[nellie.b]

Hello everyone.Havn't been around for a while,but now the school garden plot is taking off, I need to ask you all for some advice again.

We will be marking out and digging over the plot on monday.We hope to let the winter weather do most of the hard work.
What can we plant to get started over the winter? I thought that we could start some broad beans and someone told me that we might get a crop of mangetout peas in before it gets really cold.
We have no greenhouse yet,but we can cover individual beds as they are only going to be 1metre square(so that the kids can reach into them).

What else can we do?  And what could we grow on classroom window sills?

We are also going to have a wormery built for us and we have been given a compost bin.

[Janeymiddlewife]

You could try some of the winter lettuces, like Winter density or there's a new little gem type one for winter, which if you can cover the plots should do quite well, also have grown rocket well into winter. Swiss chard is pretty and fairly tough, you can also start some carrots off if they're the rounded or stump ended variety - they won't get very big, but if you can protect from frost you might get a small harvest. Not sure if it's too late for kale & leeks to go in - if you can get some plants you may be OK. If you have a dustbin you could try spuds for Christmas. Many herbs grow well on windowsills over the winter, basil, mint etc,
have fun!

[veggirl]

What about some spring cabbage, caulis and any of the chinese salad veg? Rainbow chard germinates in about three weeks, and is fairly impressive to look at. Best of luck.

[Greengirl]

Autumn onion sets & garlic.

[nellie.b]

Thanks all. We didn't get started on that day after all. Two days after that post,my mum died and I was away for a few weeks. And since then the weather has conspired against us.

So now that things are slowly getting back to normal(whatever that is),we hope to try and get something done. The Headteacher is trying to get us a polytunnel for as little as possible,so that should mean that we can work in any weather.

[chimaera]

How about broad beans? Put some outside but you can also germinate some on wet blotting paper to show the kids what is happening below the soil. Nice big seeds which are robust enough to be child proof.
Charlie

[sunshineband]

So sorry to hear about your mum, nellie.

Have you and your Headteacher thought about making a ploytunnel out of scaffolding poles and a cover? Several on here have made these and they seem very robust

I'm a little bit jealous at the thought IMA, as we can't run to that right now at school.

Good luck

[nellie.b]

Thanks sunshine.

I have told the Head that we could build one(making it part of the curriculum- maths,D.T) but he won't hear of it.He insists that we buy one ,so I will leave that up to him. (we could be waiting a while though )

 

[sunshineband]

Aww what a shame -- the children would love building one!
Mind you, if there's the money .....