St Aidans Primary School Veg Patch

SPRING VOLUNTEER WORKDAY

2012-03-12T22:16:00.000Z

We had a great turn out at the Volunteer Workday last Saturday. The sun was shining and everyone was happy to help prepare the garden for the spring. Seeds were sown, beds were cleared, bulbs were planted and the greenhouse cleared out. The green team are now extending into the 'Queens' garden building new meadow beds.

All photographs © St. Aidans Primary School

2012-03-12T22:07:00.000Z

Despite the cold winter, the children managed to get cabbages, garlic, winter lettuces and spring onions growing.

WINTER IN THE GARDEN

2012-02-23T18:08:00.000Z

It has been a quiet time in the garden over the winter. The snowfall in February covered everything with a four inch layer of snow. It was a big job shovelling the snow off the beds and from around the paths.Despite the snow, our cabbages have flourished, the garlic and radishes are doing well and the nasturtiums and lettuces are very happy in the greenhouse.

SUMMER IN THE GARDEN

2011-10-12T14:50:00.005+01:00

Some more pictures of the school garden at the beginning of August. I took photos to enter the Garden News twitter competition. Our 'Greatest gardening achievement of 2011' won! Have included a photo of the £1000 prize. Our composter and wormery are up and running.

BUDDING GARDENERS COMPETITION WIN!

2011-10-11T14:51:00.003+01:00

In August while we were all away sunning ourselves/watering the thirsty school garden, we were notified that the St Aidan's Garden had been judged runners up in the garden plot category of the Budding Gardeners Competition! This meant a nice certificate, which Louisa in the school office is due to get framed, plus £200 of vouchers to spend at Harrod Horticultural. It only took me 1/2 an hour of ticking boxes on their catalogue to spend that money (I enjoyed it immensely). Now we have some hoops (large and small) and insulating fleece to protect the winter crops from frost for many winters, a 4-tier seed tray rack for the greenhouse which comes with its own protective cover, a couple more small trowels, 8 new sprinkler caps for watering using old water bottles and some ultra fine mesh to cover the cabbages/brassicas which the white fly seem to be very keen on

AUTUMN PLANTING

2011-10-11T12:53:00.001+01:00

Each year has now completed their planting plans for the autumn and planted their plants in their allocated beds during the lunchtime gardening club. This term each year moves up a bed, as we incorporate crop rotation techniques.

MORE PICTURES FROM OUR WORKDAY!

2011-10-11T12:46:00.001+01:00

Thank you to everyone who helped out on the day!! Many hands make light work!

AUTUMN WORKDAY

2011-10-11T12:39:00.002+01:00

We had a fantastic turn out to our workday last weekend. Many parents and children turned up to assist with preparing the garden for the winter, picking and storing the apples, collecting seeds, weeding and clearing the beds. There was a great sense of community working together to make this project a success.

FOODCYCLE DONATION

2011-09-25T19:42:00.002+01:00

During the summer holidays, our volunteers donated some of the produce we have grown to Foodcycle at the Mind Charity in Stapleton hall Road.

Reception class planted sunflowers that grew enormous!

The annual beds at the height of summer.

"Ashmeads Kernel" - one of our delicious apple varieties.

The reception class bed with their very successful crop of lettuces.

HARVEST TIME

2011-09-12T11:16:00.005+01:00

Broad beans

Gem Squash, Courgette, Tomatoes and Broad Beans

Sweetcorn

The best raspberries ever!
©All photographs - St Aidans primary school

MORE PHOTOS OF THE GARDEN IN AUGUST

2011-09-12T11:06:00.003+01:00

Lovely broad beans

Tomatoes, peas and garlic

Nasturtiums
©All photographs - St Aidans Primary

2011-09-12T11:00:00.005+01:00

Scrumptious courgettes!

More broad beans, lovage and dill

Broad beans

Water lily

Dill

Thyme, Sage, Parsley, Oregano,Lavender, Bronze Fennel and Chives.

©All photographs - St Aidans Primary

PHOTOS OF THE GARDEN IN AUGUST

2011-09-12T10:50:00.005+01:00

Yummy Gem Squash!
This squash is best prepared by cutting in half, scooping the seeds out and saving for next year! Then simply boiling for about 10 minutes or until the skin is soft. Drain the water. Add a knob of butter and a bit of black pepper! Delicious served with sweetcorn and a simple lamb chop!

Broad beans and nasturtiums

Sweetcorn, Mizuna, Swiss Red Chard

©StAidansPrimary

2011-06-30T16:04:00.000+01:00

Due to all the wonderful rain recently, the garden is luscious and green.

©All photographs -St. Aidans Primary School

GOOD NEWS!

2011-06-17T16:14:00.001+01:00

St Aidans Veg Patch & Orchard has been short-listed as Best Edible Primary School garden with Capital Growth!!
We came third place and won many prizes including gardening tools, seeds, books etc.
Well done to everyone involved in the garden!

STRAIGHT INTO THE SCHOOL KITCHEN

2011-06-14T15:33:00.003+01:00

The school's cook, Carol has initiated a daily "Dish of the Day" from the veg patch. The children are getting to sample the salads and herbs at lunchtime too.

Every friday after school, the children get to sell the herbs and salad leaves that they have grown in the garden.

THE FRUIT & VEGETABLES ARE FLOURISHING

2011-06-13T12:15:00.003+01:00

The fruit and vegetables are flourishing. We have tomatoes, cucumbers, various salad leaves, french beans,courgettes, squash, radish, various herbs, broccoli, cabbages, sweetcorn, raspberries, strawberries, apples, plums, to name a few.

OUR PARENT VOLUNTEERS!

2011-05-26T18:14:00.004+01:00

Back row: Gloria Else, Stephany Ungless, Natasha Warwick, Kaz Walker
Front row: Louise Jordan-Wass, Nancy Butcher, Elaine Gutzmore, Anita Yiannoullou.

These are our dedicated and enthusiastic team of volunteers who have put in a lot of hard work to make this project happen.

FRIENDS, PARENTS & LOCAL RESIDENTS

2011-05-22T16:59:00.004+01:00

Many parents, children and local residents turned up to admire the garden and orchard, and sampled the delicious menu. We also had the local press (Ham & High and the Hornsey & Camden New Journal) covering the day! Look out for the piece in next friday's papers....

CRAFT ACTIVITIES & STALLS

2011-05-22T15:37:00.001+01:00

There were delicious homemade soups and breads lovingly baked by our wonderful team of parent volunteers. Not to mention the fantastic herb biscuits baked by the children. The herb infused oils were a hit with the fresh bread!
As were the Parkland Walk Nettle Soup and Elderflower cordial. Nobody could believe it was for free!

GRAND OPENING OF OUR VEG PATCH & ORCHARD

2011-05-22T15:28:00.002+01:00

Ms Rosetta Dyer (Headmistress) officially opened the school veg patch and orchard yesterday morning.

We had so many delighted and appreciative parents, and local residents attending. Everyone saw the obvious benefits of the garden and what it means for the children.

SPRING VOLUNTEER WORKDAY

2011-05-17T13:32:00.005+01:00

Many volunteers turned up last weekend to finish planting on the plants from the greenhouse, weeding, digging, painting, and clearing up in preparation for our Open Day next weekend.
There was a great sense of community spirit as everyone got stuck in.

AFTER

2011-05-17T13:19:00.007+01:00

This is our newly designed vegetable patch and orchard incorporating newly designed accessible beds for the children with tool storage doubling up as seating for the children.

A circular log seating area has been set up under the apple trees where the children have outdoor classes during the summer months.

BEFORE

2011-05-17T13:18:00.003+01:00

This 45 square foot tiered area to the side of the school was previously used to grow food but with limited resources and no dedicated team to maintain it, it became riddled with bindweed and the steps and paving started crumbling as a result. The beds were also unaccessible to the children posing many health and safety issues.

GRAND OPENING OF VEG PATCH & ORCHARD

2011-05-16T16:26:00.001+01:00

Saint Aidans Primary presents...
A GRAND OPENING of the SCHOOL VEG PATCH, ORCHARD & OUTDOOR LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

SATURDAY 21st MAY
11AM - 1PM

St Aidan VC Primary
Albany Road
London
N4 4RR
(entrance on Stapleton Hall Road)

There will be homemade refreshments, craft activities and a plant & herb sale.
ALL WELCOME!

LOCAL COMMUNITY GARDENING PROJECTS

2011-05-16T16:23:00.002+01:00

The children at St. Aidans have been enjoying visits to the Meadow Orchard Project(MOP)
Food from the sky(FFS) and Knowing through Growing (KTG) over the past few weeks.

The Meadow Orchard Project is a 2 acre site behind the new Hornsey Health Centre in Crouch End. The project is based on Forest Gardening and Permaculture techniques. Kate Allerdyce, the founder and project co-ordinator engaged the children in various activities like bug-hunting and building a bug hotel. They loved the compost toilet, the fire-pit and the bee-hive. More about MOP at www.shepherdscothealinggarden.ning.com

At Food from the Sky, founded by Azul Thome on the roof top of Budgens in Crouch End the children learned about biodynamic gardening and permaculture. More about FFS at www.foodfromthesky.org.uk

Knowing through Growing (KTG) is at Stroud Green library. Run by Rebecca Stewart and others from Transition Finsbury Park. The children have enjoyed various craft activities using vegetables. More about KTG at http://transitionfinsburypark.org.uk/KnowingThruGrowingBlog

SPRING PLANTING PLANS

2011-05-05T22:40:00.002+01:00

The children have completed their Spring Planting plans and have sown many seeds which are ready to plant out in the new beds.

READY FOR ACTION!

2011-04-10T18:33:00.002+01:00

The new school vegetable garden and outdoor learning area is ready for action. Starting next term the children will be using it for lunchtime gardening club, class activities, and for outdoor lessons.

There are 4 ways in which parents/carers and families can get involved:

1) volunteering to help the teacher in class activities during school time (please let the class teacher know if you are interested)
2) help with the lunchtime club (8 children at a time will be following various themes from soil preparation, sowing seeds, digging and planting to scarecrow making.
Infants 12.30–1pm
Juniors 1–1.30pm
3) general pottering around during school hours doing garden maintenance (tidying, weeding etc.)
4) out of hours care (watering and maintenance during holidays and weekends)

RE-LANDSCAPING IN PROGRESS!

2011-03-04T14:41:00.002Z

Our landscaping team (Roots Landscaping) have been busily working away this week despite the freezing cold temperatures! The raised pond has been built, paving is being laid and the 3 new raised beds being built.

Due to lack of foundations uncovered under the crumbling stairs, the works will continue into next week, as new foundations have to be built.

It's all looking very exciting, and we can't wait to get the greenhouse and start planting seeds!!

NEW BEGINNINGS

2011-01-24T13:52:00.003Z

St Aidan’s is a small, one form entry school, the building and the playground are challenged for space, but we are fortunate to have a terraced area that has been used in the past as a wild garden and vegetable growing. However, due to the mixing of wild and cultivated and having no dedicated resource to manage the garden it has gone to seed and is now covered in bindweed, the pond is unsafe and the paths and steps are broken.

A group of parent volunteers now intend to re-launch the garden giving it a clear focus as a vegetable patch. We have canvassed the staff, parents, children and neighbouring schools and community projects before finalising our design plans. We have raised various funds for this project from Capital Growth, Thornton's Budgens (Crouch End), Davis & Davis estate agents and the PSA of St. Aidans Primary School.

We have based our designs on the principles of the garden being safe, child friendly, inclusive of special needs, self sustaining, and running on a tiny annual budget.

We have three terraces:

The top terrace will feature a mini orchard (2 apple trees), autumn raspberries, blackberries and blueberries, a small pond, a greenhouse and seating for the children.
Included in this area will be a sensory garden for disadvantaged children, with aromatic herbs, scented plants and flowers, plants with textured leaves, mirrors and wind chimes.

The middle terrace will include a herb bed and two perennial beds. The site is south facing and perfect for growing vegetables and fruit..

The lower terrace will feature six small raised annual beds; we will rotate these to grow many vegetables on a crop rotation scheme. Each class will be allocated one of these beds and we intend to show and compete around the success of crops. We also plan to hold events in the garden for fund raising.

The garden will be organic, it will feature a wormery, composter and water butts. We will use natural methods of weed and insect control. The polycarbonate greenhouse will be used to introduce children to learn about seeds, taking cuttings, division and after care.

The focus of the project will be to promote health and wellbeing through growing food and providing therapeutic interaction with nature for the disadvantaged children, as well as supporting the curriculum.

The school also plans to start up a lunch time and after school gardening club to encourage children to learn about where their food comes from encouraging healthy eating and physical activity.

We also have plans to link up with other local sustainable community food growing projects in Haringey, to teach the children about biodiversity and sustainability.