www.tcv.org.uk/healthforlife
Growing your school garden
with the Health for Life programme
Contents
Introduction
The school garden growing year......... 3-4
Welcome to this bespoke booklet to help you and your school develop, maintain and sustain your school garden during and after the Health for Life programme.
School term time planner........................ 5-9 Tips for growing in term time...................10 Making a leaf mould bin.............................. 13 Tips on raised beds.................................. 14-15 HOW TO BUILD RAISED BEDS: ...with paving slabs......................................... 16 ...with softwood boards............................... 18 ...with timber posts........................................20 ...with bricks....................................................... 21 ...with railway sleepers................................. 22 Need more space to grow?...............24-26 Getting started: what you may need and where to get it........................... 27 Contacts.......................................... back cover Much of the text for this booklet was written by Marie Wellings, TCV Health for Life Project Officer
Health for Life Health for Life is a partnership programme which supports fun activities that engage people in growing food, physical activity, healthy eating and cookery. Funded by the Mondelēz International Foundation, Health for Life is delivered through primary schools, secondary schools and the wider community in South Birmingham by The Health Education Service and The Conservation Volunteers. The programme supports Change4Life and offers a range of opportunities to encourage families towards leading healthier lifestyles.
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At The Conservation Volunteers we fully understand that an allotment style garden does take up a considerable amount of time. To assist you, we have designed this booklet to provide help, advice and guidance on maintaining the plot rather than losing the plot. Our advice is for guidance only without being a rigid routine to follow, and will hopefully support you and your school garden through the growing year. As we all know, it only takes a few non-gardening days and the growing area can become a forest of weeds and spent crops, which can attract pests and diseases. So, to reduce that ‘overgrown kingdom’ we advise you to consider including gardening across the whole school during your timetabling process; at least three hourly periods a week if possible. For example, this could be within a class setting or at an hour long after school club. You will have a fantastic opportunity to manage weeds, harvest produce and maintain hungry crops! This will give you a head start to the academic gardening year, and provide healthy plants, soil and produce, which in turn, deters pests and diseases.
The school garden growing year There are always jobs to do in the garden, so here are a few ideas of what to do and when.
and making soup giving a nice twist to include some of the rotund pumpkins or other ornate squashes you may have grown. During winter, wash and scrub pots and trays. Clean greenhouses to make the most of the low light levels at this time of year and organise the seed and tool storage area. Also, use the time to your advantage by repairing anything around the garden that you know you’ll need in warmer months; fix that broken hand trowel! You could even make a cold-frame if you have people with appropriate skills and time. Late winter is the time to warm up your soil, consider what you want to grow and use from the garden and make plant
Everyone’s heard of the ‘Growing Year’, here, we hope to start and provide you with some more information about how the growing year can fit within the school year, as well as hopefully providing some useful ideas about how to manage your school garden. Autumn is best for improving your soil by purchasing manure, pruning fruit trees and soft fruit bushes, harvesting late crops and preparing for spring. A yummy, healthy food and growing session could combine pumpkin carving 3
students can bring to make the garden more sustainable for example through end of term fayres, raffles and selling produce during open events. Some schools have already chosen to sell produce to parents when they pick up their children at the end of the school day, providing a little bit of income for new seeds, plants etc., as well as enabling families to have meals with super fresh fruit and vegetables at the table.
labels. You could involve pupils in arts and crafts to deliver a garden design and planning session. Spring and summer are the busiest months for sowing and planting, so hope for dry, warm weather! And be prepared for lots of watering and making plant food when the time comes. See the term time planner section for details. We actively encourage you to support and promote a school garden committee, allowing the students to take ownership of what they would like to see in the garden and how it can develop. We suggest you take advantage of entrepreneurial skills any 4
You can encourage parents and staff to become more involved in the garden during lessons or after school by regular promotion in school newsletters, websites, social media and school TV screens. You can schedule your harvest to come all at once, for a special event or end of year sale, or gradually over weeks so that there is always a different crop to try (or a bit of both!).
School term time planner The activities that follow are designed to support the school year. They are numbered to make them easy to follow and also include some suggested wet weather activities which are highlighted. Autumn (Sept – Nov) 1. Soil science: pH, know your soil, weeds, compost and manures. Online weed game at http://tinyurl. com/weedgame. Compost recipe. 2. Garden planning and design session with seed catalogues, coloured pens, drawings. 3. Session on crop rotation. A game to match plant to correct family. 4. Tool identification and hygiene, health and safety. Pests and diseases game – Friend or Foe? 5. Collect leaves for leaf mould bin. It makes excellent soil conditioner and seed medium. See section on making a leaf mould bin. Keep some leaves and natural materials lying around for wildlife habitat. 6. Plant out new strawberry plants through black plastic. If yours are more than three years’ old you will need new plants. Or, propagate strawberry runners by planting them in pots of compost and cut the runner from the parent plant. 7. Propagate potatoes (slice in half in compost, in warm, airy temperature)
for a Christmas crop in old compost bags or large pots – preferably keep in a polytunnel. 8. Dig over soil on a dry day. Add manure, soil conditioner and lime (crop dependent). 9. Broadcast sow green manure. Early autumn variety ‘Phacelia’, vetch, tares or rye. Green manure is a crop grown and then intentionally dug in, in order to improve the soil. It is often used in organic gardens as a means of maintaining soil fertility without the use of chemicals. 10. Harvest autumn squashes. Clear, chop and compost the last of summer’s debris. 11. Propagate herbs. Plant spring cabbage seedlings. Experiment with soilblockers vs. cell trays. Organise a holiday watering rota. 12. Plant comfrey in an unused corner of the garden. The leaves make an effective plant food, perfect for demanding crops like tomatoes. Practical session: Let’s talk comfrey. 13. Sow winter salads: lettuce, radish, oriental greens and onion sets 5
– remember to protect them with fleece – experiment with microgreens in seed trays on windowsills and sprouting seeds in jars. We suggest using old, leafy seeds and sowing them dense, eg: lettuce, spinach, rocket and mustard to create microgreens. This can work out expensive due to lots of seed being used. 14. Sow herb seeds for indoor crops over winter. Mint, parsley, basil and chives. Use clean tins, punch holes in bottom, fill 3/4 with compost, sow 6 seeds and fill to the top with more compost. Make decorative labels. Leave on windowsills or take home. Water when compost feels dry. 15. Plant rhubarb. Sow chard/leaf beet for a winter crop. Harvest leaves when young and eat raw in salads. 16. Train and prune top fruit (apple, pear, cherry and plum). 17. Take hardwood cuttings from fruit bushes. 18. Prune soft fruit bushes. Remove old summer growth and leave new shoots for next year’s crop. 19. Make a wildlife border by scarifying a grassy area and broadcast sow wildflower seeds. Best create near fruit trees to encourage beneficial insects such as bees so they can pollinate the flowers on fruit trees and turn the flowers in to fruit.
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After Half term hols 1. Sow 8-12 hardy varieties of broad beans ‘Aquadulce’ for an early harvest. Plant a few extra at the end of each row to replace any losses. 2. Plant bare root fruit trees when the ground is not too wet. Add compost and bone meal for a good start. Prune roots, add a mulch mat and stake into prevailing wind. 3. Harvest last spring’s parsnips (a frost makes them taste sweeter). Lift and store carrots. 4. Plant garlic cloves for summer bulbs. They need a good frost to trigger clove formation. Elephant garlic is milder, disease resistant and impressive to look at! Consider trying hardneck (Vallelado) – bred for Northern climates with larger cloves but keep only until midwinter, or softneck (Picardy Wight) – smaller but with better storage qualities. 5. Prune existing fruit bushes. Research how to prune for various fruits eg: raspberries to the ground after fruiting; gooseberries need a goblet shape in centre, removing side shoots by a third; mature blackcurrants, one third of plant at ground level and cut back any excess side shoots. 6. Make bird tables and houses, feeders, fatballs plus insect hotels to encourage wildlife in to the garden.
7. Study basic botany to discover how plants work.
Winter (Dec – Feb) & Christmas Holidays 1. Make natural Christmas decorations. Use garden wire honeysuckle, holly, ivy and ribbon. 2. Look through seed catalogues for inspiration on plant varieties and make a list. 3. Dig in any green manure crops from last autumn. 4. Hoe the ground around soft fruits to keep them weed free. 5. Sow sprouting beans, radish seeds, fenugreek, broccoli, beetroot or other suitable sprouting seeds on damp kitchen roll or jam jars in the classroom. They take a few days to germinate and show the process very clearly, as well as making a tasty snack. 6. Sow hardy varieties of butterhead lettuce in seed trays and take home to nurture. 7. Buy seed potatoes and chit them by placing them on an egg carton, rose end up (the end with the most ‘eyes’ or shoots) in a light, dry place, e.g. the classroom windowsill. There are different varieties: early, first early, second early, main crop and late main crop.
8. Sow summer leeks and tomatoes. Choose outdoor tomatoes if you have no polytunnel or greenhouse. Try ‘Outdoor Girl’ or ‘Gardeners’ Delight’ in blockers and trays or paper pots in January, nurture indoors. 9. Sow globe artichoke seeds to nurture at home in Feb. Require hardening off. 10. Sow carrots in Feb for a summer crop, cover with horticultural fleece. This can be an experiment to compare carrots sown later in the year to see which is harvested first and how much yield from each.
Half term hols Spring (Mar – May) 1. Weed the vegetable beds in preparation for the first sowings. Cut off and dig in autumn planted green manures. Sow quick growing green manures such as Crimson clover. 2. Plant first early seed potatoes and onion sets in March. 3. Start to sow annual herbs, basil and curled parsley, and sow tender crops such as chillies, peppers, squashes, outdoor cucumbers, sunflowers, beans in cell trays, blockers or pots indoors. As a rule, root crops such as carrots do not transplant well and should be sown where they are to grow. Add some sand as root veg 7
prefer a dry site. Check the seed packets for individual instructions. If your ground or raised bed is shallow (15cm or less) sow the round rooted variety: Parmex AGM. Do not sow carrots on beds that were improved the season before, they grow forked and misshapen. 4. Sow annual spinach, radish, lettuce, beetroot, carrots, kale, summer cabbage (March), autumn cabbage (April), summer cabbage (May) turnips, broccoli, sweetcorn, parsnips, sprouts, leeks, broad beans, early turnips, early (smooth, not wrinkled) peas (March and May), etc outside. Remember parsnip seeds will only germinate in the year they are bought, so it is a good idea to share a packet among other people/groups/families or hold a seed swap at school. 5. Plant second early seed potatoes, followed by main crop in midApril, late main crop end of April/ early May. Earth up first earlies by covering the top of the leaves/plant. 6. Plant out leeks when they are pencil thick by ‘puddling in’. Make a hole 15cm deep with a dibber and water in the hole three times, then add the seedling and backfill. This helps to develop stronger white shanks. 7. Continue to sow seeds under cover to give a succession of harvests. This can be done in the classroom, the greenhouse or the polytunnel. 8
8. Make a runner bean frame (not too high). You will need to cut the tops from the plant so energy is focused on producing fruit rather than adding on more growth, so you need to be able reach the top of the frame. Put the frame in before you sow beans so the frame does not cause root damage. 9. Make light reflectors to help the stems of young tomato plants, it avoids having to turn them towards the sun which weakens the stem and develops a poor plant. Cut a cardboard box front and half the sides off and line it with foil. Add the potted plants to the box and place it on windowsill.
Half term hols Summer (Jun – Jul) 1. Sow perpetual spinach in July, it tolerates some shade. 2. Direct sow: carrots, rocket, chard, beetroot, salad leaves, French beans etc. outside now if you haven’t started some in pots already. They are less likely to bolt now. 3. Plant out your young butterhead lettuce and your other seedlings once they are strong enough. This is when the plant has two or three true leaves as well as its first pair. Add a handful of manure or well-rotted down school compost to squashes/ pumpkins to give them a good start.
4. Watch out for slugs and snails and deal with them as you choose. Encouraging predators such as frogs and hedgehogs is the most rewarding way or add them as a feast to the bird table! 5. Transplant tomatoes and chillies once they look too big for their pots. Both can be grown in large pots, in grow bags and in the ground too. Chillies need the smaller space of the two, doing well in smaller pots on the windowsill. Add organic matter to their pots: they’re hungry plants! 6. Cut back and dig in spring sown green manures. 7. Sow swede, beetroot and runner beans in June and broccoli and spring cabbage in July on a previous legume (pea/bean) bed. 8. Keep crops watered and well weeded. Feed tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, squashes once or twice a week with comfrey liquid feed, this will encourage flower development which attracts beneficial insects that will pollinate them and turn them into fruits. 9. Pick fruit and vegetables as they become ready. Picking often will encourage many crops to be more productive. 10. Harvest garlic, onions throughout this term, when the leaves start to brown and the papery covering to
the bulb looks dry. Hang them to dry in a classroom, polytunnel or greenhouse. 11. Harvest French beans little and often, to encourage production. 12. If one squash is left to grow large, the plant will put all its energy into that one fruit and stop producing any more. Add organic matter to the base of squash plants to help them grow over the summer break. 13. Remove any dead or spent plants. You can leave the roots of pea and bean plants in the soil: the nodules on their roots are a valuable source of nitrogen which fixes into the soil. 14. Remove tomato side shoots. Peg down strawberry runners to make new plants. 15. Sow a green manure mix in any empty beds to enrich your soil and prevent erosion. 16. Switch on the automatic watering system and timer or arrange for watering to be done over the holidays if necessary. 9
Tips for growing in term time This is by no means an exhaustive list. There are many more tips and growing guidance hints to be found throughout this booklet. Where to grow and growing area preparation • Use raised beds; better control for temperature and they are more difficult for pests to invade. • Use a crop rotation system to deter soil borne diseases and a no-dig system to maintain soil structure. • Clear all troublesome weeds thoroughly before planting. • Use black plastic in winter to warm up the soil more quickly for the spring.
Sowing and planting out
Potatoes ‘chitting’ on a classroom windowsill • Use leafmould as a medium for seeds by making up five parts leaf mould; one part sharp sand: 100g of dried seaweed meal for every bucket made. • Small cell trays used for small seeds, larger cells for larger seeds.
• Always create a fine tilth before directly sowing seeds.
• Sow crops in succession: sow 8 – 12 autumn broad beans, sow second lot in spring.
• Sow a few different varieties of the same crop.
• Raise plants from seed indoors, plant out strong seedlings.
• Always read the seed packet for your variety’s preferred timings and season to sow and harvest.
• Lots of crops can be planted in late spring/early summer for later harvests.
• Make use of succession sowing; when one plant finishes there is something to replace it, so use garden planners and a seed sowing programme session during spring.
• Harden plants off thoroughly before planting out, use a coldframe or take outdoors in the morning and bring under cover at the end of each school day for two weeks.
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Watering and getting the best from your plot
Harvesting and using produce
• Mulch, mulch, mulch!
• Aim for a September harvest of main crops.
• Use netting to protect crops from birds, cats, etc.
• Work from the outside of the plant in on cut and come again.
• Use fleece to keep crops going longer in autumn and protect them in spring.
• Some fruits, like medlar, are better after a frost. Sprouts also like a frost.
• Choose autumn fruiting trees and bushes; prune and espalier so they are accessible. • First early potatoes avoid blight; harvest in June if chitted and planted promptly. • Utilise offsets: chard, spinach, mustard, ‘cut and come again’ also works on some brassicas. Sow rocket and lettuce in September so they avoid bolting too early. • Perennial crops are often ready much earlier as they already have a strong root system, like asparagus, rhubarb, lovage and chives. Protecting runner bean roots with horticultural fleece can give an earlier crop.
• Roots such as parsnips and Jerusalem artichokes will sit happily underground even after the first frosts; harvest as needed. • Main crop potatoes; harvest in autumn, but might succumb to blight over summer. • Use different techniques of harvesting: by hand, secateurs, scissors and knives. • Leave some plants to go to seed for collection and drying; chives, beans, peas, rocket. • Aim for an end result (like a home grown pizza) to space planting throughout the year and concentrate harvesting into a grand event. The finale!
• Choose varieties to harvest in term time and those which are drought resistant. • Plan to ‘put in’ and ‘take out’ something every half term. • Use companion plants to help feed, support and protect crops. Marigolds and tomatoes. • Water the soil not the plant! 11
• During summer holidays: make compost bays from pallets, construct water harvest solutions, purchase timers for polytunnels/ greenhouses, purchase water butts and downpipes from existing structures. So it is extremely useful to get your caretaker in full support of the garden. You can always supply them with free produce for their help! General jobs and other tips • Encourage students to make the decisions on what they want to grow and how to use the produce. • Courgettes have been omitted from the school planner as the majority are ready during school summer break and will be enormous by September!
• Make a leaf mould bin (4 posts, nails and wire or use old compost bags turned inside out and slit some holes in the base of the bag). If lots of fruit bushes, construct a fruit frame to support them.
• Raise some crops in pots for students to take home and nurture as homework. Use photos as evidence. • Green houses and poly tunnels extend the growing season, but extra organisation is needed to maintain healthy crops within them; install automatic watering system. • Use crops in alternative ways, e.g. pea shoots, beetroot leaves, radish pods, cook thinning broad bean tips in pasta, courgette flowers or edible flowers within a colourful bed for a colourful salad. 12
Compost bays made from old pallets
Making a leaf mould bin Ingredients Four pressure treated timber posts, 50mm x 1.2m in length (tree stakes are good as they come with a pointed end) Lump hammer Piece of thick wood Roll of galvanised chicken mesh, about 90cm wide Gardening gloves Metal fencing staples Hammer String or canes Rake Wheelbarrow or large garden refuse sheet Some garden soil Fork and some black plastic Method 800mm 400mm
Hammer the stakes in the ground one metre apart from each other to make a square. Secure the wire around posts and attach with staples. Add autumnal leaves and a little water to start off. After around 18 months this will form beautiful leaf mould – which has no nutrients in – so is perfect as a medium to start off growing seeds. Position your bin in the shade.
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Tips on raised beds How? Ensure you have or know people with carpentry skills. Wood, kits, plastic boards, brick, sleepers, timber posts, slabs. If using brick or slabs, make drainage holes near the bottom of beds, using metal or plastic pipe. Use table top style beds as wheelchairs can be parked underneath and lessens the burden of leaning over sideways to garden. Good to make or mend beds during holidays. Need to be accessible from both sides.
Make beds no more than one metre wide. For safety, beds must be capable of bearing the weight of soil which is heavy, even in a small bed. Place beds in a sunny position.
Position near a tap for watering. Should be accessible and have at least a 1200mm path between beds. Use UV plastic around the inside of beds to protect the wood and make slit holes in the base. Use hardcore at the base of beds. 14
Why? Raised beds are ergonomically easier for students with physical disabilities to use. If soil is poor (heavy clay) it brings an area of improved soil.
To screen unsightly areas.
Produces form and focus points. Can be at a height where you can sit at them and garden. Standing height of bed: 1000mm max. Sitting height of bed: 760mm max. Wheelchair user height of bed: 615mm max. If your site has poor drainage a substantial (sleepers) raised bed is the answer.
If the topography of your site is sloping then water can drain your way if you are on the downhill side. Saves lots of walking to collect water. A wide path accommodates two people or a wheelchair. UV plastic protects wood against rot from the soil and decay from the sun’s rays. Slit holes helps water drain away so plants and bed does not become waterlogged. Hardcore helps water drain away.
Advantages Can develop a no-dig system so it does not affect soil structure. Fewer pests can access the beds. Can plant closer together as plants will grow smaller than in ground. Good to grow root veg due to the depth of the bed eg: carrots, potatoes and parsnips. Using a kit reduces heavy work and expense required for custom made.
Plants remain contained in one unit. Less kneeling and leaning over.
Disadvantages Require more watering than beds dug out in the ground, as there is fewer natural nutrients in a raised bed. Difficult to transplant beds once fixed! Expensive and time consuming to build and fill. If plants are closer together it can encourage disease like botrytis. A table top bed will only accommodate a shallow depth of soil therefore you are restricted on the type of food/plants you grow. May require foundations if using brick or slabs. Soil in beds takes time to settle, so requires topping up. 15
How to build raised beds with paving slabs Paving slabs – they can be cheap and long lasting. They offer varying colours. Their downside is they can only be box, rectangular or triangular shaped, unless you have a concrete cutter! They will require foundations or they will lean outwards and look unsightly. Ingredients
Method
900mm slabs
Dig out ground to size of bed required.
Subsoil
Dig perimeter trench for bed 300 or 600mm down.
Hardcore
Small grade hardcore
Bury 300mm of a 900mm slab in the ground against bed area. If building in soil with no paving, the slab must be buried 600mm deep.
Permeable layer
Break up trench surface with a fork.
Topsoil
Place slabs around trench (sideways up).
UV plastic
Seal around the inside of slabs with UV plastic.
Paved surface Spirit level
Use a spirit level to check for levels horizontally and vertically. Fix in place with a 300mm layer of hardcore. Tamp hardcore down with a tamper tool. Add 200mm layer of small grade hardcore and tamp down.
These raised beds have distinctive ‘upcycled’ support posts 16
Add permeable membrane to keep hardcore in place. Fill with topsoil. Job done!
corner detail
50mm
Cross section
400mm topsoil Height can be variable as needed
Permeable membrane 200mm small grade hardcore
Paved surface Hardcore
300mm hardcore
Subsoil
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How to build raised beds with softwood boards Cheap, no foundations required, wood can be painted but has limited lifespan. This softwood is quite weak and will not withstand sitting or standing on. It bends easily. Method Place stakes at each corner of your boards and at every 1000mm length. Using a lump hammer, knock the stakes into the ground to leave 450mm above ground. Check vertical and horizontal levels using a spirit level to ensure they are the same height. Dig out a 50mm trench around bed area. Ingredients 25mm x 150mm pressure treated softwood boards, cut to lengths required
Set lowest board 50mm below ground level. Fix boards to stakes with galavanised nails.
1000mm. x 50mm x 50mm wood stakes
Butt the second row up to the first and fix. Repeat until bed height reaches 450mm.
Lump hammer
Add UV plastic inside.
Sprit level
Break up existing soil.
UV plastic
Fill with compost.
60mm galvanised nails Garden spade and fork Compost 18
corner detail
Cross section 75mm 25mm 150Ă—25mm pressure-treated softwood board fixed to 50x50x1000mm stakes at 100mm centres fixed with 60mm galvanised nails
450mm
Polythene sheet
450mm Topsoil
Ground level
Subsoil
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How to build raised beds with timber posts Provides a natural look and flexibility as you can add in curves and height variations. No joints required and is strong and long lasting. Foundations are required and manual handling of posts and cutting. Ingredients Tape measure Garden spade Gravel Concrete Spirit level 75 – 200mm thickness posts UV plastic Compost Method Mark out bed dimensions. Dig a 400mm wide trench and make it the same depth as the bed height. Add 200mm gravel. Set upright posts – butted together – in the trench centre. Check levels vertically and tops are level. Pour 200mm concrete to fix posts in place. Line inside of bed with UV plastic. Put soil in trench to ground level. Add compost. 20
How to build raised beds with bricks Attractive, versatile and long lasting and can be expensive. You may need an expert, time and budget for this style of bed unless you know someone who is willing to volunteer their time. Good range of colours and textures, flexible design and durable. Method Mark out area. Dig a 500mm wide and 375mm trench around the perimeter. Lay 150mm deep concrete foundation: 1 part cement: 2.5 parts sand: 3.5 parts gravel. Ingredients Garden spade Tape measure Concrete Cement Gravel Bricks Builder’s sand Engineering bricks Waterproof membrane strip Metal or plastic pipe (for drainage holes) Coping bricks or stone
Lay three courses of bricks x two bricks wide in the trench centre. Mortar together – 1 part cement: 3 parts sand. Lay two courses of engineering bricks and add a waterproof membrane strip on top. Add in cut pieces of metal or plastic pipe at 2 metre intervals. Ensure these are slightly wider than the wall. Lay more courses of standard bricks finishing with coping bricks or stone. Add UV plastic around inside of bed.
UV plastic
Use cut up builders’ bags as a permeable membrane along the base of the bed.
Soil and compost
Add hardcore, then soil and compost.
Hardcore
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How to build raised beds with railway sleepers Creates a natural, authentic look and will be very long lasting. They are a standard size 250 x 200 x 2 400mm. Can be used horizontally or vertically to make beds. They are wide, so it is further to reach soil but when used on sides they make perfect edge seating. You are limited to only having square, triangular or rectangular beds. A local supplier is listed and they do come with a long term guarantee.
Please note: sleepers are extremely heavy to manoeuvre and require skill, the right power tools and expertise to construct. Ingredients
Method Mark out area. Cut sleepers to lengths required. Sink bottom sleepers in ground to half their depth.
Sleepers
Countersink holes and drill through where sleepers will meet at corners.
Coach bolts
Coach bolt the first layer together.
UV plastic
At every one metre interval knock into ground an edging stake, so there are a few, e.g. three or four along one side.
Power drill Circular saw Hardcore Compost Tape measure Edging stakes
Cut and fix the next layer of sleepers so they are in a brickwork pattern, not so they are the same pattern as the first layer. This will make the bed sturdier. Attach layered sleepers to edging stakes with coach bolts. Line inside of bed with UV plastic. Cut up builders’ bags as a permeable layer across the bottom of bed. Add a layer of hardcore for drainage. Add compost and enjoy your garden!
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corner detail
25mm coach bolts at 100mm centres
200mm
Polythene sheet
250mm
Topsoil
Cross section Permeable membrane
25mm diameter dowel peg 150mm long at 100mm centres
1000mm
Hardcore
Ground surface
Subsoil
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Need MORE space to grow? If you don’t have enough space in your school grounds for raised beds, greenhouses, polytunnels or vegetable beds, why not consider growing on a smaller scale, the produce you will reap is still as tasty and wholesome as ever. If you’re limited on space for growing horizontally, why not consider using vertical space? Make use of those dark coloured gates and fences and grow upwards and onwards. You can even decorate drainpipes with climbing beans! Break up those metal perimeter school fences with something brightly coloured, thrifty and quirky such as metal tins with punched drainage holes and attached with wire. You could use clean tins on windowsills or
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decorate plant pots using PVA glue and brightly coloured pictures. Alternatively, purchase window boxes for painting to brighten up the school and hanging baskets with brackets and screws. Use the inside window-ledges for extra space to get a head start with seeds in the early spring. At the schools horticultural show in July 2014, there were lots of examples using different containers for growing, some of these shown here. If you want to grow in a more traditional way, but are limited for space, then try growing in containers. Ask parents, friends, pupils and teachers to bring in any old containers or pots that are no longer used, give them a lick of paint,
and straight away you have a useful, cheap and new space to grow in and around your school. Maybe use quirky containers; chimney pots, engineering bricks or old cooking oil tins from local restaurants/school kitchen which make great containers to grow potatoes. Try using the bags that your compost arrives in as a raised bed. Make sure it is on a pallet so it is raised off the floor and allows water to drain away. These are great for carrots, parsnips and other root veg as they have plenty of depth. Pumpkins will love the space too! You can even grow your peppers, strawberries and broad beans in a large pot or sow your tomatoes, dwarf and climbing beans in a grow bag, laid down horizontally. Add life to an old window box by painting them first. Add old tiles, broken crockery or large flat stones for drainage before adding compost. Place your plants where you’d like them and remember to backfill with more compost. Always water whatever you have planted or sown straight away to help them settle in. Container growing requires more watering and feeding than sowing directly in the ground. This is because they have a shallow depth of soil and limited nutrient supply, so keep topping up with water and feed regularly to keep plants healthy, strong and protect them against pests and disease.
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There may come a time where you have no more space left in your school grounds, or simply want more space to grow. There are many opportunities for you to do this in Birmingham, and our top 10 suggestions below give an idea of where to go for more help, advice or space to grow. 1) The Health for Life in the community programme, currently has eight sites in the south of the city, with more on the way. Our Community Allotments at Ley Hill, Green Meadow Road (Weoley Castle), Manor Farm Park and Queen Elizabeth Hospital are always open to new volunteers of all ages. www.tcv.org.uk/healthforlife or e-mail west-midlands@tcv.org.uk 2) Another product of the Health for Life programme is a very useful phone app which provides all the information you need to sow, grow and get the best out of many vegetable varieties. http://tinyurl.com/tcvapp-iphone http://tinyurl.com/tcvapp-android The web version is available at http://growingapp.tcv.org.uk 3) Birmingham and District Allotments Confederation provides useful information on all aspects of food growing on allotments; they can even put you in touch with your local association who have allotments available to rent. www.bdacallotments.webs.com 4) Birmingham City Council oversees the rental and letting of allotments across the city. A list of all the council sites and lots more information is available at: www.birmingham.gov.uk/allotments
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5) The Big Dig is a national campaign by Sustain, the alliance for better food and farming. The Big Dig runs open days across the country in many cities (including Birmingham) twice a year, providing great opportunities to get involved. www.bigdig.org.uk 6) Growing Birmingham is a fantastic source of information about what is happening around the city. There is much information about events, community groups, growing activites and more. Including a useful map of allotments, orchards and community gardens across Birmingham. www.growingbirmingham.org 7) The Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens is a national charity who support all aspects of urban growing, farming and more. Their website has loads of useful information, contacts and case studies. www.farmgarden.org.uk 8) The Allotment and Garden website is a really useful resource and provides monthly newsletters full of top tips. www.allotment-garden.org 9) Garden Organic is a midlands based charity and leader in organic gardening. They have many events and lots of useful information on their website and at their base at Ryton Gardens near Coventry. www.gardenorganic.org.uk 10) The Royal Horticultural Society has a dedicated schools website, (www.rhs.org. uk/education-learning/gardening-childrenschools) or why not join in the local in Bloom competition and enter your school garden? www.heartofenglandinbloom.co.uk
Getting started:
what you may need and where to get it Many of the tools, plants, trees, protective clothing and other materials you will need for your school garden can be purchased through the TCV online shop: www.tcv.org.uk/shop For younger growers, there is also the exclusive Moshi Monster range of tools and seeds: www.tcv.org.uk/moshi Also listed below are a number of other sources which may be able to help. Wood for raised beds if tailoring to suit – Singletons for sleepers plus skills and manpower Raised bed kits (good for schools they include everything) www.harrodhorticultural.com/standardwooden-raised-beds-pid7994.html Hardcore – Mahoneys, Buildbase, Jewsons, Wickes Soil – SELCO Coach bolts/Nails/Screws for construction – Screwfix UV plastic to line beds – Screwfix
Compost for cell/seed trays/pots – Garden Centre or Wilkos (preferable to buy peat free) Window boxes, hanging baskets screws and brackets – Wilkos Horticultural fleece – Garden Centres by the roll or B&Q in packs Plants, compost, seeds – Park Lane Garden Centre, Aston 0121 359 2020, ask for Debbie Pots, seed/cell trays, & seeds – Garden Centre Group and www.organiccatalogue.com or try Wilkos. Fruit trees/bushes/plants – www.blackmoor.co.uk Protective clothing – Colliers based in Northfield (wellingtons, overalls) Soil blockers – www.soilblockers.co.uk Exotic crop seeds such as Calaloo, dudi/gourd and Vietnamese mustard can be obtained by joining Garden Organic’s Heritage Seed Library (seeds cannot be sold due to EU regulations).
Well-rotted manure – Kevin Piri 07956 663129 (supplies Birmingham allotments) or 07832 971684
Haloon, Fenugreek and Chickpeas can all be obtained from grocers. Fenugreek and chickpeas may be available from the ‘world food’ aisle of a supermarket. Haloon can be bought from Asian grocers.
Compost to fill beds – www.compostdirect.com/veggie-goldcompost/p4#prodtabs
Sprouting seeds – just use green lentils, mung beans and fenugreek seeds from grocers.
Tools – ASDA, Wilkos,
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Join in, feel good Thanks for taking the time to read our booklet. Now you know the theory, it’s time to pick up the spade and fork and don the gardening gloves and wellies to get gardening. Happy Gardening. To get in touch, our contact details are: Health for Life is a partnership programme funded by the Mondelēz International Foundation, promoting healthy lifestyle activities across south Birmingham and supports Change4Life. For more tips and ideas on healthier lifestyles, visit www.nhs.uk/Change4Life
The Conservation Volunteers Suite 107, The Custard Factory Birmingham B9 4AA T 0121 771 4339 E west-midlands@tcv.org.uk www.tcv.org.uk/healthforlife Health Education Service Warwick House, 10 Edward Street Birmingham B1 2RX T 0121 366 9955 E hes@servicesforeducation.co.uk www.servicesforeducation.co.uk
© 2014 The Conservation Volunteers. Registered Office: Sedum House, Mallard Way, Doncaster DN4 8DB. Registered Charity in England (261009) and Scotland (SC039302) Registered in England as a Company Limited by Guarantee No 976410 VAT No. 233 888 239 [GG-HFL-SRB/CB-rb1014]
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