This week has been a busy one with something happening in the garden every day! On Monday, we continued to plant potatoes. Catriona's mum came in to join us and did a marvellous jobweeding the strawberries too!
We marked each row with a cane and put a pot on top to protect our eyes when bending down near them! We now also have "Golden Wonder" and "King Edward" varieties to add to the collection. On Tuesday, Catriona and Charlotte sowed radish seeds over the top of where the potatoes are. They will come up and be ready to crop before the potatoes show through.
We marked each row with a cane and put a pot on top to protect our eyes when bending down near them! We now also have "Golden Wonder" and "King Edward" varieties to add to the collection. On Tuesday, Catriona and Charlotte sowed radish seeds over the top of where the potatoes are. They will come up and be ready to crop before the potatoes show through.On Wednesday, Miss Swallow was out of school, but Catriona, Charlotte and Danielle dug over soil ready to sow lettuce. They also watered things in the greenhouse. (In case you are wondering, Lewis was away camping with the school this week!)
On Thursday, we transplanted carrot and parsnip seedlings into big pots to give them some depth to grow. We studied the plants - as you can see above, they already have a large root system. The carrot leaves are feathery, except for the two "seed" leaves called "cotyledons" which are a different more simple shape. 
These are the first leaves to be produced using the energy from the seed. Once they have grown, they can photosynthesise and produce energy for growing the roots and other leaves. We lifted the plants by the cotyledons as they have now performed their function and will die back. 
We also sowed seeds of "Jersey Kale" sometimes called "Walking Stick Cabbage" as it grows to 2-3 metres tall and the stem can be turned into a polished walking stick. If the seeds sprout, we will use the seedlings for this year's competition - pupils can "adopt" a seedling and the one who has the tallest will win £10 in the Autumn. Again, Frank Nicol's garden centre have kindly agreed to host the competition. This year, we will put the money raised towards the school's "Mary's Meals" appeal which helps to feed children in Malawi - first years are also putting together back packs containing essentials like pencils, footwear, clothing and a spoon to eat with to send out to Malawi.
Danielle waters the seeds in the greenhouse.
We also weeded the onions and planted the rest of them out.
Meanwhile, the squash seeds are sprouting...
...and the peas and beans really need planting out!
On Friday, we sowed lettuce next to the onions and started preparing the rest of the soil for planting out brassicas next week. It's all go! Above, you can see our garlic, oats and comfry plant, with some potatoes in bags behind.
On Thursday, we transplanted carrot and parsnip seedlings into big pots to give them some depth to grow. We studied the plants - as you can see above, they already have a large root system. The carrot leaves are feathery, except for the two "seed" leaves called "cotyledons" which are a different more simple shape. These are the first leaves to be produced using the energy from the seed. Once they have grown, they can photosynthesise and produce energy for growing the roots and other leaves. We lifted the plants by the cotyledons as they have now performed their function and will die back. We also sowed seeds of "Jersey Kale" sometimes called "Walking Stick Cabbage" as it grows to 2-3 metres tall and the stem can be turned into a polished walking stick. If the seeds sprout, we will use the seedlings for this year's competition - pupils can "adopt" a seedling and the one who has the tallest will win £10 in the Autumn. Again, Frank Nicol's garden centre have kindly agreed to host the competition. This year, we will put the money raised towards the school's "Mary's Meals" appeal which helps to feed children in Malawi - first years are also putting together back packs containing essentials like pencils, footwear, clothing and a spoon to eat with to send out to Malawi.
Danielle waters the seeds in the greenhouse.
We also weeded the onions and planted the rest of them out.
Meanwhile, the squash seeds are sprouting...
...and the peas and beans really need planting out!
Just a thought on the raised beds, or the edge boards, to be more precise ... the method you have for holding them up, i.e., stakes, seems to work satisfactorily, but obviously can fail betimes. I have constructed some similar beds, and I have checked on them (they are not on my property) recently, and they have lasted some 15 years now, and are still in good condition. I used fairly heavy construction lumber, called "1 × 10" here ... they're actually smaller than that because of subsequent planing. I used simple butt joints at the corners, and three 4-inch lagscrews into pre-bored holes (lagscrews look like an ordinary woodscrew, except they have hexagonal heads, to be turned with a suitable spanner). I dampened the boards with water and used a urethane glue, which hardens with water, is somewhat gap-filling, and waterproof. The butt joint should be as close-fitting as possible, but it need not be a work of art. Then, a coat of a spar-varnish, and the thing is virtually weatherproof. If one uses treated wood to begin with, which I did, insects will not find it palatable. The varnish will prevent the toxic stuff (arsenic, I think) in the treated wood from leaching into the soil and being taken up by the vegetables.
ReplyDeleteThat's a lovely little greenhouse! And I'm pleased that the squashes seem to be doing so well.
Your raised beds sound fantastic! I need to put more stakes in ours actually to keep the sides up - some are shifting under the weight of the soil. The treatment sounds great too - I have wondered how long our timbers will last. Maybe in future we could look into the varnish idea for new ones.
ReplyDeleteThe squares are very pleasing- thanks again! We should be planting them out in a couple of weeks. Might even try potting them on first for them to get more established.
ReplyDeleteAh ... I mistyped. Too much concentrating on the letters, and not enough on the sense ... what I should have typed was "2 × 10" instead of "1 × 10" ... a board twice as thick, and much more resistant to bending. Their own weight is enough to hold them on level ground, though you might have to stake them in place on a hillside.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the error.
Yes, I thought it must be 2 inch thick. The herb garden we built last summer was made from 7 by 2 inch and they are really solid! Ten inches deep is that much better again.
ReplyDeleteI made a typo in my last post too - the I-pod corrected my "squashes" into "squares" and I didn't notice! Mist prof read butter in future!! LOL (hope you get it!)
I.E Must proof read better in future!!
ReplyDeleteLOLOLOL!
ReplyDeleteThis was written by a friend of mine, pointing out the futility of reliance upon spelling checkers:
ReplyDeleteHomonym Error
I have a spelling checker
It came with my PC
It plainly marks fore my revue
Miss takes I can not sea.
Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.
As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
Its rare lea ever wrong.
I've run this poem threw it,
I'm sure your please too no.
Its letter prefect in it's weigh
My checker tolled me sew.