you only take a few and leave the plant to grow, you must replace the mulch to keep out the light.

add more grass and hay/straw as necessary.

when the mulch is 15cm thick and the plants are growing well, top up the mulch with grass mowings. This will form a mat which will keep the mulch in place and exclude light from the potatoes.

keep topping up the mulch as the shoots grow.

check regularly for shoots emerging through the mulch of hay/straw and ease through any shoots that are pushing the straw up rather than growing through it.

cover each row of seed tubers with a few inches of hay or old straw. Mark each row and leave a bare path between them.

bury your potatoes in small (4cm) holes, 60cm apart. In a cold spring it might be better to do this a few weeks later than normal as you will be covering the potatoes with cold soil.

No-dig gardening—A Teacher’s Guide

Mice can be a problem as the tubers are easy to get to. To stop this happening don’t leave the tubers in the ground for too long in the autumn.

RHS Organic Gardening – P Pears and S Stickland, RHS 1995

Beds– Labour-saving, space-saving, more productive gardening – P Pears, HDRA/Search Press 1992

Green manures for organic soil improvement —HDRA Step-by-Step booklet

Further Reading

Grazing rye is the best overwintering green manure. However, it should only be used where potatoes will be grown the following spring. Cut the rye down with a mower or shears and plant the potatoes as explained inside this leaflet. The thick mulch covering the potatoes prevents the grazing rye re-growing.

Biennial and perennial green manures should be treated in the same way as grazing rye.

A green manure is a plant grown to improve the soil. Green manures are normally dug into the soil, however, this is obviously not appropriate in a no-dig system. If you use annual green manures they can be cut down with a hoe or lawn mower and the plants can either be left where they are to rot or put on the compost heap.

Green manures in a no-dig system

.

Better for your back.

Protects the soil structure, especially on light soils.

Makes a good, stable soil structure.

Makes a friable topsoil through which seedlings can easily emerge. Soil is less likely to cap (form a hard crust on the surface).

Keeps fertile topsoil in its right place.

Reduces moisture loss.

Does not bring weed seeds to the surface to germinate.

Worms like no-dig systems.

• •

• •

Some people enjoy digging.

Does not expose soil pests to predators.

Takes longer to improve poor soils.

Does not deal with compaction and hard pans (solid areas of soil).

Disadvantages

•

• • •

• •

• •

Advantages

The advantages and disadvantages of no dig gardening

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A teacher’s guide to developing a no-dig garden

No-dig gardening

If you have space either in the vegetable garden or elsewhere in the school grounds set up a compost and a leafmould bin:

Essential soil improvers

Wildlife can help control pests and diseases.

Create a few ‘habitats’ to welcome creatures into your garden.

Welcoming wildlife

Vegetable Gardening—Getting started When you are starting to grow vegetables the area that you want to use might be covered in weeds.

•

• •

•

• •

•

Plant vegetable seeds and start them off indoors. Plant out when they are bigger.

This will help them to stand up to pest and disease attack.

Protect new plants with plastic bottle cloches. (Plastic bottles with the lid taken off and the bottom cut off) Mark out straight drills for sowing by standing on a rake handle or using a draw hoe along a straight edge. Water drill before sowing and cover seeds with dry soil.

Before moving water plants and the planting holes where they are to grow.

Useful techniques

Perennials - ground cover, herbaceous plants and small shrubs can provide food and shelter for many creatures, but won’t take up too much space.

Annuals - these brighten up the vegetable garden and are food for insect eating pests.

A pond - will attract frogs and other creatures that will help control pests.

The overgrown area

• • •

•

• • •

Vegetable Gardening—A Student’s Guide

Divide the vegetable area into four plots that are all the same size so that you can rotate the crops.

Divide up the four plots into small beds about 1 metre wide.

Remember when planning the crop rotation to include green manures to improve the soil.

See Crop rotation - HDRA factsheet.

Vegetables

Why not try to grow fruit and other perennial crops, that come back year after year? You will need to plan where these will go.

Think about how far apart the plants need to be so that you have enough space.

If you have a fence you can save space by growing redcurrants and gooseberries as espaliers, cordons and fans. (these are different shapes. You will find information on them in vegetable gardening books.)

Russian comfrey– grow three or more plants if you want to make your own liquid plant food.

Permanent Crops

See: Making a compost bin — HDRA factsheet Composting — HDRA factsheet

Compost bins should measure about 1m³.

Leafmould bins should measure 1m³ or more. Make a bin by wrapping chicken wire around four posts.

Cut down all the tall growth.

Cover the ground with a mulch. This will keep the light out and so kill the weeds.

This could be flattened cardboard kept in place with straw, hay, bricks, grass clippings or black plastic. This will stop the weeds from growing. Pumpkins and other vigorous plants can be planted through the mulch.

Don’t rush this job. You need to clear the area really well.

• •

•

•

You can then clear small areas of the garden at a time. Clear the weeds using a garden fork. Remove all the roots. Then sow a green manure or cover with a mulch.

Until the weeds are under control, grow crops in wide rows. This means you can hoe between them easily to remove weeds.

Planning To get the best from your garden you need to plan.

Measure the area of your vegetable garden and draw an outline. Mark in any features that you want to keep, like trees and then plan the rest of the area using the following ideas.

Cover vulnerable plants (those that are likely to be attacked) with fleece or mesh to protect them from pests.

Grow pest and disease resistant varieties of vegetables and fruit.

Label rows and keep a note of what grew where—it will make planning the area next year easier.

Remember to grow plants that will not need care over the holidays (particularly summer) unless you have a volunteer to go into school and care for the plants.

Sow green manures as you harvest crops and clear the land.

Collect autumn leaves to make leafmould.

Simply put them into a container made of wire or an open black plastic bag and leave them for a year to rot down.

Plant autumn onion sets and garlic.

•

•

•

Buy in strawy manure; cover with plastic and leave to rot.

Cover bare soil with year old leafmould, particularly the areas where you are going to plant next years carrots and parsnips.

Dig a trench and fill with kitchen waste over winter. Grow runner beans here next year.

Autumn/winter

•

•

•

Seasonal Hints Late summer/early autumn

•

•

•

•

Dig in green manures Put garden compost or manure on to the parts of the crop rotation that need it, where you are going to grow greedy crops for example potatoes and cabbages.

Glossary

Wooden boards can be laid down between rows to stop the soil getting compacted.

Make large cloches from four litre plastic bottles. Remove the lid and cut off the base.

Annual—a plant that lasts for a year Cloche– a cover put over a plant to protect it.

Compost—mixture of garden, kitchen and house hold waste that rots down and can be used in the garden.

Compacted—when the air and water is squashed out of the soil.

Crop Rotation—moving crops around to stop pests and diseases building up.

Green Manure—a plant grown to protect the soil surface when nothing else is growing. Can be dug in later to add nutrients (food) to the soil Habitat– a place where something lives.

Leafmould—rotted leaves used to improve the soil.

Mulch—a cover on the soil surface.

Perennial—a plant that comes back year after year.

Transplanting—moving seedlings to a new pot or outside.

Vigorous—fast growing and strong.

•

•

General hints and tips

• •

Spring

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A student’s guide to creating a vegetable garden.

Vegetable gardening

Vegetable Gardening—Getting started When starting an organic vegetable garden first of all you may have to clear an overgrown area.

The overgrown area

Use a strimmer to cut down any tall growth.

Cover the ground with a light excluding mulch. This could be flattened cardboard kept in place with straw, hay, bricks, grass clippings or black plastic. This will stop the weeds from re-growing. Pumpkins and other vigorous crops can be planted through the mulch.

Don’t rush this job. The area needs to cleared really well.

• •

•

•

Taking a small area of the garden at a time, clear the weeds using a garden fork. Remove all the roots. Then plant crops, sow a green manure or mulch.

Until the weeds are under control, grow crops in wide rows to allow easy hoeing.

Planning Measure the area of your vegetable garden and draw an outline. Mark in any features that you want to keep and then plan the rest of the area using the following suggestions.

If you have space either in the vegetable garden or elsewhere in the school grounds set up a compost heap and a leafmould bin:

Essential soil improvers

•

Wildlife can help to keep pests and diseases in check. Create a few ‘habitats’ to welcome creatures on to your plot.

Welcoming wildlife

• •

•

• •

• •

•

Start plants off in modules, pots and boxes and then plant out as sturdy transplants (small plants).

Protect new plants with plastic bottle cloches. (Plastic bottles with the lid and bottom cut off) Mark out straight drills for sowing by standing on a rake handle or using a hoe along a straight edge. Water drill before sowing and cover seeds with dry soil.

Water transplants and planting holes before transplanting.

Cover vulnerable plants with fleece or mesh to protect them from pests. This is particularly useful on cabbage family plants which seem to suffer the most.

Grow pest and disease resistant varieties, especially blight resistant potatoes.

Useful techniques

Perennials - ground cover, herbaceous plants and small shrubs can provide food and shelter, but won’t take up too much space.

Annuals - these brighten up the vegetable garden and feed insect eating pests.

A pond - will attract frogs and other creatures that will help control pests.

Compost bins should measure about 1m³.

Leafmould bins should be 1m³ or more. Make a bin by wrapping chicken wire around four posts.

See Making a compost bin — HDRA factsheet Composting — HDRA factsheet

Why not try growing fruit and other perennial crops?

Think about spacing for all these plants so that you know how much space you will need.

If you have a fence you can save space by growing redcurrants and gooseberries as espaliers, cordons and fans. (You’ll find information on these in any vegetable gardening book.)

Russian comfrey– grow three or more plants if you want to make your own liquid plant food.

Permanent crops • • •

•

Vegetables • • •

Divide the vegetable area into four plots of equal size for effective crop rotation.

Subdivide the plots further if you are going to grow on a bed system.

Remember when planning the crop rotation to include green manures for soil improvement.

See Crop rotation - HDRA factsheet.

Vegetable Gardening—A Teacher’s Guide

Label rows and keep a note of what grew where—it makes planning much easier for next year.

Remember to grow plants that will not need care over the holidays (particularly summer) unless you have a volunteer to go into school and care for the plants.

Sow green manures as you harvest crops and clear the ground.

Collect autumn leaves to make leafmould.

Remember to plant autumn onion sets and garlic.

•

•

•

Buy in strawy manure; cover with plastic and leave to rot.

Cover empty beds with year old leafmould, particularly the area where you are going to plant next years carrots and parsnips.

Dig a trench and fill with kitchen waste over winter. Grow runner beans here next year

Autumn/winter

• •

•

Seasonal Hints Late summer/early autumn

•

•

Dig in green manures Apply garden compost and manure on areas that need it. This is where you are going to grow greedy crops such as potatoes and cabbages.

Wooden boards can be laid between rows of vegetables to avoid soil compaction.

Make large cloches (covers) from four litre plastic bottles. Remove the lid and cut off the base.

Make enquires about the availability of municipal compost in your local area. This is compost made by the Local Authority

The Vegetable Garden Displayed —Joy Larkcom, (RHS 1992)

Soil Care and Management — Jo Readman, HDRA (Search Press 1991)

Beds—Labour-saving, space-saving, more productive gardening — Pauline Pears, (HDRA/Search Press 1992)

Grow your own organic vegetables-Getting started — HDRA Step-by-Step booklet

Green Manures for Organic Soil Improvement — HDRA Step-by-Step booklet

Further Reading

•

•

•

General hints and tips

• •

Spring

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A teacher’s guide to creating a vegetable garden.

Vegetable gardening

Creating a pond Water is an important feature in any garden. It helps to provide a wide range of habitats. Wildlife attracted by the water will help to control pests.

If you have no open ground, you can create a small pond in a barrel or old sink.

Constructing a pond.

A pond must be: completely water-tight.

• deep enough to protect the creatures • living in it. designed so that birds, frogs and • other creatures can use it easily. put in a suitable place.

• looked after regularly and carefully, • particularly if it is small.

Pond Size The length and width of the pond is up to you. However, the pond must be at least 60cm-70cm deep at some point. This allows pond-living creatures to survive during freezing winter weather.

Construction As well as having a minimum depth, your pond needs a shallow area and at least one sloping side. This allows birds to bathe, hedgehogs to drink, and amphibians like frogs to get in and out of the pond easily.

Site

It is better to leave the material that has been taken out, at the edge of the pond for a few days. This means that any creatures hiding in the pile can return to the water.

Don’t throw away all the sludge from the bottom. Put a bucketful back as it will contain a huge range of water dwelling creatures.

In spring change about 10% of the pond’s water, especially if the level is low. Over winter try to remove leaves as they blow or fall into the pond.

Materials to line a pond

Probably the best liner for a school pond is a heavy duty butyl rubber liner. This can be moulded to fit any hole shape.

The other alternatives are:

The pond or barrel should be in an open, sunny site. Plants and water-living creatures will put up with some shade, but the pond should have full sun for at least half a day. Try not to put it near trees, as the falling leaves will decompose in the water and turn it sour. Plant around the edges of the pond to provide shelter for creatures visiting the pond.

Care and maintenance

• • •

Pre-shaped fibreglass shells (although size and shape is limited) Black polythene sheeting (has a fairly short life) Concrete (usually costly and not practical for small ponds) Renovation of a pond is best done easily in autumn—before hibernation starts, but when the breeding season has finished.

Any dead leaves should be removed.

Plants that have become overgrown should be reduced in size, and waste removed from the bottom of the pond.

Creating a pond—A Student’s Guide

Make sure that the rim of the pond is level; use a board and a spirit level.

Clear out all sharp stones from the soil in the hole.

Put a 5cm layer of sand all over the pond base and sides.

To protect the liner, place a layer of old carpet or cardboard on top of the sand.

Place the butyl liner into the pond, over the protective layer allowing an overlap around the rim; 50cm is a good amount.

The amount of liner you will need is worked out by the following:

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Weigh down the edges of the liner around the pond rim with stones.

Fill the pond with water. As the weight of the water increases, the liner will stretch to fit the hole. As it does, lift the stones occasionally to allow the liner to sink into the hole.

7.

8.

(length + [depth x2]) x (width + [depth x2]).

Dig a hole remembering to allow a minimum60—70cm finished depth in at least one place. You need to ensure that this is the depth when the pond is lined, so the hole should actually be about 7580cm deep in one place. The pond will also need ledges of different depths and one sloping side.

1.

Making a butyl-lined pond

If you use tap water to fill the pond wait about 24 hours before adding plants to allow the water to settle.

Renovation —to clean out and tidy up

Hibernation —when creatures hide and go to sleep over the winter

Habitat —where creatures live

Decompose —when material rots

Glossary

Even a small pond can have a wide range of plants as long as they are chosen with care.

You should try to have at least one floating plant, a deep-water plant, a shallow-water plant and a submerged plant in a small pond. These will provide plenty of interest, as well as a range of habitats for wildlife. If you can, try and have a boggy area near the pond edge.

Plants

11. Cover the spare liner material around the rim of the pond with extra stones, or bury it under soil. It should not be exposed to the sunlight, as this will cause it to rot.

10. Plant your plants. There are two possible methods; you can use plants in pots that stand on the bottom and on the ledges of the pond; you can put sieved, stone-free soil direct onto the liner about 5cm deep and plant directly into it; or you can use both methods.

9.

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A student’s guide to building and maintaining a pond.

Creating a pond

Creating a pond Water is a very important feature in any garden, as it increases the range of creatures attracted to the garden.

If you have no open ground, a small pond can be created in a barrel or old sink. This is also the solution where expense and safety issues are paramount. A small pond is quite capable of supporting a number of water creatures and providing an ideal teaching resource, allowing students to see the concepts they learn about in the classroom in action Constructing a pond.

A pond must be: • • • •

•

completely water-tight deep enough to protect the creatures it contains constructed to allow birds, frogs and other creatures to use it easily sited to provide a comfortable and suitable growing/living environment for plant and animal life maintained regularly and carefully, particularly if it is small

Dimensions The length and width of the pond is optional.

However, the pond must be at least 60cm deep at at some point. This ensures that pond-living creatures can survive in freezing winter weather. If the pond is shallower it may freeze solid in winter or dry up in summer.

Construction As well as having a minimum depth, your pond needs a shallow area and at least one sloping side. This enables birds to bathe, hedgehogs to drink, and amphibians to get in and out of the pond. This will not be possible in a pond with vertical sides only. A large flat stone in the pond centre is also useful.

Site The pond or barrel should be situated in an open, sunny position. Although some shade is tolerated by plants and creatures, the pond should receive full sun for half the day. This keeps the water warm. Try not to position near trees. Falling leaves will decompose in the water and turn it sour. Roots can damage the pond liner. There should be planting around the edges of the pond to provide shelter for creatures that are coming and going.

Care and maintenance Renovation of a pond is best done in early autumn. This is before hibernation begins, but after the breeding season.

Creating a pond—A Teacher’s Guide

Any dead leaves should be removed, overgrown plants should be reduced and excess sludgy waste removed from the bottom of the pond. Do not remove all the sludge.

Leave the pile of material that has been removed by the edge of the pond for a few days. This ensures that any creatures present can return to the water.

In spring change about 10% of the pond’s water, especially if the water level is down.

Over winter, try to remove leaves as they blow or fall into the pond.

Materials to line a pond

pre-shaped fibreglass shells (although size and shape is limited) black polythene sheeting (has a fairly short life) concrete (usually costly and not practical for small ponds)

The best liner for a school pond is a heavy duty butyl liner. This will mould to fit any pond shape. The alternatives are: • • •

Health and Safety

Ponds in schools should be fenced off or have a heavy-duty safety mesh covering them to prevent accidents. Check with your Local Authority for local regulations.

Ensure that the rim of the pond is level; using a spirit level.

Clear out all sharp stones from the soil in the hole.

Put a 5cm layer of sand all over the pond base and sides.

Place a layer of old carpet/thin cardboard on top of the sand to protect the liner.You can buy protective sheeting made specifically for this purpose.

Place the butyl liner into the pond, over the protective layer, allowing an adequate overlap around the rim; 50cm is a good amount. The amount of liner you will need is worked out by the following:

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Weigh down the edges of the liner around the pond rim with stones.

Fill the pond with water. As the weight of the water increases, the liner will stretch to fit the hole. As it does, lift the stones occasionally to allow the liner to sink into the hole.

7.

8.

(length + [depth x2]) x (width + [depth x2]).

Dig a hole remembering to allow a minimum 60-70cm finished depth in at least one place. When you measure the hole depth remember to take into account the thickness of the liner, carpet and sand.

Make sure there are some higher ledges and at least one sloping side in the pond.

1.

Making a butyl-lined pond

If you use tap water to fill the pond leave for about 24 hours to allow the chemicals to dissipate.

Growing Naturally: A Teacher’s Guide to Organic Gardening — M. Brown, Southgate 1996

Setting up a pond—HDRA factsheet

Troubleshooting in a garden pond —HDRA factsheet

Further Reading

Even a small pond can have a wide range of plants as long as they are chosen with care.

You should try to have at least one floating plant, a deep-water plant, a shallow-water plant and a submerged plant in a small pond. These will provide plenty of interest, as well as a range of habitats for wildlife. If you can, try to have a boggy area near the pond edge.

Plants

11. Cover the spare liner material around the rim of the pond with extra stones, or bury it under soil, so that it is not exposed to sunlight, as this will cause the liner to deteriorate.

10. Plant your plants. There are two possible methods; you can use plants in pots that stand on the bottom and on the ledges of the pond; you can put sieved, stone-free soil direct onto the liner about 5cm deep and plant directly into it; or you can have a combination of both methods.

9.

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A teacher’s guide to building and maintaining a pond.

Creating a pond

Mulches: weed prevention and control Why use mulches?

Mulching is an excellent way of controlling weeds and clearing ground. It works because mulches stop light from reaching the weeds. Without light they cannot grow, because they can’t photosynthesise (the process by which plants make food).

Mulches are coverings placed on the surface of the soil. They can be made from a number of materials, from light-excluding membranes (covers) to loose shredded prunings.

To make sure the mulch works, it is important to choose the right one.

How do you use mulches?

In planted areas Dig garden compost or organic fertilisers into the soil before putting the mulch on the soil.

Put the mulch on to a moist, warm, weed free soil. Membranes look more attractive and last longer if they are covered in a 5cm layer of loose mulch such as ornamental bark.

When using a loose mulch and no membrane, a top up is needed to keep a 10cm thick layer (every year or two).

When clearing ground Cut down long grass and weeds with a strimmer.

Lay the membrane over the area to be cleared, and hold down with pegs or stones. If weeds break through the membrane, patch it as necessary.

Using Mulches—A Student’s Guide

Clearing weeds using this method can take between six months to two or three years. However, the area doesn’t have to be bare. You can grow some vigorous plants through the mulch.

Mulch membranes Geotextiles Geotextiles are man-made membranes that are permeable (water and air can get through).

They will last about 15 years, when covered with a loose mulch such as wood chips. Fasten the edges with wire pegs.

Pros: Excellent long-term weed control. You can plant through geotextile membranes.

Cons: Expensive. You can’t feed plants through it; worms can’t work in organic matter covering the membrane. A non-renewable resource (can’t be used again).

Black plastic film (400-600 gauge – thickness) Black plastic will last for one to three years. To hold it down, bury the edges along all sides of the beds.

Pros: Useful for clearing weedy ground before planting. It can be covered with loose mulch.

Vigorous vegetables, such as potatoes and courgettes, can be planted through the membrane. Warms up the soil.

Cons: As it is not air or water permeable it is not recommended for long term use. Will degrade (rot) quickly if exposed to the sun. A non-renewable resource.

Cardboard Flattened cardboard makes an excellent mulch which will last for one growing season.

It can be held down with planks, bricks or straw.

Pros: Free. It is useful for clearing ground and can be replaced when the weeds start to grow through. Vigorous growing vegetables can be planted through it. Biodegradable (rots down).

Cons: Degrades quickly.

Newspaper

Newspapers are excellent as a short term mulch. They will last one growing season.

Use a whole, opened out newspaper at least eight pages thick. Hold down with a degradable mulch such as grass mowings, hay or straw.

Pros: Free. A thick layer will keep down perennial (grow back every year) weeds.

Use round the base of fruit bushes and raspberries (remember to remove in autumn and replace in spring). They also makes good tree mats and can be used as a mulch in the vegetable garden. Biodegradable.

Cons: Degrades quickly. Can make soil more acidic.

Loose mulch Woodchips

Woodchips come in many different varieties of wood. They are cheaper but less attractive than ornamental bark.

Pros: Excellent for informal paths.

Biodegradable. Good use of waste material.

Cons: Although it will stop some weeds growing the soil must be clear of all weeds before the woodchips are put down.

Straw and hay will make a good mulch for one season. For the most effective weed control put straw over a membrane such as newspaper. It is better to use semi-rotted straw/hay.

Straw/hay

Woody prunings and other woody material produced in the school grounds can be chipped or shredded to use as a mulch.

Heap them in a pile to compost for a few months before using on planted areas. Composting will darken the colour of the mulch, giving it a more natural appearance. Add nitrogen—in the form of grass mowings, nettle liquid or nitrogen-rich manures to speed up composting.

Pros: Can be used fresh for paths.

Biodegradable. Good use of waste materials.

Cons: Home made mulches, may degrade more quickly.

Shredded prunings

Ornamental bark is composted conifer bark. It is more expensive than woodchips but more attractive.

Pros: Excellent for decorative beds.

It conditions the soil. Biodegradable. Good way of recycling waste material.

Cons: Although it will stop some perennial weeds growing soil must be clear of all weeds before it is put down.

Ornamental bark

It is important to keep 1m² area at the base of a tree free of other plants and weeds for three to five years after planting. If the area isn’t clear, the tree has competition for water and nutrients. Tree mats are made of wool, geotextile or black plastic. It is also possible to make your own using newspaper (see newspaper section). Fasten the mats down by burying the edges or pegging down.

Pros: Wool mats and geotextiles are air and water permeable. Tree mats can also be used around large shrubs.

Cons: Wool mats can be destroyed by birds using them for nesting material. Black plastic is not air and water permeable. Synthetic (man made) membranes are a non-renewable resource.

Tree mats

Best used as a mulch in ‘wild’ areas or to cover tree mats. Do not use sawdust from treated wood.

Pros: Biodegradable. Good use of waste material.

Cons: Sawdust takes nitrogen from the soil and so should not be dug in.

Sawdust

Pros: Hay contains potash and nitrogen.

Straw also supplies some potash. This mulch is good for fruit bushes. Biodegradable. Good use of waste material.

Cons: Hay can contain some weed seeds.

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A student’s guide to using mulches for clearing ground and weed control

Mulches

Using

Mulches for weed prevention and control Why use mulches?

Mulching is an excellent way of controlling weeds and clearing ground. It works because mulches deprive plants of light. Without light plants cannot photosynthesise and grow.

Mulches are placed on the surface of the soil, and vary from light-excluding water-permeable membranes, to loose shredded prunings. It is important to use the appropriate mulch for your situation.

How do you use mulches?

In planted areas Dig in garden compost or organic fertilisers before applying a weed-controlling mulch to the surface.

Apply mulch to a moist, warm, weed-free soil. If you are using a membrane it looks more attractive, and lasts longer, if it is covered in a 5cm layer of loose mulch such as ornamental bark.

When using a loose mulch without a membrane, such as composted bark, top up as required to maintain 10cm weed-suppressing layer (every year or two).

When clearing ground Cut down long grass and weeds with a strimmer.

Lay and secure the membrane over the area to be cleared. If weeds break through the membrane, patch as necessary. Using this method for weedclearing can take between six months to two or three years.

Using Mulches—A Teacher’s Guide

Some mulch membranes Geotextiles Geotextiles are synthetic, woven or spun, water and air permeable membranes. They will last an average of 15 years when covered with a loose mulch such as wood chips. Secure them at regular intervals with wire pegs.Pros: Provide excellent long-term weed control. You can plant through geotextile membranes.

Cons: Expensive. Can’t feed through it; worms can’t work in the organic matter covering the membrane.

A non-renewable resource.

Black plastic film (400-600 gauge) Black plastic will last for one to three years. To secure it, bury the edges along all sides of the beds. Silage sheet comes in large rolls and is ideal for covering larger areas.

Pros: It is useful for clearing weedy ground prior to planting. Plant through it and cover with loose mulch.

Vigorous growing vegetables, such as potatoes and courgettes, can be planted through the membrane.

Warms up the soil.

Cons: As it is not air or water permeable it is not recommended for long-term use. Will degrade quickly if not protected from the sun. A nonrenewable resource.

Cardboard Flattened cardboard makes an excellent mulch which will last for one growing season. It can be held down with planks, bricks or straw.

Pros: Free. It is useful for ground learance and can be replenished when the weeds start to grow through. Vigorous growing vegetables can be planted through it. Biodegradable.

Cons: Degrades quickly.

Newspaper

Newspaper is excellent for short-term weed suppression and will last one growing season. Use a whole opened-out newspaper at least eight pages thick. Hold it down with a degradable mulch such as grass mowings, hay or straw.

Pros: Free. A thick layer will suppress perennial weeds. Use it round the base of fruit bushes and raspberries (remember to remove it in autumn and replace in spring. This ensures that any disease spores are disposed of and that the soil can warm up in spring). It also makes good tree mats and can be used as a mulch in the vegetable garden.

Biodegradable.

Cons: Degrades quickly.

Loose mulches Woodchips

Woodchips come from many different varieties of wood. They are cheaper but less attractive than ornamental bark.

Pros: Excellent for informal paths. Biodegradable. Good way to recycle waste material.

Cons: Although they will suppress perennial weeds to some extent, the soil must be clear of all weeds before application. To avoid the woodchips taking nitrogen from the soil do not dig in woodchips.

Ornamental bark

Ornamental bark is composted and graded conifer bark. It is more expensive than woodchips but it is visually attractive.

Cons: Hay may introduce some weed seeds.

Pros: Hay is a source of potash and nitrogen.

Straw also supplies some potash. This mulch is extremely useful for fruit bushes. Biodegradable.

Good use of waste material.

Weeds—how to control and love them Jo Readman, HDRA/Search Press

Mulching—HDRA Step-by-Step booklet

Further Reading

Cons: Wool mats can be destroyed by birds using them for nesting material. Black plastic is not air and water permeable. Synthetic materials are a non-renewable resource.

Straw/hay

Straw and hay will make a good mulch for one season. For the most effective weed control use over a membrane such as newspaper. It is better to use semi-rotted straw/hay.

Pros: Wool mats and geotextiles are air and water permeable. Tree mats can also be used for large shrubs.

It is important to keep a 1m²area at the base of a tree free from competitive growth for the first three to five years after planting. This will avoid competition with other plants for water and nutrients. Tree mats are made of wool, geotextile or black plastic.

It is also possible to make your own using newspaper (see newspaper for more information). Secure the mats down by burying the edges or pegging down.

Tree mats

Cons: Causes nitrogen robbery if dug in. It is not suitable for highly decorative beds.

Best used as a mulch in ‘wild’ areas or to cover tree mats.

Sawdust is rich in carbon and will last for one season. Do not use sawdust from treated wood. Do not dig in.

Pros: Biodegradable. Recycling waste material.

Sawdust

Cons: Home made mulches, which are likely to contain more green material than purchased ones, may degrade more quickly.

Pros: Can be used fresh for paths. Biodegradable. Excellent use of waste materials.

Woody prunings and other woody material produced in the school grounds can be chipped or shredded for use as a mulch. These are best heaped up to compost for a few months before use on planted areas. Composting will darken the colour of the mulch, giving it a more natural appearance. The addition of nitrogen—in the form of grass mowings, nettle liquid or nitrogenrich manures for example—to the heap of shredded material will speed up the process.

Shredded prunings

Cons: The soil must be clear of weeds before application as the mulch will only suppress weeds, not kill already existing weeds.

Pros: Excellent for decorative beds. It conditions the soil. Biodegradable. Good use of waste material.

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A teacher’s guide to using mulches for clearing ground and weed control

Mulches

Using

Growing plants in containers Anyone can grow plants in containers.

The different types of ornamentals (flowers), fruit and vegetables that you can grow is surprisingly large. It is also amazing how many things can be recycled to make containers.

Suitable Containers

old tyres tied bundles of newspaper buckets plastic storage boxes half barrels old bins containers made from pallets old chimney pots old sinks

You can use many different types of container to plant in. Some suggestions for containers include: • • • • • • • • •

Remember, unless you are growing bog plants, the containers will need to have drainage holes.

2. Use broken bits of clay pots or flat stones to cover the holes. Fill the pot until a quarter full. This stops the holes getting blocked by soil.

Choose your container. Check that it has drainage holes at the bottom.

If it hasn’t, make a few in the bottom.

Planting up your container

1.

3.

Fill with potting compost or good garden soil . If you cannot find an organic potting compost then buy a peat-free compost.

Growing in containers—A Student’s Guide

Why peat free?

Peat is a soil-like material made up of partly rotted organic matter (things that have once lived).

It is still used in many composts.

4.

You can now start to plant up your container. Suggestions of suitable plants are given on the back of this leaflet.

The peat is taken from peat bogs where rare plants live. Bogs take thousands of years to develop and are getting smaller as the peat is used by gardeners. To do your bit and help preserve (keep) this habitat use peat-free composts.

5.

Once your container is planted you must remember to water it regularly. Plants in pots need watering more often because the soil dries out faster.

Purple Teepee

Any early va- March to April rieties

Ruby or Lucullus

Ambassador, Late April to Early Gem mid-May

Bush crop, Burpless Tasty Green

King Richard March to July (in succession)

Any variety from sets

Kelvedon Wonder

Redskin

Early February to varieties only March June to July

Any variety

Pixie, Totem, Late March to Tumbler Early April

French Bean

Carrot

Chard

Courgette

Cucumber

Leek

Onion

Pea

Pepper

Potato

Radish

Tomato

7.5cm— 10cm apart

Plant 4cm apart

1 per 30 litre pot

1 per 30 litre pot

1 per 4 litre pot

Plant 4cm apart

4 per 10 litre pot

4 per 10 litre pot

Spacing/pot size

2 per 60 litre pot

1 per 10 litre pot

1 per 15 litre pot

March to June Sow 2.5cm apart

Late March to early April

March to June 8 per 10 (successional) litre pot

March to April

Late April to mid-May

April

Late April to mid-May

March to April

The Sutton

Broad Bean

When to sow

Suitable variety

Vegetable

Vegetable varieties to grow in containers

Helianthus ‘Sungold’

Cheiranthus May to July cheiri

Sunflower Wallflower

April

Crocus spp. September to October

Spring Crocus

September or March

Scabiosa columbaria

Small Scabious

March to April

September or April

Limnanthes March douglasii

Phlox paniculata

Centaurea dealbata

Poached egg plant

Phlox

Perennial cornflower

Tropaeolum February to April

Autumn or Spring

Autumn or Early spring

Nasturtium

Nigella

Love-in-amist

12cm-25cm x 5-10cm

15cm-30cm x 20cm

1m x45cm

Height x spread

23cm-60cm x 20-30cm

60cm x 30cm

20cm

30cm x 15cm

15cm x 10cm

15cm– 30cm x 22cm

30cm-45cm x 30cm

15cm x upto 180cm

30cm x 30cm

45cm x 22cm

May or June 60cm-90cm for next year x 30cm

Calendula officinalis

Lunaria annua

Honesty

Autumn

April-May

April

Pot Marigold

Allium schoenoprasum

Iberis umbelleta

Monarda didyma

Latin Name When to sow

Chives

Candytuft

Bergamot

Plant

Flowers to grow in containers

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A student’s guide to growing plants in containers.

Growing in containers

Growing plants in containers Container planting is ideal for schools. It is particularly suitable where there are no available areas of soil, or where large expanses of tarmac need improvement. The range of ornamentals, fruit and vegetables that can be grown is surprisingly large, and it is an easy activity for all pupils.

Containers can be used for growing shrubs and insect-attracting flowers as well as some vegetables. They can also be used for creating a worm bin, compost heap, a pond or liquid plant food.

Suitable Containers

old tyres tied bundles of newspaper buckets plastic storage boxes half barrels old bins containers made from pallets old chimney pots

Students can create a range of different planting sites using different types of container. It is amazing how many things can be recycled to make containers.

Some suggestions for containers* include: • • • • • • • •

* Remember unless you are growing bog plants the containers will need to have drainage holes.

2.

Using broken bits of clay pots or flat stones to cover the holes. Fill the pot to a quarter full with the broken pots/stones. This stops the holes getting blocked by soil.

Choose, adapt or make the container.

Check that it has drainage holes. If it hasn’t, make a few in the bottom.

Planting up your container

1.

3.

Fill with compost. If you can not find an organic potting compost then buy a peat-free compost.

Growing in containers—A Teacher’s Guide

Why peat free?

4.

Start to plant up your container. Suggestions of plants that you can use are given on the back of this leaflet.

Peat is still used in many potting composts. The peat is taken from peat bogs which destroys habitats. Bogs are getting smaller as peat is used by gardeners. To do your bit and help preserve these precious sites - use

5.

Once the container is planted it is important to water it regularly. Plants in pots need watering more often, because the containers dry out quickly.

Further Reading

Grow your own organic vegetables— Getting started—HDRA Step-by-Step booklet

Grow your own organic fruit— Getting started—HDRA Step-by-Step booklet

Growing Naturally— A Teachers Guide to Organic Gardening—Maggi Brown, Southgate 1996

Purple Teepee

Any early va- March to April rieties

Ruby or Lucullus

Ambassador, Late April to Early Gem mid-May

Bush crop, Burpless Tasty Green

King Richard March to July (in succession)

Any variety from sets

Kelvedon Wonder

Redskin

Early February to varieties only March June to July

Any variety

Pixie, Totem, Late March to Tumbler Early April

French Bean

Carrot

Chard

Courgette

Cucumber

Leek

Onion

Pea

Pepper

Potato

Radish

Tomato

7.5cm— 10cm apart

Plant 4cm apart

1 per 30 litre pot

1 per 30 litre pot

1 per 4 litre pot

Plant 4cm apart

4 per 10 litre pot

4 per 10 litre pot

Spacing/pot size

2 per 60 litre pot

1 per 10 litre pot

1 per 15 litre pot

March to June Sow 2.5cm apart

Late March to early April

March to June 8 per 10 (successional) litre pot

March to April

Late April to mid-May

April

Late April to mid-May

March to April

The Sutton

Broad Bean

When to sow

Suitable variety

Vegetable

Vegetable varieties to grow in containers

Helianthus ‘Sungold’

Cheiranthus May to July cheiri

Sunflower Wallflower

April

Crocus spp. September to October

Spring Crocus

September or March

Scabiosa columbaria

Small Scabious

March to April

September or April

Limnanthes March douglasii

Phlox paniculata

Centaurea dealbata

Poached egg plant

Phlox

Perennial cornflower

Tropaeolum February to April

Autumn or Spring

Autumn or Early spring

Nasturtium

Nigella

Love-in-amist

12cm-25cm x 5-10cm

15cm-30cm x 20cm

1m x45cm

Height x spread

23cm-60cm x 20-30cm

60cm x 30cm

20cm

30cm x 15cm

15cm x 10cm

15cm– 30cm x 22cm

30cm-45cm x 30cm

15cm x upto 180cm

30cm x 30cm

45cm x 22cm

May or June 60cm-90cm for next year x 30cm

Calendula officinalis

Lunaria annua

Honesty

Autumn

April-May

April

Pot Marigold

Allium schoenoprasum

Iberis umbelleta

Monarda didyma

Latin Name When to sow

Chives

Candytuft

Bergamot

Plant

Flowers to grow in containers

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A teacher’s guide to growing plants in containers.

Growing in containers

Organic techniques Resistant varieties—if you have a regular pest or disease problem try growing a resistant variety. For example ‘Lakeland’ lettuce is less susceptible to powdey mildew and root aphid.

Soil pH—changing the soil pH can have an impact on how badly some diseases affect your plants. For example potato scab is less severe in acid soils. Clubroot on cabbages is not as bad in alkaline conditions.

Winter digging—some pests overwinter in the soil. Their numbers can be reduced by turning the ground over in winter. This brings pests to the surface where they will be killed by cold and eaten by birds.

Barriers—physical barriers can be put in place to prevent pest attacks. Why not try the following: Nets—flying pests can be kept out by netting. Make sure that you choose the right mesh size for the pest involved and put in place immediately.

Cloches—use plastic bottles, with the tops and bottoms removed, as mini-cloches to protect plants from slugs and caterpillars.

Fleece—carrots can be grown underneath fleece to protect them against carrot root fly.

Rotation—growing the same vegetables in the same place year after year can lead to a build up of pests and diseases. To help avoid this, each vegetable should be grown on a different part if the vegetable garden each year. They should not return to the original site for at least three years.

See Crop rotation leaflet

Collars—12cm squares of rubber carpet underlay or some other material fitted around the stem-base of cabbages as soon as they are planted can protect against cabbage rootfly.

Hand picking—pick off pests and infected leaves when seen. Never allow problems to get out of hand.

Traps—sunken traps filled with beer or milk will trap slugs.

Sowing—problems with pests can often be avoided if you time the seed sowing carefully.

For example sowing peas early or late avoids the pea flowering coinciding with the egg laying time of the pea moth.

Breaking the cycle - if diseased plant waste is left in the garden, pests and diseases can infect healthy plants. All infected plant debris should be removed from the garden. You could compost the material but some diseases will survive the composting process. If you are unsure always put the diseased material in the dustbin.

A teacher’s guide to controlling pests and diseases in the garden without using chemicals.

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A small pond can provide a home for frogs, toads and other creatures that eat pests.

Attracting predators

Creating the balance

Nature will, if allowed, reach its own natural balance. Pests and diseases are unlikely to get out of hand where there are predators and parasites to keep them in check. Organic gardeners encourage this balance by working with nature rather than against it.

Working with nature

It is important to remember that the presence of a pest or disease does not always require action. The aim in an organic garden is not to kill all pests, but to keep them at an acceptable level. So how can you do this?

Organic gardeners keep their plants healthy without using chemicals. Organic methods concentrate on preventing pests and diseases. There are many organic ways of dealing with pests and diseases when they do occur in an organic garden.

How to control pests and diseases in your garden

Controlling pests & diseases — A Teacher’s guide

A well-fed soil gives plants a balanced diet, making them more resistant to pests and diseases.

Healthy, fertile soil is the basis of all organic growing and is the most important aspect of organic gardening. It can be improved by using garden compost and rotted manure. This material feeds the soils micro-organisms. Soil structure and fertility will also be improved.

A healthy soil

Creatures need cover to hide in. Create hiding places such as a pile of stones or logs. Don’t tidy away all dead plants.

Birds, which eat all sorts of pests, can be encouraged by providing nesting sites and food plants.

Native species of plants, trees and shrubs, especially broad-leaved varieties will support a wider range of creatures than exotic plants.

For example fennel can support many different insect and bird species

How to control vegetable and fruit pests —P. Pears and B. Sherman Search Press.

Collins Guide to the Pests, Diseases and Disorders of Garden Plants —S. Buszacki and K.Harris

All about Compost — P.Pears, Search Press

The Living Garden —M. Chinery, Dorling Kindersley.

Gardening with beneficial insects for pest control —HDRA Step-by-Step booklet

Further Reading

If a plant is unhealthy it is important to work out why in order to deal with it effectively. A pest and disease book will help you analyse the problem. It will also help you decide if the problem is serious and really needs attention.

Know your problem

Before buying plants, or if they are given to you, check that they are pest and disease free.

Make sure that the plants you buy or grow from seed are suited to the conditions in the garden. A plant in the wrong place will not thrive.

A good healthy start

Organic techniques Resistant varieties—if you have a pest or disease problem in one plant all the time you could try growing a resistant variety. For example ‘Lakeland’ lettuce is resistant to powdey mildew and root aphid.

Soil pH—changing the pH can affect how bad some diseases are. For example potato scab is less severe in acid soils. Clubroot on cabbages is not as bad in alkaline conditions.

Rotation—growing the same vegetables in the same place year after year can lead to a build up of pests and diseases. To avoid this each vegetable, should be grown on a different part of the garden each year. They should not return to the original site for at least three years.

Sowing—problems with pests can often be avoided if you time the sowing of plants carefully. For example sowing peas early or late avoids the pea flowering during the egg laying time of the pea moth.

Breaking the cycle - if diseased plant waste is left in the garden pests and diseases can move on to healthy plants. All infected plant debris should be removed from the garden.

You may want to compost the material but some diseases will survive composting. If you are unsure always put the diseased material in the dustbin.

Winter digging– some pests overwinter in the soil. Their numbers can be reduced by turning the ground over in winter to bring the pests to the surface where they will be killed by cold and eaten by birds.

Barriers—physical barriers can be put in place before the problem arises. Why not try some of the following: Nets-flying pests can be kept out by netting. Make sure that you choose the right mesh size for the pest involved.

Cloches— use plastic bottles, with the tops removed and bottoms cut off, as minicloches to protect plants from slugs and caterpillars.

Fleece—carrots can be grown under fleece to protect them against carrot root fly.

Collars—a 12cm square of rubber carpet underlay or some other material fitted around the stem-base of cabbages as soon as they are planted can protect against cabbage rootfly.

Traps—sunken traps filled with beer and milk can be used to trap slugs.

Hand picking—pick off pests and infected leaves when you see them. Never allow problems to take hold.

A student’s guide to controlling pests and diseases in the garden without using chemicals.

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

Attracting predators A small pond can provide a home for frogs, toads and other creatures which eat pests.

Creating the balance

Nature if left alone, will reach its own natural balance. This means that pests and diseases are unlikely to out of control. Organic gardeners need to try to get this balance in their gardens. The most important features are food and shelter for predators.

Working with nature

The aim in an organic garden is not to kill all pests, but to keep them at a level that isn’t causing too much damage. So how can you do this?

Organic gardeners keep plants healthy without using chemicals. Organic methods try to stop the problems happening. However, there are many organic ways of dealing with the pests and diseases that do occur in an organic garden.

How to control pests and diseases in your garden

Controlling pests & diseases — A Student’s guide

A well-fed soil will give plants a balanced diet, making them more resistant to pests and diseases.

Soil is the most important part of the organic garden. It can be improved by using garden compost and rotted manure. These feed the soil micro-organisms.

Soil structure and fertility will also be improved.

A healthy soil

Wild creatures need cover to hide in. Create hiding places such as a pile of stones or logs.

Birds, which eat all sorts of pests, can be encouraged by providing nesting sites and food plants.

Native species of plants, trees and shrubs, especially broad-leaved varieties will support a wider range of creatures than exotic plants.

For example fennel can support many different insect and bird species

Resistant - is less likely to be attacked by pests and diseases.

pH - whether the soil is acid or alkaline

Predators - creatures that eat pests in the garden.

Native - a plant that has grown in this country for hundreds of years.

Glossary

If a plant is unhealthy it is important to work out what is wrong in order to deal with it. A pest and disease book will help you work out what the problem is. It will also help you decide if the problem is serious and needs attention.

Know your problem

Before buying plants, or if they are given to you, check that they are pest and disease free.

Make sure that the plants you buy or grow from seed are right for the conditions— weather and soil - in your garden. A plant that is in the wrong place will not grow well.

A good healthy start

Growing from seed Growing your own plants from seed gives you the opportunity to grow varieties not available in the shops. It is also much cheaper and you get more plants for your money.

Growing from seed means that you can use organic methods from the start, even if you can’t buy organic seed.

Growing a healthy plant is the best way of avoiding pests and diseases. A good start is important.

Germination If seeds are to germinate quickly, and seedlings grow vigorously, they must be started in the right conditions.

Temperature—this is the first thing to consider. Details of seed temperature needs can usually be found on the seed packet or in a gardening book. Most seeds germinate better in warmth, but there are some that need cold in order to germinate. Where warmth is needed it is best to aim for a few degrees above the minimum figures given on the packet.

Moisture—seeds need to be moist to germinate and grow. Too much moisture will cool them down, drive out air and encourage fungal diseases. Avoid overwatering pots and trays.

Light—many seeds will germinate in either dark or light conditions. However, some do much better in light, such as Busy Lizzies. Others germinate better in the dark, such as pansies.

Check the needs of the seed on the packet, or in a book.

Conditions for growing on Once germinated, seedlings do not need high temperatures, but they still need warmth and good light or they will become pale and straggly.

Draughts are very dangerous to newly germinated seedlings. Seedlings need protection against frosts if they are to make good growth.

When sowing seed outdoors, wait until the outside temperature is at the minimum stated for at least a week.

Time before flowering or cropping.

Many slow maturing crops, such as summer flowering geranium, and tomatoes, can only succeed if started indoors—if you wait until the weather outside is suitable, there is insufficient time for the plants to reach maturity.

Transplanting The advantages of transplanting are that plants can be started indoors then planted out as strong transplants. It gives them a head start.

It also means that other quick growing crops such as radish can be grown temporarily in the space set aside for the seedlings.

Growing from Seed—A Teacher’s Guide

Some plants are happy to be transplanted.

Others such as carrots and parsnips, do not like root disturbance. Grow these in their final position directly from seed .

Growing in modules (divided trays) helps avoid root disturbance.

Avoiding pests and diseases

Sowing indoors may give seedlings protection against pests and diseases while they are most vulnerable. Drier conditions reduce the chance of fungal infections.

Further reading

Growing from seed— HDRA Step by Step booklet

Grow your own organic vegetables—Getting started—HDRA Step-by-Step Booklet

Growing Naturally—A Teacher’s Guide to Organic Gardening—M.Brown , Southgate 1996

RHS Organic Gardening— P.Pears and S. Stickland, RHS

Muck and Magic—J.Readman, HDRA/Search Press

The modern alternative is to sow directly into modules (trays divided into small sections).

Thinning the seedlings is unnecessary and seedlings do not suffer from being moved. Seed modules avoid overcrowding, so there is less risk of disease.

The ‘tilth’ is the condition of the soil surface when ready for seed sowing. A particularly fine tilth is needed for small seeds such as carrots and onions.

To achieve this rake the soil, break up any lumps, then even the soil surface.

Once sown, cover the seeds with fine soil and press it down with the back of the rake. Seed and soil must make good contact.

Details of spacings and how deep to sow the seeds will be on the seed packets. Do not sow too thickly.

This will waste seed and result in overcrowding.

If the soil is dry, water the bottom of the drill before sowing. If you water after sowing, a hard crust of soil (a pan) can form. It can stop seeds emerging.

If sowing in a row, you need to create a drill - a shallow trench. You can also broadcast sow, which means sprinkling the seeds evenly across the plot.

Autumn sowing—The soil is still warm so this is a good time to sow hardy annuals to overwinter. Try Californian poppies and nasturiums. This gives them a head start in spring.

Summer sowing—If soil temperatures are too high for certain crops, such as lettuce, water the ground well and cover with sacking or other shading material to cool it down before sowing.

Stand the pot in a bowl of water and allow the water to soak up from below. Do not saturate, the compost should be moist. Drain excess water. Cover the pot with clingfilm to stop moisture escaping. Place the pot in a warm, light place.

As soon as the seeds germinate take off the cover.

Cover large seeds with sieved compost to a depth no greater than twice the size of the seed.

Very small seeds should be left uncovered.

Firm the surface with something flat, like the bottom of another pot, and sow the seeds thinly.

Fill the pot with potting compost to 2cm below the brim.

Sowing seeds

You can make your own potting compost. See HDRA’s Growing from Seed Step-by Step or factsheet for recipes and instructions.

Potting Compost—it is preferable to use organic potting compost for sowing, but if this can’t be found then use a peat-free mix.

The traditional method of starting off seeds indoors is to sow them in a single pot or in trays.

Once the seedlings have emerged they are pricked out into trays or individual pots.

Good soil preparation is essential when growing from seed. Drainage and fertility need to be right, whatever you are growing. The top inch of soil needs special attention.

Spring sowing—Don’t sow too early as cold, wet soil will rot the seeds. A good time to start sowing is when weeds begin to grow. For earlier sowing cover with clear polythene and grass for a week or two to warm up the soil. Remove when ready to sow.

Growing from seed - indoors

Growing from seed - outdoors

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A teacher’s guide to growing plants from seed both indoors and outdoors.

Growing from seed Growing plants from seed means you get cheaper plants and more choice of which plants to grow.

A healthy plant is the best defence against pests and diseases.

This is very important at the start of a plants life. So how do you make sure your plants get a good start?

Germination conditions Temperature—details of seed temperature needs can be found on the seed packet or in a gardening book. Usually seeds germinate better at higher temperatures, but some seeds need to be cold in order to germinate.

Moisture—seeds need to be moist so they germinate and grow. Too much moisture will cool them down, drive out air and encourage fungal diseases.

Light—many seeds will germinate in either dark or light conditions. However, some do much better in light, for example busy lizzies.

There are also some that germinate better in the dark, for example pansies. So check the needs of the seed on the packet or in a book.

Conditions for growing on Once germinated seedlings do not need such high temperatures, but they still need warmth and good light or they will grow pale and straggly. Seedlings also need protection against frosts. If you are sowing outside wait until the temperature is at the minimum needed for at least a week.

Time to flowering or cropping.

Many slow crops will only be successful if started indoors—if you wait until the weather outside is warm enough, the plants will not have time to flower or crop before the weather gets too cold.

Transplanting The advantages of transplanting are that plants can be grown indoors to give them a good start. It also means that other quick growing crops for example radish can be grown in the space set aside for the seedlings while they are growing inside.

Growing from Seed—A Student’s Guide

Some plants are happy to be transplanted. Others such as carrots and parsnips do not like their roots being disturbed, so they are better sown as seed where they will crop. Growing in modules (divided trays) helps avoid too much root disturbance.

Avoiding pests and diseases

Sowing indoors will give seedlings protection against pests and diseases while they are weakest. The drier conditions also make fungal infections less likely.

Glossary

Fertility—how many nutrients the soil has Germinate—when seeds start to grow they develop a root and stem.

Hardy—plants that will survive the cold weather of winter.

Moisture—water Prick out—to move seedlings to a larger pot.

Thin—reduce the number of seedlings in a pot Tilth—the condition of the top inch of soil.

Transplanting—moving seedlings from a seed tray to the place where they are going to flower or crop.

Cover the seed with fine soil and tamp it down well with the back of the rake so that seed and soil make good contact.

If the soil is dry, water the planting area before sowing. Details of how deep to sow the seed and spacings will be on the seed packets. Do not sow too thickly as this will waste seed and means plants get overcrowded.

If you are sowing in a row you need to create a drill. This is a shallow trench. If not you can broadcast sow, which means sprinkling the seeds evenly across the soil.

Autumn sowing—the soil is warm and so this is a good time to sow hardy annuals, for example Californian poppies, that will overwinter so that they have a head start in spring.

Summer sowing—if soil temperatures are too high for certain crops for example lettuce, water the ground well to cool down before sowing and cover with sacking.

Spring sowing—when the weeds start to grow well the soil is warm enough to sow seeds. To warm up the soil for earlier sowing, the soil can be covered with clear polythene for a week or two before sowing.

It is important to prepare the soil well. The drainage, fertility and pH need to be right for the plants you want to grow. The top inch of soil needs special attention as this is where the seed germinate. The ‘tilth’ is the condition of the top of the soil when ready for sowing. A fine tilth is needed for small seeds such as carrots and onions. To achieve the tilth, rake the soil, breaking up the lumps of soil where needed.

Growing from seed - outdoors

Stand the pot in a bowl of water and allow the water to soak up from below. Cover the pot to stop moisture escaping. Place the pot in a warm place. As soon as the seeds germinate take off the cover.

Cover large seeds with sieved compost to a depth no greater than the width of the seed.

Very small seeds should be left uncovered.

Firm surface with something flat like the bottom of another pot and sow the seeds thinly.

To sow seeds the pot should be filled loosely to the brim—this should be moist, not dry or soaking wet.

Why not make your own potting compost?

See HDRA’s Growing from Seed Step-by Step for recipes and instructions.

Compost—it is better to use organic compost for sowing, but if this can’t be found then peat free compost should be used.

The modern alternative is to sow seed directly into modules. This means that you don’t have to prick out and thin the seedlings. So the seedlings do not suffer when moved. The modules help stop plants becoming overcrowded so there is less risk of disease.

The traditional way of starting off seeds indoors is to sow them all in a single pot and then prick out the seedlings into trays or individual pots.

Growing from seed - indoors

Duchy Originals HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A student’s guide to growing plants from seed both indoors and outdoors.

Windowsill Planting Even if you don’t have anywhere else, you can always grow plants in pots on a wide windowsill.

Pots or windowsill troughs of flowers and vegetables can stay on the windowsill yearround or be put outside in warm weather. Cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers will all grow well inside on a sunny south-facing windowsill. They will need to be in large pots (at least 30cm diameter) if they are to produce crops.

Seed germination Most seeds need warmth to germinate. Once they have germinated and the leaves are through the surface, they need light as well as warmth. This means that a sunny windowsill is ideal. However, the seedlings will be scorched in direct sunlight. If the window is south-facing, stick a piece of plain white paper onto the glass during the middle of the day to shade the seedlings.

You need to place the newly germinated seedlings as close to the glass as possible. If they are too far away they will start to grow and bend towards the light, becoming long and leggy. To prevent this you must reflect the light to the back of the seedlings.

Line the base and sides with plastic.

Line the back with cooking foil, shiny side showing.

Place pots of seedlings inside, no more than three rows deep.

Place on windowsill.

Take a cardboard box that will fit onto the window ledge.

Cut off the top.

Cut out the front to leave only 3-4cm of cardboard.

Draw a diagonal line from the top of the new front edge to the top corner at the back of the box. Cut along this line.

This can be done very simply.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Once the plants are strong enough they can be hardened off to go out into the garden or put into a windowsill planter to stay inside.

Windowsill growing—A Student’s Guide

Watering

The growing medium that the plants are in must be kept moist, but not too wet, at all times. Seedlings will die if their roots get too dry or too wet. It is better to water the seedlings from below, so place boxes on a waterproof tray. Water can then be poured into the tray rather than onto the seedlings. Plants can be watered with a watering can that has a fine rose, but only when not in full sun.

Hardening off

This means getting the plants used to outside conditions. If the plants are to go outside then they need to be hardened off.

To do this you need to put the plants outside during the day and then bring them inside at night. Do this for about a week.

After a week you can leave them outside at night, but cover them overnight with paper or plastic. Again you need to do this for about a week. The plants can then be planted out into the garden.

This is important for plants that originally come from warmer countries. Many of these plants are only half-hardy.

grows from seed, flowers, produces new seed and dies all in one season.

Annual —

Biennial — grows from seed in one year, overwinters, then flowers, produces seed and dies the next year.

Perennial — grows from seeds or cuttings and survives year after year.

seed will germinate and plants will grow outside.

Some of them will grow better if started in pots or trays inside at first as this will protect them from the weather and animals.

Hardy —

Half-hardy— need to be germinated in warmth, and grown in warm conditions until the last frost has passed.

There are a number of different types of plant that you can grow.

Types of Plant

Soft scale looks like small brown lumps.

Mealy bug looks like small lumps of fluffy cotton. Both these pests can be removed with tooth picks. Just scrape them off carefully without damaging the plant.

Soft Scale and Mealy Bug

These are usually found underneath the leaves of plants. They feed by sucking the juices from the plant, and creating fine webs.

The leaves begin to look yellow and mottled and if the pest is not controlled they will suck the leaves dry. Control by spraying with insecticidal soap or use the biological control Phytosieulus persimilis the predator of Red Spider Mite. Mist plants often as this pest hates moisture

Red Spider Mite

These creatures like the warm and still air found indoors. Outside, aphids get eaten by predators such as ladybirds and lacewings.

However, these predators don’t normally come inside. To help control aphids you need to grow plants that will encourage lacewings, hoverflies and ladybirds to come inside. Californian poppy and poached egg plant are good ones. You can also squash the aphids with your fingers.

Aphids

Pests Indoors

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A student’s guide to growing plants on a windowsill.

Windowsill planting

Windowsill Planting 2.

3.

1.

Take a cardboard box that will fit onto the window ledge.

Cut off the top.

Cut out the front to leave only 3-4cm cardboard.

Cut away most of the sides for about two-thirds of their length and then angle up to leave a high back.

Line the base and sides with plastic.

Line the back with cooking foil, shiny side showing.

Place plants inside no more than three rows deep.

Place on windowsill.

The growing medium that the plants are in must be kept moist, but not too wet, at all times. Water the seedlings from below.

Watering

Once the plants are strong enough they can be hardened off for planting out into the garden, or transplanted into a windowsill planter to stay inside.

8.

7.

5.

6.

4.

Wide windowsills are perfect places to grow plants. It is easy for students to follow plant life cycles.

Pots or windowsill troughs of flowers and vegetables can be grown on the windowsill year round or be put outside in warm weather.

Cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers will all grow well inside on a sunny south-facing windowsill. However, they will need to be in large pots (at least 30cm diameter) if they are to produce crops.

Seed germination Most seeds need warmth for germination.

Once they have germinated and the leaves are through the surface, they need light as well as warmth. This means that a sunny windowsill is ideal. However, young seedlings can get scorched if they are in full sun.

If the window is south facing stick a piece of plain white paper onto the window during the middle of the day. This will help to protect the young plants.

You need to place the seedlings as close to the glass as possible. If they are too far away once they start to grow, they’ll bend towards the light, becoming long and leggy. To help prevent this happening you must reflect the light back towards the seedlings. Students can easily make a box for this purpose.

Windowsill planting—A Teacher’s Guide

Place pots on a waterproof tray, and pour the water into the tray rather than directly onto the seedlings. Plants can be watered from above with a watering can that has a fine rose, but only when not in full sun.

Remember seedlings will die if their roots get too dry or wet.

Hardening off

If the plants are to go outside then they need to be hardened off. This means getting the plants used to outside conditions.

To do this, put the plants outside during the day, then bring them inside at night. Do this for about a week.

After a week you can leave them outside at night, but cover them overnight with paper or plastic sheeting. Again you need to do this for about a week. The plants are then ready to be planted out into the garden.

This process is for plants that originally come from warmer countries. Most of these plants are half-hardy.

Soft scale looks like small brown lumps.

Mealy bug looks like small lumps of fluffy cotton. Both these pests can be removed with tooth picks. Just scrape them off carefully without damaging the plant.

Growing from seed —HDRA Step-by-step booklet

RHS Organic Gardening —P.Pears and S.Stickland,

Growing Naturally —M. Brown, Southgate 1996

Soft Scale and Mealy Bug

These are usually found underneath the leaves of plants. They feed by sucking the juices from the plant, and creating fine webs.

The leaves begin to look yellow and mottled.

If the mites are not controlled they will suck the leaves dry. To control the pest you can spray with an insecticidal soap or buy the biological control Phytosieulus persimilis the predator of Red Spider Mite. Mist plants often as this pest hates moisture.

Red Spider Mite

These creatures like the warm and still air found indoors. Outside, aphids get eaten by predators such as ladybirds and lacewings.

However, these predators don’t normally come inside. To help control the aphids, you need to grow plants that will encourage lacewings, hoverflies and ladybirds to come inside. Californian poppy and poached egg plant are good ones. You can also spray with insecticidal soap or squash aphids with your fingers.

Aphids

Indoor Pests

Further Reading

Biennial—grows from seed in one year, overwinters, then flowers and produces seed, and dies the next year.

Perennial— grows from seeds or cuttings and will survive year after year.

Annual— grows from seed, flowers, produces new seed and dies all in one season.

Hardy—seed will germinate and plants will grow outside. Some of them will grow better if started in pots or trays under cover as this will protect them from the weather and animals.

Half-hardy— need to be germinated in warmth and grown in warm conditions until the last frost has passed. This is usually the end of May or the beginning of June.

There are a number of different types of plant that you can grow.

Types of Plant

DUCHY ORIGINALS HDRA Organic Gardens for Schools

A teacher’s guide to growing plants on a windowsill.

Windowsill planting