DIGGers News

Digging a hole and Finding Red Kale seeds.

2012-03-01T10:22:00.002-08:00

This week we did a few jobs. Above you can see Catriona and Grigor searching out Red Kale Seeds from the dried pods. They were given to us at the potato day! We will plant them into small home-made pots soon.

Danielle is helping to dig a hole (and yes, her spade does look like a pogo-stick!). The hole was started by the Elective class. We decided it was going to be a "Lowered Bed" as opposed to a "Raised Bed" because we are digging down into rubble and stony soil so that we can sift it, mix in better quality soil and some leaf mold then plant out six fruit trees that we bought on the Potato Day. Two gooseberries, two red currents and two white currents.

The digging is hard work but we are making steady progress. Also this week, we cordoned off the Scots Pine trees that we have re-planted to stop pupils in their football boots running across the area and stepping on the saplings!

On Wednesday, Connorhan and Miss Swallow also used the tape to lay on the ground and mark off where we would like to plant a hedge. There is going to be a "Staff Green Gym" on Friday lunchtime, to start turning the turf for it to rot down ready for planting hedgerow plants in the autumn. Also, we plan to sow wild flowers (next month) on each side of it to encourage insects to visit the garden.

TBI Potato Day a Huge Success!

2012-02-26T04:50:00.003-08:00

On Saturday, DiGGers helped out at the "Potato Day" organised by the TBI (Transition Black Isle Group). It was held at the North Kessock Village Hall.

Setting out potatoes to get ready.

I've never seen so many different varieties of potato in one room! There were many intriguing and wonderful names ranging from Orchestra and Melody to Witchhill and Daisy! We had to buy some called Catriona and Charlotte of course (couldn't find any called Danielle or Lewis!)

We don't have the official figures yet but there were a lot of people (hundreds - Danielle started on the door with Mr MacFarlane giving out information leaflets and they ran out after 200. More were copied for them). Above, you can see Catriona and Danielle taking money on the Fruit and Veg stall.
Miss Swallow helped on the seed swap table - DiGGers were given some seeds for the school garden too - Red Russian Kale, some herbs, wild flowers and broad beans.

We came away with many potato varieties - Earlies for a Summer Garden Party in June (we have invited primary schools to attend) and Maincrop to harvest in September and October. Also, we selected Blue Belle again this year as we enjoyed them last year and they grow well in bags. We are going to run another Charity Fund-raising competition this year, to see which potato grows the greatest amount in weight. So watch this space!

DiGGers actually DiGGing!

2012-02-23T12:54:00.003-08:00

This week, we got stuck in and used our DiGGing skills! We were planting trees - Scots Pine trees. We moved them from in front of the shed, to another the other side of the football field. We didn't want them getting too big and cut off the light in the garden.
They should in time form a good area of woodland. It was a windy day, though mild.
The ground here looks muddy but was actually very stony and hard, difficult to dig. We now need to cordon off the area to stop pupils running across it in their football boots!

Fat Balls for the Birds

2012-02-10T12:42:00.000-08:00

Winter is still here, so this week we melted some lard...
...and mixed in porridge oats and bird seed...
...to make fat balls for the birds. We cut the string on Wednesday and got the yoghurt pots ready, then completed the task on Thursday.

Stirring Compost

2012-02-03T11:30:00.000-08:00

This week was very cold in the garden - about minus 3 degrees centigrade, but beautifully sunny! It was just Danielle and Miss Swallow on Wednesday, so we chatted whilst stirring the big compost bin. A whole bag of shredded paper from the office had been added along with more canteen waste.
This is the "after" picture - lots for the worms to get into!
On Thursday, the ground was just too hard for digging despite us thinking we might start levelling a spot in readiness for another greenhouse that we have been offered (someone wants to get rid of theirs and is willing to give it to us - that's too good an offer to refuse!)
Instead we finished tidying the garden by collecting sticks from everywhere.
We added them to our "hedgehog pile" by the fence (no creatures spotted yet, but we live in hope!)

Tidying Sticks and Windfall

2012-01-26T12:32:00.000-08:00

We finished working on our Potato Day posters on Wednesday this week. On Thursday, we just wanted to be in the garden! Lewis and Catriona potted on some winter pansies in the shed whilst Danielle and Grigor started to clear winter debris from the raised beds and surrounding area. We have had a lot of gales that have strewn the garden with branches and twigs!
The Walking Stick Cabbages looked a lot neater once we cleared the debris. Some were a little lopsided too, so we pushed the support sticks deeper into the ground.
Here you can see a solitary wasp nest in the greenhouse. Not sure if it will still contain an egg that will emerge as a wasp in Spring, or if the hole means one already emerged at the end of last summer?? I have read that a solitary wasp will build a nest, lay an egg and bring a paralysed insect into it for the lava to eat when it hatches. It will then seal it, so seeing as there's a hole in this one I think it must now be empty. Any entomologists that could confirm this - please add a comment!

Potato Day Planning

2012-01-19T10:49:00.000-08:00

Welcome back after the Christmas Break! Not much happening this week in the garden - it's pretty wintry so we've been indoors creating posters to advertise the "Transition Black Isle's Potato Day" that we are going to help out with.

The idea is to have over 50 varieties of seed potato for people to buy at a reasonable price (10p each) and in any quantity. It should be an interesting event, with lots of varieties to talk about and try. We'll be buying our own for the garden this year, and also hope to take orders from staff to encourage them to "grow their own".

A home-grown Christmas Dinner

2011-12-15T10:48:00.000-08:00

On Thursday this week, we ate our Chrismas Dinner. All the ingredients (except bacon, walnuts and gravy) had been grown by us!

We had potato carrot and parsnip mash served with a fried up dish of bacon, walnuts, garlic, onions, curly kale, brussel sprouts, purple sprouting broccoli and even a walking stick cabbage leaf!

Grigor's mother also very kindly cooked us a delicious carrot cake for our dessert - thank you!

On Wednesday, Miss Swallow was out on a school trip. Catriona Charlotte Danielle Annie and Lewis did a sterling job decorating the shed.

A little outdoor touch to spread the festivities!

Extreme Weather - snow and wind!

2011-12-11T10:19:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday this week, just Lewis attended. There was deep snow so we didn't do any gardening! Instead, we made a snowman!

There was a late start all week due to inclement weather and difficult road conditions.

The walking stick cabbages are still standing against the weight of some snow,

and the water butt has a snowy hat - having slid off the greenhouse roof!

The curly Kale is still looking good - we'll be cooking some next week for our Christmas dinner.

We may add some purple sprouting broccoli into the recipe too!

The leeks too should feature, though they are still quite thin - we'll leave some to keep growing slowly.

Lewis took this moody shot of the garden,

and caught the stormy sky well here!

On Thursday, a big windy storm hit - with torrential rain too. Danielle took this shot of Connorhan putting the compost into the bin, then we hot-footed it to Miss Swallow's computer room as there are big branches overhanging the shed, and we didn't want one to fall on us!

Re-potting and Weeding

2011-12-02T09:28:00.000-08:00

It has been a cold week, but we continue to work in the garden! Well, in the shelter of the shed actually! The school was closed on Wednesday due to industrial action. On Thursday, we potted up some winter pansies. We hope to grow them on a little in the greenhouse before planting them into the barrels outside the front of the school.

Also, at the end of last week Isabela was back to help with more weeding! Here is a before...

...and after picture - great work!The leeks are still quite small but will continue to grow through the winter months.

The curly Kale is also recovering well - the leaves are no longer being eaten by caterpillars! Maybe some will be ready for our Christmas dinner in a couple of weeks!

Winter approaches

2011-11-24T12:54:00.000-08:00

This week has been a mix of cold and sunny then wet and very windy by the end! On Wednesday, Lewis Catriona, Charlotte and Danielle raked leaves for the new leaf pile store made last week. On Thursday, we were joined by Grigor Annie and Susan and started planting out some bare root perennials that had arrived in the post. We have more to do, as the flower border still needs weeding to make space for them! We need to pull out creeping buttercup, dandelions and grass to stop them taking over!

Tasting Potatoes!

2011-11-18T09:47:00.000-08:00

This week we we got to taste five different varieties of potato! Thanks to all those in room 1 who prepared, boiled and mashed the potatoes during period 4 on Friday.
If you look carefully, you can see Danielle has drawn a small symbol on each plate to identify the variety - above is "King Edwards" hence the crown!
Here, a large pile of "Pink Fir Apple". Other varieties were Smile, Peach Bloom and Blue Belle. We tasted the same ones together at the same time to try and describe their flavours and then voted for our favourite three. It was surprising how different they tasted!

The most popular (with 4 votes of "number 1 favourite") was "Smile - they just made you smile with their taste! Next was "Blue Belle" (with 3 "number 1" votes) - their texture was fine, smooth and buttery, mmmm! Third was "Peach Bloom" (with 2 "best" votes) - these were actually quite tangy - unusual but we loved them!

Pink Fir Apple also deserves a mention as it scored 5 "number 2" votes, so was liked second best by most of us! That only leaves the King Edwards which we actually found a bit dry and powdery - maybe they would make better chips or crisps! We also had beansprouts (Mung, Adikis and Chick Peas) along with lettuce and radish grown by Miss Swallow's gardening class. The lettuce and radish were nice and peppery. Above, you can see most of the produce was polished off!

On Thursday Danielle got artistic again - both with the greenhouse window and the camera:
Lettuce leafs are still looking fresh despite a few frosty mornings.
Lewis, Charlotte and Catriona created a new leaf mold pile using posts and chicken wire. Meanwhile Miss Swallow finished weeding behind the greenhouse so......Danielle and Catriona could throw down a selection of daffodil and crocus bulbs.We straightened them up then Lewis helped Catriona throw soil over the top of them.

Weeding and more weeding!

2011-11-10T13:02:00.000-08:00

This week, we kept weeding! Clearing the patch behind the greenhouse ready to spread spring bulbs (Monty Don style as mentioned in the last post) and weeding the wild flower border. We also dug up the last of the geraniums and put them into pots to keep over the winter.
On Thursday we had a couple of visitors - Catriona's mum and little brother - it was good to see them and they could see we had made progress in the garden since their last visit!

This weekend is going to be DiGGers second birthday (!) so we have decided to have a cake and munchies in the shed tomorrow to celebrate (yes, we love any excuse for a cake). This cake promises to be a special one as our newest member Annie (unofficial at present so no photos yet) has offered to bake it tonight!

Also, this week, we sent our cheque off to Mary's Meal Malawi appeal. On checking the web site, it costs just £6.15 to feed one child for a whole year! Mr MacFarlane (who won £10 for planting the tallest cabbage) donated his prize too which means we have now raised £70. This will feed eleven children for one year!

Giant Cabbage Patch!

2011-11-03T12:18:00.001-07:00

This week, we planted out the walking stick cabbages from the garden centre.

You can see Mr MacFarlane's "no 2" winner here on the left! We gave them all a good feed and watered them in well. They should continue to grow happily through the winter - taller and taller!

Danielle watered all the flowers in the greenhouse.

She also started potting up some geraniums from the garden as they would not survive the cold winter here. We shall keep some in the science greenhouse and plant them out again next year.
Notice the pressed flower picture next to it - arranged by Connorhan, with club members' names in the middle.

On Thursday, we also did some major weeding behind the greenhouse. We want to clear the ground between the trees and then scatter spring flowering bulbs and cover them with soil. This should be easier than digging in each one as the soil is very stony. (Monty Don did this on gardener's world, so we thought we'd give it a try too)

Pulling up thistles and dock plants!

At the end of last week Isabela came in again too and finished weeding the raised bed (this is where the cabbages are now!)

Meanwhile Miss Swallow tidied the greenhouse and weeded in front of it as it was

in a right state! It now feels like a potential growing area again.

A Gate at last!

2011-10-27T12:45:00.001-07:00

During the half term break, our gate was fitted at last! We can now access the garden via the path instead of scrambling up the steep bank! This will be good in the winter when it's raining or snowy.

Miss Swallow and Isabela visited during the holidays to see the gate and do a few jobs. The first was attaching the sign to welcome guests into the garden.

Here you can see the siphon system that Rob set up for us.

The second job was weeding!! Here is before...

...and after! Just a little more left to do.

A Walking Stick Cabbage Winner!

2011-10-27T12:25:00.001-07:00

Today, Lewis, Catriona, Charlotte and Danielle went to Frank Nicols garden centre. The centre have taken very good care of the cabbages all summer and we would like to thank them for hosting our competition. We measured the height of all the cabbages (though it was obvious from the start that no.2 was the tallest!) Remember, they were sown by a selection of people from school who paid £1 towards our Malawi fund. No 2 was 97cm and grew from the seed sown by our very own Mr MacFarlane! Very suspicious!! We think he might have been sneaking in to feed it or even sing to it over the summer!! To find a winner - the person who guessed the tallest cabbage - we put the names of everyone who guessed no.2 into a pot and Danielle pulled one out. It was Josh Fraser, a second year pupil at the Academy - who wins the £20 voucher.

Afterwards, we loaded all dozen cabbages into Miss Swallow's trailer to take back to school.

After a quick lunch in the shed, Danielle transports some of the plants into the garden.

Grigor and Connorhan came to help carry them too. The one we are carrying here is the no.2 winner!! The competition has raised £70 which will go to the school's Malawi appeal. At a cost of £6.15 per child, our donation will feed eleven children for a whole year!

For anyone who is interested, the heights of the other cabbages were as follows:

1) 60cm 3) 66cm 4) 32cm (poor thing!) 5) 35cm (another small one)

6) 62cm 7) 52cm 8) 59cm 9) 50cm

10) 75cm 11) 69cm 12) 50cm

D for Daffodil

2011-10-06T12:24:00.001-07:00

This week, the "How does your garden grow" class started planting bulbs - in the shape of a "D". Once they'd finished, we moved the guide rope and made an "A" to continue planting so in the spring, we'll have Dingwall Academy initials to welcome people to the school!

On Wednesday this week Miss Swallow checked over the potatoe patch to find any stragglers left from last week. Connorhan, Keri and Caroline emptied more potatoes bags.

While this was going on, Charlotte, Catriona and Danielle were weighing out more produce for our organic boxes.

One box had this courgette in along with 2Kg of potatoes, a couple of onions, some garlic, lettuce and curley kale.

We had a belated birthday celebration for Danielle - something of a tradition in the shed now!

Grigor and Charlotte spotting "tiny potatoes" on Thursday.

We'll boil them after the holidays and enjoy eating them!

Also we have a new volunteer in the garden - Isabela. She has been helping to get on top of the weeding as you can see in this border (you couldn't see the soil for the weeds before she got started!)

Talking of volunteers, Rob has continued to do great things in the garden! Here you can see a notice board ready for us to put a "welcome" sign up for visitors to see. He has also sorted out the water butts and set up siphons so we can use water from all three containers now - one is handy for the washing station.
Danielle gets artistic with the camera!

Produce going down well!

2011-09-29T12:19:00.001-07:00

This week we dug up lots more potatoes. The staff who bought last weeks organic boxes have commented on how tasty our produce is! Mr Simpson even asked for more carrots (and parsnips) if we had any as they "tasted like carrots used to!" He is even thinking of buying some raised beds for himself to grow some veg. at home which is great!

You can see Charlotte, Catriona and Danielle weighing out potatoes - Golden Wonder, Blue Belle, Peach Bloom and Smile. We must remember to keep some for ourselves to taste!

Danielle put her usual artistic touch to the labels.

We enjoyed the unseasonally warm weather. Getting stuck in...

...we found lots of worms in the soil too which is a good sign.

On Wednesday, Danielle collected lots of poppy seeds to dry and sow next Spring.

Our newest member Grigor spotting potatoes.

Caroline, Kerri and Connorhan with a box of Golden Wonder and Blue Belle variety.

Grigor did a good job last week picking lettuce.

Potatoes Galore

2011-09-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

Wednesday this week was just too wet and windy to do anything outside! We made a quick dash for the shed and ate our lunch before deciding to retreat back into school! It had been bright and pleasant earlier, but a real storm just picked up as lunch time came.
Thursday was much better so we got stuck in emptying the bags of potatoes - a mixture of Pink Fir Apple, Maris Piper and King Edwards.

Meanwhile Danielle and our new member Grigor collected onions and pulled up the remainder of the lettuce. We may plant some more lettuce next week just to see if we can get one more crop before autumn sets in.

Here you can see our first "organic produce" box (in a bag!) We have a dozen staff hoping to buy one. This one contains 1 kg of Maris Piper potatoes, 1 kg of Pink Fir Apple potatoes, 2 onions, a small carrot, a bulb of garlic, some lettuce and curly kale. We hope you enjoy it Mr Simpson - you are our first customer!

Lewis has been off ill this week and we have missed him! Conorhan helped with the potatoes along with two more new members - Kerridwen and Joanne who we are happy to welcome to the club.

Rob was here again too and built us a notice board so that we can put a "welcome" sign for people to see as they enter the garden. He also fixed some of the raised beds, improved the tool store and started a "stone pile" to help clear the site and encourage wildlife to hide there. A great help! More photos to follow soon.

Garlic Bread feast in the shed!

2011-09-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

This week, we got to enjoy some of our produce!

On Wednesday we stank out the shed making garlic bread baquettes and wrapped them in foil. Here, you can see them in the staff room oven the next day Miss swallow set the table in the shed for lunch and we had lentil and vegetable soup with the garlic bread.

Connorhan and Mr MacFarlane arrived just in time to join us!

Just like last year, there was nothing left once we had finished. We also sprinkled some poppy seeds on the bread - straight from the flower border.

Rob arrived after lunch to do some more jobs in the garden. Here you can see the willow seat that is now finished. This year's growth has been woven into the structure to thicken it and we have put weed barrier on the soil and lengths of timber to sit on.

Meanwhile, we have a busy few weeks ahead of us as lots of staff are wanting to buy our produce!

(We sold the lettuce and carrots left over from last week)

Roots and Shoots - crops above and below the ground!

2011-09-08T11:59:00.000-07:00

This week we continued to harvest crops from the garden. Here we are digging up parsnips and carrots from the buckets.

As you can see, they have grown into a variety of interesting shapes!
We also welcomed Conorhan, our new member this week who immediately got stuck into the hard work.

This is how they looked after washing - we decided the parsnips look like aliens and the carrots like cartoon characters! Miss Swallow has par-boiled some and put them in the freezer for our Christmas dinner. Hopefully we can sell some more to the school staff.

There was too much lettuce for us to eat, so we'll try selling that too. Everyone has taken some home and there's still more left.

Meanwhile, Rob has been busy. Here you can the "wash station"...

...and this week, he built this "cardboard storage point" so that we can encourage people in school to collect old cardboard boxes. They can sit here in the rain so they get soft before putting them into the compost.

Here you can see one of the compost bins and the blue one behind is for "stewing" weeds that we don't want to put in the compost - it has a tap on it so we can drain off the water once the weeds have soaked in it. That way, we get the nutrients out of them without getting pernicious weeds in the compost.

We also dug up all our garlic and weeded the raised bed - photos to follow so watch this space! The shed now reeks of tasty garlic! Next week we plan to make garlic bread and soup to enjoy the fruits of our labour.

Also, the path was looking rather messy, so we have raked it - just need to continue down to the railings now ready for the new gate which hopefully will be installed in a couple of weeks.

Carbon for the compost, potatoes for our plates!

2011-09-01T12:02:00.000-07:00

This week, Miss Swallow had a big box to dispose of - our Tesco Vouchers order arrived in it - tools, seeds and resources for the classes to use in the garden. We removed any sellotape or plastic before tearing it up and adding some to each compost heap.

Of course, Danielle couldn't resist trying it out for size! The others also tested the big strips on the grassy slope, but they didn't make very good "sledges"!! Eventually, it all ended up in the compost - food for the worms and slugs!

Even in a neglected part of the garden, the tomato plants have been doing their best over the summer break!

Pea pods left to dry. We picked them this week, to keep for sowing next spring.

More courgettes keep growing. Miss Swallow has sliced and lightly fried one, then put it in the freezer - another ingredient for our Christmas dinner!
The curly Kale is doing well. We also collected potatoes from several bags - all Fir Apple variety so far. We hope to store them in the PE store for a while where it is cool. When we have several varieties collected, we plan to have a "tasting" session to see if we can tell the difference between them.

Willow Seat gets a makeover

2011-08-26T04:15:00.001-07:00

This week, we rescued the willow seat from being overtaken by nature!! Below you can see the "before picture" and above the "after". We cut the willow shoots from the front and wove others into the back of the structure. We also topped it up with more soil so now just need the wood lengths to sit on - watch this space!

"There's a seat in here somewhere!" Also, we had a bit of a disaster during the week, as two classes are now using the garden. One group of pupils got a bit keen with weeding and pulled up our squash plants by mistake! You can see the leaves on top of this pile waiting to go on the compost! Oh dear! The staff are now making sure that any weeding is on the paths, as the classes will look after their own raised beds, and we'll keep maintaining ours!

At least one squash plant is left!

Weeds, Peas and Lots to do!

2011-08-18T12:36:00.000-07:00

This week, we returned to school after a rather wet summer holiday! Some things have grown like mad (including weeds as you can see amongst the onions above!) and others not at all (we don't have a single runner bean or brussel sprout as yet this year!)The rhubarb has recovered from whatever was munching it in June and looks quite healthy now. We picked a large courgette, and there's another few coming on the plant.

There are lots of peas - we are going to leave some to mature for planting next year, and we have enjoyed eating lots of juicy tasty ones! There's more left for next week too. We may even pick and freeze some to keep for our Christmas dinner in December.

A large pile of dark soil had appeared in the garden! The caretaker asked some contractors on the playing field to drop it for us - thanks Mr MacKenzie! We can use it for topping up the willow seat, and classes can use it for filling their new raised beds.

We have lots of carrots and parsnips still growing - this one was a really funny shape! Miss Swallow boiled and ate it for tea - lovely!

Our flower border is looking good - we got stuck in with weeding it straight away.

Meanwhile at Frank Nicol's garden centre, the Walking Stick cabbages are growing well and people have been guessing which will be the tallest. Number two is in the lead so far (back left of this photo)!

Also, we have a new member - welcome Jennifer - we hope you enjoy working in the garden with us! We also have now passed Level 2 of the Royal Horticultural Society Benchmark Scheme. As a result, we have been sent the book "Grow your own Veg" by Carol Kline, and £30 worth of tools are winging their way to us! I wonder what they will be!

A busy week as summer holidays approach

2011-06-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

This was the last week of term - and a busy one too! On Monday, we picked some radish.

There are two varieties - "French Breakfast" and "Cherry Belle"

We also emptied out some potatoe bags - here Charlotte picks out the "Rocket" variety...

...and here you can see why these red ones are called "Smile"!

Tuesday was an activity day, so everyone was off doing adventurous things. Miss Swallow made the most of the emptyness by arranging for David Locket to come with his tractor to move a bench from behind the canteen.

It's a concrete and wood bench - really heavy!

With skilled manoevering, he lifted it and put it onto a trailer to drive right out and around the school grounds...

...and into the garden.

Here you can see it fits very well on our flat patch. This means we can sit for lunch in good weather, and there's room for classes to sit around it when the new course starts next August.

Wednesday was an activity in the garden. Charlotte and two others worked really hard all day! We moved pansies from the barrels at the front of the school and planted them in our flower "wildlife" bed. We then planted the barrels up with geraniums and lupins for summer colour. More photos to come when consent forms have been signed!

In the afternoon, Catriona (back from Paris) came in to join Charlotte to paint the shed. Here, Danielle is back from the wildlife park too and is helping to treat the tool box. Other jobs we did included lots of weeding, and cutting the old carpets to cover the raised beds and keep out weeds. We also enjoyed a healthy lunch of cold boiled "smile" potatoes, hummus, our own lettuce and radish and other salad (all sitting around the new bench).

On Thursday we potted the walking stick cabbages into big pots ready to go on display at Frank Nicols on Friday. I wonder how tall they will grow.

See our first cauliflower appearing - we are very excited!! lol

Potting up wall flowers so they don't die over the summer break.

Eight raised beds protected and ready for a delivery of soil (hopefully in August). Rob will be in the garden over the summer break to finish the tool box and dig in eight more raised beds as now there will be two classes using the garden for the new course in August.

So, we are now on holiday for six weeks. Let's hope there's a reasonable amount of rain to keep things watered, and some warmth the help things grow! We shall be busy weeding and cropping the potatoes on our return - 'til then, we say "Au Revoir"!

Soil Testing and a Local Plant Walk

2011-06-23T16:10:00.001-07:00

This week, we tested out a "soil tesing meter" to measure the pH of our soil. Happily it was mostly around 7 which according to the chart virtually all the vegetables like. We noticed that potatoes tent to err towards 5 and leeks prefer nearer to 8 which is interesting.

"Mmm, how doe's it turn on?!" Lewis digs a hole to clear the top soil to a depth of 10cm. Charlotte is ready to take down the measurements.

Meanwhile the water butt was overflowing again so Danielle decanted some "highland spring" into bottles in the greenhouse. We really need to get the butt on the other side of the shed connected too!

On Thursday, Rob returned to the garden. Here you can see him continuing to build the tool storage box ready for classes in August. Keep up the good work Rob (and watch your thumb!!)

That afternoon, we all took a walk over to the "Greenhouse" - not our own, but the community shop with the same name in the High Street!

We ate our packed lunch there...

...checked out their produce which was growing in the raised beds and pots...and after a slide show about the River Peffery and non-native invasive plants in the area...

...we headed off with a guided walk to see some of them.

Grasses and reeds growing on the banks of the Peffery. On the right hand side, the bank is where the river has silted up - the remains of a harbour wall runs near the top right of the picture. Small ships used to come up this far from the sea!

Nettles and rosebay willowherb (yet to come into flower) These are native of course, we just enjoyed noticing all the different plants on our route.

Meryl tells us about Japanses knotweed - on the opposite bank. Other invasive species include Himalayan balsam and Giant Hogweed.

The Japanse knotweed plants are all female - they reproduce "vegetatively" - that means they spread by putting out rhysomes under the ground. The worse thing to do is strim them or try to cut them as this just helps them spread! They are being treated with chemical spray to reduce dominance and give other native species a fighting chance.

Up by the estuary, there were fabulous orchids...

...lots of them!

Catriona really liked the elderflower trees which are in full blossom just now.

Miss Swallow and Mr MacFarlane...this is what happens when Danielle gets hold of the camera!

There were some big rain drops in the air when we started, but the weather was actually lovely for us.

Meanwhile, back in the garden our own "wild flowers" are happily growing. We need to learn to identify them so we can decide which ones to weed! Certainly not this cheerful poppy!

Another poppy ready to flower soon - I wonder what colour it will be.

There are several courgettes now.

A few strawberries,

and the pansies are still flowering wonderfully!

Another party and thinning out the lettuce!

2011-06-16T13:34:00.000-07:00

This Tuesday was Lewis's birthday, so we had to have a cake in the shed! Miss Swallow thought that we should also have something healthy to eat with it so she bought some hummus with celery, cucumber and carrot strips.

Lewis blows out his candle after we sang Happy Birthday!

Everyone was unsure of the hummus dip at first, but once they tried it the carrot, celery and cucmber was gone in minutes! So much so, that we decided to thin out the lettuce. The leaves were tiny but we gave them a wash and dipped them in the hummus too - yum!

Also that morning, members took our cabbage seedlings round classes for pupils to guess which they thought would grow the tallest. We raised £10.40 - not bad at just 20p a guess. Hopefully the public will visit Frank Nicol's garden centre throughout the summer and continue to make guesses to raise more money for children of Malawi.

Miss Swallow was out on Wednesday and Lewis was busy. The girls got to the garden a bit late, but did lots of watering - the waterbutt had started overflowing!

The water butt had a slight leak so Danielle left the watering can under it. It was full by Thursday ready to water the cabbage seedlings again.

On Thursday we also topped up the potato bags - the plants have grown tall but they didn't have much soil in them. Hopefully now they will grow more potatoes.

Rob continued to work in the garden on Thursday too - here you can see he started building a tool store out of pallets ready for classes using the garden next year.

Cabbage Competition Launched, DiGGers go MAD and Sponsored Walk sends us potty!

2011-06-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

An action packed week!
These are the "Walking Stick Cabbage" seedlings that we launched our competition with.

On Friday, there was a "Malawi Awareness Day" (MAD) in school. S1 pupils have been learning about the country and collecting back-packs to send out to children there. They contain basic equipment like pens and pencils, some clothes, and a spoon. The awareness day was to raise money for the charity that send the back-packs out - it is called Mary's Meals. It costs them £6 to feed a child for a month and through fun lunchtime activities, classes collecting "loose change" in bottles over several weeks and a non-uniform day today, we have raised over £1600!!

One of our first cabbage sponsors arrives. Pupils paid £1 to adopt a cabbage which we will look after and take to the garden centre (Frank Nicols) in Dingwall to be on display over the summer holidays. Anyone can visit to see them growing and guess which will be the tallest. The pupil (or teacher for that matter!) who adopted the tallest plant will win £10, and the person who guesses the nearest height of the tallest one will win a £20 voucher to spend at the garden centre.

Earlier in the week, Danielle strained the "comfry potion" after it has been stewing for three weeks. It was pretty pongy!! Great plant feed for the cabbage as they get bigger.

They don't look much yet, but here you can see we planted out several types of squash plant. They got watered in well by rain on Thursday evening.

Another big event of the week was a sponsored walk. The whole school were involved and we all walked 11 miles! There were marshalls along the way and the weather stayed reasonably dry for us. All money raised will go to the school fund (which has been very generous in helping us get the garden started).

A great spin off from the walk was that the council were busy planting out hundreds of geraniums on the first corner. Miss Swallow enquired as to what would happen to all the pots and guess what? They gave them to us! A huge pile was dropped off near the garden later that day! This is great, as we have decided to grow seedlings and plants (both flowers and vegetables) to sell next year to help us be self sufficient in our funding.

After the sponsored walk, Catriona and Charlotte finished potting up the cabbage seedlings for the competition - and tidied the shed too! Well done girls.

On Monday this week, pupils were on holiday - staff had an in-service day. Miss Swallow put out some of our excess plants - carrots, parsnips, onions, garlic - and some lupins and geraniums for the staff to buy.
Meanwhile in the garden, the lettuce are showing through.
The radish are getting bigger...
...as are the courgettes! Notice the willow seat looking bushy in the background!

Chopping the Dock!

2011-06-05T00:37:00.000-07:00

This week Miss Swallow was away but things continued to move on a-pace in the garden. We cut back lots of dock leaves before they came to seed so that they would not spread everywhere. There was lots of watering to do - the potatoes are growing well now - though on the day we started to plant out more leeks it actually began to rain!

Meanwhile Danielle also planted out several more courgette plants and brought up some tomato seedlings that have been started off in school for us to plant on.

Some of the wild flowers are coming up, but the border is very patchy. Possibly the soil is too rich for them as they tend to prefer poor soil. We are planning to re-sow some in the rough bare ground where we have cut the dock from. Take a look at the video below - in future, we hope that there'll be lots more wildlife in our garden! We shall then use the raised bed for more vegetables and maybe other flowers too.

Garden springs a leek!

2011-05-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

Why did the gardener need a cork? Because his garden sprang a leek! Danielle found this joke online and it seems rather apt this week - not only because of all the rain, but also we planted out some leeks. They don't look much in the photo here - just blades of grass really, but hopefully they will turn into tall thick leeks!

The Jersey Kale are coming up - ready for our summer competition.

We also planted out two courgette plants.

Meanwhile, the compost bins keep rotting down - this one has been topped up with shredded paper from the office and...

we raked up some grass to add to this one. Contractors have been in strimming, so we were making use of the by-product!

On a non-club note, the greenhouse community shop has also donated twelve more raised beds for use with classes next year. Miss Swallow is busy writing a course to allow pupils to try planting and learn about the basics of veg. growing, crop rotation, soil, insects and biodiversity etc. Hopefully pupils will enjoy it and you never know, some might even join the DiGGers if they get the bug!

Peas and Potion!

2011-05-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

Between heavy showers, we got loads of jobs done in just two meetings this week. On Wednesday, we pulled back the weed barrier on the long raised bed to reveal...weeds!! Just a few, so we set to and pulled them out to prepare for planting out peas.

The strawberries in the same bed are coming on really nicely. I think the flowers look like fried eggs! Amazing to think they will turn into juicy Strawberries.

On Thursday, it was just Charlotte and Danielle as the others were all busy. We haven't imprisoned Charlotte here - it's chicken wire for the peas to grow up!

Danielle seems to have become chief waterer - keeping everything moist for healthy growth. Not an easy job as she did several trips down to the school to carry heavy cans and bottles back up - well done Danielle!

Her next job involves the "potion" bit of the title. She cut leaves from the bottom of the comfry plant...

...and put them to soak in a bucket of water. We will leave them with the lid on for three weeks and it should make great fertilizer.

On Thursday, we also planted runner beans. Not so many germinated this year, so we have five plants growing up three canes.

Already, the radish seedlings are showing through on the potato bed.

Also, on the path nearby, we have a fungi growing. I am no expert so we shan't try eating it. Anyone know what it is from the photo above?

Meanwhile, the squashes in the greenhouse are getting bigger.

Here you can see the rhubarb we planted just before Easter. The front one is doing well, but the other two not so...

...something has been eating the leaves, and they look a bit limp. Not sure what the problem is here, but we have watered them well, to see if they recover. On inspection, we didn't spot any caterpillars or insects.

Daisies growing wild in the garden attract insects and look lovely. Our flower bed has not come to much, so I think we will need to weed it and re-sow before it's too late this year.

Buttercups too are giving lovely colour.

Talking of colour, the winter pansies at the front of the school are looking fabulous! They give a cheery welcome to any guests.

Record week of activity!

2011-05-13T14:36:00.000-07:00

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 job

weeding 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.

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.

Rock hard soil!

2011-05-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

This week, our mission was to turn a raised bed of dry rock-solid topsoil into a suitable state for planting potatoes. This involved carrying many full watering cans into the garden to soften the soil so that we could get our spades in to start digging. We then dug it over and mixed in bags of well rotted horse manure. Miss Swallow repaired the edges of the raised bed as two had fallen away and on Thursday we started planting.

We dug a trench, using a plank of wood to stand on so that we didn't compress the soil again. We sprinkled some compost in the bottom along with some pelleted chicken manure to give them a good start. We then planted four varieties: Blue Belle, Smile, Peach Bloom and Fir Apple. As we were planting on Thursday, it started to rain! That helped water them in nicely! Charlotte, Catriona and Miss Swallow also continued on Friday so now there are just two rows left to plant.As well as all this hard work, Danielle and Mr MacFarlane weeded the onions planted last November and planted red onions (from the greenhouse) into the same bed. Meanwhile, other plants are continuing to grow. Here in the greenhouse you can see carrots on the left and peas on the right. Below, our "rocket" potatoes are coming up nicely in bags.

Here you can see the garlic, the oats behind and at the back is our comfry plant which is now huge - and flowering! We are going to have a go at cutting it back and soaking the leaves for three weeks in water, to make plant food.

Royal Wedding Week

2011-04-29T11:48:00.000-07:00

This week we returned from our Easter Break to find the wonderful path that has been built in the garden by BTCV (British Trust for Conservation Volunteers). It was funded by a Lottery Grant and means that we can walk into the garden much more easily. This also means that we can invite guests to visit in future, and classes can come into the garden without getting muddy or falling on the steep bank! The weather has been very dry and the soil in this raised bed was baked hard - we couldn't dig it to put in potatoes! Instead we watered it, weeded it and started adding manure to try and soften the soil and help it to retain moisture.

We gave the willow seat a good soaking to encourage it to continue sprouting.

There were some casualties in the greenhouse! The cauliflower seedlings got dried up.

The onions fared better thanks to Catriona and family coming in to water things! We need to plant them out as soon as possible!

This week we also planted several varieties of squash sent to us from America (thanks Charles!). They are: Spaghetti, Sweet Dumpling, Golden Nugget, Butternut, Green Acorn and Delicata Squash!! We planted just four of each as they will be large hungry plants; if they all germinate we'll have our hands full!

Despite the Royal Wedding on Friday, we were in school so at lunch time Catriona and Charlotte continued to work on the raised bed for the potatoes - well done girls, keep up the good work!! We'd also like to wish William and Catherine all the best for the future!

Potato Mad!

2011-04-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday it was raining this week so we stayed in the shed and sowed a tray of seeds each: two Leek varieties ("Atlanta" and "St. Victor"), carrots ("Nantes 2") and parsnips ("Gladiator F1"). It was brighter on Thursday so we planted out some Fir Apple potatoes in bags. Also, three rhubarb crowns arrived in the post so we planted each one into its own tyre straight away.

After school on Wednesday, Miss Swallow went up to the Culbokie Community Garden at Netherton on the Black Isle. Mr Hadron donated some rarer varieties of seed potatoes to us - thank you so much! They were: Smile, Peach Bloom and Blue Belle. You can see how they got their names from the photos Blue Belles (above)- see the blue eyes where the shoots will come from?You can see how elongated our Fir Apple potatoes are compared to the Peach Blooms in the top right of the box. Mr Hadric said the Peach Blooms would do better in bags than the Fir Apple potatoes, so we will keep the ones we have left for the border instead.(see the white smiles against the red potatoes?!)

On Thursday, Catriona's mum (and her little brother Arran) visited us - to bring us some old carpet. We will cut the carpet to fit each raised bed and use them next winter to prevent weeds and protect the soil. Arran (aged 3) enjoyed watering in the greenhouse - I think he'll be a keen DiGGer in future!!

As it was the last day of term, we met on Friday too. We checked the greenhouse, did last minute watering and fixed the hinge on the shed door that had come loose!These are the labels that Danielle drew last week - adding a touch of art to the greenhouse!

Over the Easter break, Catriona and family will come in to water, and in the second week Lewis will take over. Also, BTCV (British Trust for Conservation Volunteers) are due to build a path into the garden whilst we are on holiday - we look forward to seeing the results in two weeks!

More Planting whilst it rains!

2011-04-01T15:10:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday this week we planted more peas and beans into our paper pots. This will give us successional crops later in the year. Our previous ones are now showing shoots in the greenhouse. We also sowed some cauliflower seeds and Danielle drew great pictures on the label sticks (picture to follow later!) On Thursday, Miss Swallow collected some more soil for the willow seat. Unfortunately by lunch time, it was raining so having the full waterproofs, she had the pleasure of tipping it into the seat whilst the others had lunch in the shed!

It is almost full now: We prepared bags of soil ready to plant potatoes next week. For the last few minutes, we sowed oat! We were sent a pack from Scotland "Eco-schools" along with instructions on how to dry and thresh them, to make oat cakes from!! Let's see how they grow first!

First Potatoes Planted and Wicker Seat Settles in!

2011-03-24T13:41:00.000-07:00

This week the weather stayed dry for us again. On Tuesday, Miss Swallow collected some bags of topsoil from a local estate, so we could start filling the willow seat constructed last week.

Danielle brings a barrow to get the top soil.

Shovelling the soil into the wicker seat. It's about half full now, so will need another trip for more soil maybe next week!

Time was getting on, so we lifted and tipped the wheelbarrows!

In the greenhouse, the peas have started shooting.

On Thursday, we planted two varieties of potato into bags - "King Edwards", and "Rocket".

We are going to photograph one bag every week as it grows, and weigh how much produce we get from it at the end. Then we will animate the images on the computer, to see its growth speeded up!

We used B&Q compost, so they will have some food to get them started.

See how the willow seat has settled in - shoots have appeared within the last week!

A "Poo" day and Building a Wicker Bench!

2011-03-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

We were very lucky with the weather this week, and got lots done! On Tuesday, Miss Swallow collected sacks of well rotted horse manure from a local small-holding. After lunch on Wednesday, the club dug it in to the raised beds.

"Put your back into it guys!" This will help enrich and aerate the soil.
On Thursday, we then covered them with weed barrier which will also help to warm the soil before we plant things out later in Spring.

Meanwhile, Danielle got cracking with the weeding - we are almost through all the raised beds now!

Mr MacFarlane also came out to lend a hand with the weeding. On Thursday, the rural studies class spent the morning with Ian Paterson creating a willow structure. It was forecasted to rain but even though it was cold, the sun shone all day! They did a fabulous job!

Natural materials to create a natural shelter for us to sit. In time, the bench will thicken and continue to grow giving us a great spot to relax and view the garden from. It now needs filling with topsoil to keep the wicker moist, and we shall put planks on top to sit on - hopefully within the next week or so. We even had time on Thursday to rake the last of the winter debris (twigs and leaves) for the leaf-mold pile. It made the garden feel a lot tidier.

Winter Returns!

2011-03-10T12:45:00.000-08:00

This week was cold, blustery and snowy! On Wednesday, we made more paper pots in the shed. Unfortunately the winter weather meant that the building of the Willow Seating has been postponed until next Thursday.Despite this, Miss Swallow managed to spend some time in the garden, digging in more raised beds in case we can get more top soil delivered. We then made and started filling more pots at lunch time just as the snow really set in!

Greenhouse Naming Ceremony

2011-03-03T12:22:00.000-08:00

This week, we invited Mr MacKenzie to officially "name" the greenhouse he bought us last year! We hung the Betty MacKenzie Greenhouse signs inside and strung a ribbon across the entrance. Above you can see him just as he has cut the ribbon. We could then put the first seeds of the year inside and enjoy a carrot cake bought for the occasion!

Filling pots with seed compost on Wednesday A "before and after" photo shows our pots made out of old newspaper.Eating lunch before sowing the pea and bean seeds on Thursday.

Also, Mr MacKenzie helped Miss Swallow to fix guttering to the shed so now we need to get the water butts in place to collect the rain water!

S1 pupils design us posters.

2011-02-24T13:28:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday this week, we met indoors and looked through lots of first year Art books. Pupils have been drawing posters for our greenhouse. Above are the designs we chose to scan and print. We have invited Mr MacKenzie to visit next week to help sow the first seeds of the year. We will put up the posters, naming the greenhouse in memory of his late wife Betty.
Pupils were on holiday last week, but Miss Swallow managed some tidying and weeding. Today, Lewis and Charlotte brought more gravel into the garden to keep the weeds down in front of the greenhouse.

They were full of energy - dashing back to fetch more!

Meanwhile, Miss Swallow continued weeding - you can see the beds still to do!! Catriona was not in today - hope you feel better soon and get back to school as we missed you! Oh yes, and we spotted our first flowers today - wild ones! They are a lovely blue crocus, and small bunch of snowdrops, near the fence, next to the compost heaps.

We would also like to thank Garry, an S6 pupil who has volunteered to bring out the canteen and Food Technology department waste for the compost twice a week - every little bit helps us! We hope you enjoy the changes you see in the garden as the Spring progresses.

Cosy Shed and a Weeding Session

2011-02-10T12:05:00.000-08:00

Our new chairs arrived this week - so we can now sit comfortably in the shed! You might wonder why we need chairs for a gardening group, but when it rains, snows, blows or is generally inclement weather, it is good to be able to still meet and do things in the shed! We have enjoyed feasts, watching out for birds (saw our first blue tit this week!), planning and opening various parcels of seeds etc. On Wednesday, we unpacked the chairs, and put up posters on the roof so we can see what we should be aiming to accomplish each month! It now feels positively homely in there!

We also put up a key holder (made from Polymer Clay by Miss Swallow)... ...and hooks to hang our aprons tidily!

On Thursday, the sun was shining and it felt quite warm. We made the most of this weather and got cracking - weeding the raised beds. We also dug up the garlic planted last week (as it was too deep in the ground!) We replanted them with the tips showing so they won't rot away.

"Surprise!!"

2011-02-03T12:50:00.000-08:00

This week, Miss Swallow had a complete surprise. Little known to her, the DiGGers members were plotting and planning all week to have a surprise party as a thankyou for running the club! She innocently gave Catriona the shed key, for her to spend a non-existant free lesson making pots and tidying. In reality, they were out of lessons slightly early and putting out a home-made cake (very tasty Lewis!) and lots of chocolate goodies!!

Biodegradable pots double up as party hats whilst we sort seeds and browse some catalogues! We also kept an eye out for birds, though there weren't many around! The only breeds were saw were robins, some herring gulls and crows. Better than nothing! We really need to provide more habitat for smaller birds to perch and roost in to encourage them to feed and stay in the garden.

After polishing off the last of the cake on Thursday, we checked the "Allotment Book" to see what should follow brussel sprouts in terms of rotational planting. It just so happens the onion family is happy in poorer soil that the sprouts have taken nitrogen from. Above, you can see Lewis planting garlic. Charlotte keeps warm by running around (fast!) There was a freezing wind, so we couldn't stay out long. By the end of the day, icy rain and a gale was blowing up. The greenhouse window needed fixing so the wind couldn't get in and blow out all the panels. DiGGers now have a handy toolkit (bottom left of the picture) which was perfect for replacing a nut and bolt and a big washer. Let's hope the greenhouse is still standing safe in the morning!

Turning the Compost and Making Paper Pots

2011-01-30T03:13:00.000-08:00

This week, we felt a hint of spring! On Wednesday it was pretty cold, so we stayed in the shed and started to make pots out of recycled paper. We used two new pot makers - ones we acquired from the Royal Horticultural Society by completing level 1 of their Campaign for School Gardening. We shall gradually build up a supply of pots ready for our spring sowing. It is tempting to start sowing seeds on the first sunny day, but last year some seedlings went leggy as we started too early! So we must try and time things better this year.

On Thursday, it felt warmer in the garden, so we tested out our new compost turners. You can see "before"... ...and "after" pictures here. In fact, the compost is breaking down fantastically - containing a good mix of kitchen waste, shredded paper, bark, grass cuttings and cardboard. There were lots of stripey worms in there - not Charlotte's favourite, but essential to make lovely compost for the garden! Believe it or not, this bin was full to the brim before the Christmas Holidays, so you can see how it has rotted down. (The fresh waste was added this week).

Whilst this was going on, Catriona and Lewis were tidying the shed. We also dug up more brussel sprouts - still edible on their stalks despite all the snow and cold! Again, you can see a "before"... ...and "after" shot here.

A Wintry New Year

2011-01-14T10:18:00.000-08:00

This week we returned to school. It has been very snowy and icy all week with torrential rain coming in on Thursday and Friday!

We have signed up to participate in the RSPB "big bird watch" at the end of the month (if interested see their web site at www.rspb.org.uk/schoolswatch ). Despite us not seeing any birds yet, all our fat balls have been eaten over the holidays. The seeds all went, but the nuts were still there. We want to encourage the birds, and get them used to feeding in the garden, so this week we put more fat balls out and made fresh ones to set for next week.
They contain seeds, porridge oats and melted lard. This time around, we didn't put holes in the pots, but tied washers onto the string to help it stay down whilst the mixture was poured.

Cutting the pots off the previously made fat balls ready to hang them out.

Messing about in the shed! Happy Christmas everyone!

2010-12-22T11:05:00.000-08:00

Today (Wednesday) was our last meeting before the Christmas holidays. It was -6 degrees centigrade up at the shed and the snow was still deep! We put out more fat balls for the birds, topped up the feeders and sprinkled some seed on the bird table. Then it was our turn to eat! We had our packed lunches as usual followed by cakes and Coke left over from the french club party - thank you folks!! Or should I say "Ooo la la...merci bien!!"Danielle enjoys the face from the caterpillar cakeIt was so cold in the shed, Lewis's lollipop ("What kind of a lunch is that Lewis!!" lol) was steaming!! "...and how evil can one look eating a lolly?!" We didn't have cups, so shared the coke out into bottles. When the bell went, we all parted with another big "Happy Christmas" - see you all next term, in the new year!High energy for the birds.

Christmas Feast!

2010-12-16T12:42:00.000-08:00

This week, we enjoyed our very own garlic and brussel sprouts cooked up with bacon and cashew nuts and served with mashed potatoes and gravy. So close to Christmas, we also had crackers with the meal and mince pies for afters.

We prepared the vegetables on Wednesday - and yes, you need to get revenge on Charlotte for this photo Lewis!!

The outer leaves of the brussel sprout plants are a bit brown after all the snow and cold weather (and were ravaged by those caterpillars earlier!!)

Some sprouts were quite hard to get off the plants - a strong twist was needed.

There is still plenty of garlic left (in fact, the shed is filled with its aroma!)

Whilst Catriona and Lewis prepared the vegetables, Charlotte cut the pots from the fat balls. They stuck together perfectly!

A rich store of energy for the birds to peck at.

Without the wheelbarrows, there's lots of room in the shed.

Cooking the sprouts, garlic, cashews and bacon in the staff room. Miss Swallow carried the hot food out to the shed in a wicker hamper.

Reading the instructions for the crackers - they were not the usual type!!

Everyone had a whistle with a number on it. We had lots of fun TRYING to blow them at the right time to play Christmas Carols on the play sheet!

There were some gardening jokes in them. What's a gardener's favourite magazine?? "Weeders Digest" of course!!

Notice the musical hats (and we are wearing our new aprons too).

We all tucked in - yumm! The food didn't stay on our plates for long!! As we were eating, it went very dark outside and heavy snow started falling which made it feel very "Christmassy".

Danielle and Catriona pull the last cracker ready to play the whistles!

As the bell went for the end of lunch, we all parted - wishing each other a Happy Christmas. In fact, everyone seemed sad not to be meeting next week (as we finish early on Thursday) but actually I think we should meet on Wednesday - we can just check and fill the bird feeders and then check out the blog if it's cold or snowing! So, if you are reading this folks - see you next Wednesday!!

Udate: as the afternoon went on, the snow kept falling and settling on everything. This continued through the night and Friday as well, so the school was closed on Friday.

High Energy Food for the Birds

2010-12-10T12:46:00.000-08:00

This week we had a go at making fat balls for the birds. Things however didn't quite go to plan! "Why?" You may ask! We tied string through the pots and melted the lard. After adding oats, bird seed and our very own sunflower seeds, we spooned the mixture into a pot and the molton lard immediately ran out of the bottom of course!!

We added more ingredients to make it a bit thicker, but in hindsight it would actually have been better to not punch holes in the pots for the string, but just use something like plasticine to attach it to the bottom.

At this point, we thought it would be a good idea to use the snow outside to cool the pots as the mixture was poured.Once cooled a litte, we left the pots in the shed overnight to set. Next week, we'll cut the pots away and hopefully they will hold together well enough to hang up on the bird feeder!Also this week, our new aprons arrived. We bought them with money raised at the Invermoriston Christmas Fayre - they donated their raffle money to us - thankyou so much!! They will help to keep us clean all year round. We also ordered a "Christmas Hamper" with the money which hasn't arrived yet - a basket with many vegetable seeds, trowel and fork and other equipment in. Below, you can see our logo has been embroidered onto the aprons:

Feeding the Birds as Winter Arrives!

2010-12-02T12:15:00.000-08:00

This week as you can see, the garden is buried in snow! We were off due to the snow on Monday, but we didn't let the freezing conditions put us off on Wednesday. We assembled a bird feeder pole (indoors where it was warmer).

On Thursday, we put it out (in a temperature of minus 6 degrees centigrade!) We also put out a bird table that Miss Swallow made using old bits of wood, slats from an old cot and timbers used to pack the shed when it arrived!! Thanks to keyline for the wood cutoffs. Also this week, a parcel arrived for us - seeds for the spring and an "enviromesh" tunnel to protect the brassicas next year. Below, Charlotte and Catriona are trying to get the pack open!

Talking of brassicas - there are lots of brussel sprouts waiting to be harvested under that snow! We will have another cookup before Christmas using a recipe with bacon and walnuts too.

Below you can see the development of the bird table as it was being built - let's hope we get to see lots of birds feeding at it.

Barrels, Bulbs and (almost) Bird Tables!

2010-11-25T12:04:00.000-08:00

This week was very busy. On Tuesday, school inspectors wanted to meet us so we gave them a slide show about all we have acheived in our first year. Well done to Lewis, Shaun, Catriona and Charlotte - you all read your lines very well!
On Wednesday we decided the barrels outside the front of the school really needed replanting - you can see why in the picture below!

We emptied them out completely and used new compost. They now have hyacinth bulbs deep in the soil, which should smell lovely in the spring. In the top are pansies which will get bigger and give good winter colour to brighten up the entrance of the school.

We were joined on Thursday by five members of staff and two first year girls who helped us plant yet more bulbs behind the school. There are now quite a lot of daffodils ready to come up in Spring. Thank you everyone!

We also used spare bulbs and some pansies to plant up two large pots for the garden - we will keep them a bit warmer in the greenhouse for the winter and put them out by the shed doors in the spring when they flower. Mrs MacLennan kindly donated some large pots that we can grow carrots and parsnips in next year - thankyou! Also on Wednesday, Danielle and Mr MacFarlane finished chopping up the sunflower plant remains into the compost. They also planted some onions.
If you are wondering about the "almost Bird Tables" bit of the title, well, Miss Swallow started to make a bird table just before lunch on Thursday using old bits of wood that we have. We want to feed birds during the cold winter (which started with snow just yesterday!) and be able to watch them from the shed. Things didn't go quite to plan - some of the bits are shown below - so hopefully, she can finish it over the weekend and we can put it up next week...watch this space!

Collecting Leaves and Planting Bulbs

2010-11-19T11:53:00.001-08:00

Another week whizzes by and we still have lots to do before the winter sets in! On Wednesday we raked more leaves and started cutting up the dead sunflowers for the compost heap. On Thursday we had some help from Miss Forsyth and five S1 boys to plant a big bag of daffodil bulbs. It was a pretty cold day and the ground was stoney and difficult to dig, so everyone did well to plant what they did!

Happy Birthday DiGGers!

2010-11-12T12:06:00.000-08:00

This week we got lots done! On Wednesday we carried on treating the shed. We were lucky as it was sunny though also very cold! Lewis's dad gave us some overalls - so you can see why we look as though we are on an episode of CSI!! Also, Catriona's mum came to help us. She continued after lunch with Mr MacFarlane and Danielle, then Miss Swallow made the most of the dry weather by completing the job after school.

On Thursday, we celebrated our first birthday by having a cake (carrot of course!). Unfortunately, Lewis was away at the dentist, so we saved a piece for him! We also opened lots of "presents" - parcels that have been arriving for us over the past few weeks. For example, we passed the Royal Horticultural Society "Campaign for School Gardening" level 1 and received lots of seeds and two wooden pot makers.

Next Thursday, there will be a "Bulb Planting Activity" for any pupils and staff to join in. We'll be planting bulbs all around the school grounds to brighten it up next spring. If you'd like to participate, meet at the main school office at 1.30pm.

Treating the Shed and Collecting Seeds

2010-11-04T13:24:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday this week we had blue skies so started to treat the shed for the winter. The girls got going with the brushes whilst the boys worked with a marker to outline our DiGGers! logo using stencil cutouts.

Typically it rained on Thursday but we still had plenty to do! Below you can see us collecting seeds from the runner beans to sow next spring. Also, the seeds from the Sunflowers. We'll make a fat ball with some of them, to feed the birds in the winter and keep the biggest for planting again next year. We might even eat some in a salad next time we make garlic bread!

Garlic Bread Feast!

2010-10-30T05:48:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday this week we took our own-grown garlic and made garlic bread with it. Quite a smelly job - a little bit of garlic goes a long way! Hence Danielle's face in picture two! On Thursday we then had lunch together - lentil and vegetable soup with garlic bread. Delicious! Needless to say there was none left at the end! Mr McFarlane came to join us - and brought a table to use for potting in the shed - thanks, it's just what we need!

The Garlic - dried and ready to use. Crushing the garlic - what's that odour??! Leaving the garlic to stand after it's crushed and before cooking allows it to release a chemical called allicin (which causes the garlic smell). This chemical is well known as a cancer-busting chemical so it is very healthy to eat regularly (as well as warding off evil spirits and vampires in the films!!)

Butterfly and Bumblebee flowers sown

2010-10-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

This week, we did several jobs - weeding borders, feeding the sunflowers and brussel sprouts, raking up leaves and our main job was preparing the border to sow our seeds. They are a mixture of nectar rich flowers to attract both butterflies and bees. Hopefully they will also give us lots of colour and interest to look at next year You can see here lettuces that we've potted on too. The warm weather is keeping them growing.

We have left some runner beans to get bigger and produce seeds so we can sow them again next year:

Sunflower Competition Winner!

2010-10-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

On Thursday this week, we measured the sunflowers at Frank Nicol's. There was a clear winner - number 4 (planted by S5 pupil Rachael MacRae) - standing at 267c cm. Mrs Morton who works at the Academy guessed the closest height and wins the £20 voucher to spend at the garden centre. We would like to thank all those who contributed by making guesses. In total, the competition raised £50 - enough to buy 2 goats for families in Africa! In the top picture, you can see Miss Swallow, Mr MacFarlane, Danielle Burton, Lewis MacKenzie, Catriona MacIver, and Lid Philip from the garden centre who has cared for the flowers so well through the summer holidays! In the second picture you can see Miss Richards at the front. See how much taller than the others the winning flower is!

Below: measuring the shorter ones - "smile"!

Mr MacFarlane needed to use a ladder to measure the highest ones!

Danielle looking studious as she takes down the heights!

How will we get them back up to school? After measuring, we loaded Miss Swallow's trailer and she drove VERY slowly back to school where we carried them down into the garden! They brighten the place up and we'll let them go to seed so we can collect them for sowing next year. We'll feed some to the birds in the winter too.After all that, we still had time to dig some more of the raised bed to get ready for sowing our flower border:On Wednesday it was pouring with rain, so we ate our lunch in the shed and sat planning things for the future!

Preparing the Flower Bed

2010-09-23T12:10:00.001-07:00

This week, we were shovelling soil into the raised bed to get ready for sowing flowers for next year. As you can see in the picture, we have a pile of soil to move! This was donated to us at the end of the summer term. It is hard work shovelling just now as it is wet and heavy but we'll get there. We also picked more runner beans and donated some (along with highly scented garlic) to Dave Lynch who provided us with raised beds to start the garden. We hope you enjoy our produce!

Enjoying the garden!

2010-09-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

Another week goes by. This week, we did small jobs and just enjoyed being in the garden. The bean canes were almost falling over due to strong winds, so we tied them with string and tent pegs! We ate lots, and did some light weeding. Unfortunately our brussel sprout plants are riddled with holes - and there are lots of caterpillars on them! We will try to leave a couple of plants for the caterpillars, get them off the others, then protect them from being ravaged!

Harvesting More Produce

2010-09-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

Another busy week - harvesting potatoes, lettuce and garlic. DiGGers members have been taking produce home to taste. We have also been selling it to staff and had good feedback from them - asking if we have any more! We have also finished the shelving in the shed so it is now much tidier!

Summer harvest after returning to school

2010-08-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

We are now at the end of our second week after the summer break. The garden has survived well as you can see from the pictures below. This week, we presented Mr Patterson and Mrs Leiper with their boxes of produce won in the shed fund raffle last December. Both were very pleased and we thank them for their patience!

Also, the sunflowers are doing really well in the garden centre - some are now over 2 metres tall. Above, you can see a bee visiting one of them! We will be measuring their height at the end of next month.

Lettuce Broad beans Pumpkin plant MarrowsStrawberries
Runner beans

Gardening Activity Days

2010-06-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

Lots of progress has been made this week! For the Monday activity day, volunteers came to help us create four large raised beds - three of which will be filled with wild flower seed in August to attract butterflies and bees into the garden next year. The timber was bought with an "Action Earth" grant, supported by Morrisons supermarket as part of the "International year of Biodiversity." Below are (left to right) Toni Clarke and Mrs Barclay.

We had a huge delivery of soil. Due to the dry weather, the ground was very hard. Mr Locket expertly reversed his tractor and trailer right into the garden and tipped it straight into the beds - which saved us lots of work with wheelbarrows!
This paved the way for day two - Tuesday. Pupils started the day planting up the raised bed with herbs for the food technology classes to be able to use for cooking. Below are (left to right) Mr MacFarlane, Danielle Burton (S3), Catriona MacIver (S3) and Douglas MacLeod (S2). We then planted all the vegetables that had been needing to come out of their pots. For example, courgettes, kale, outdoor tomatoes, radish, more peas and beans - you get the idea! School staff also came out to help on both days. Below, Mrs Mackie is busy weeding.

We did many jobs - for example putting up shelves in the shed. We topped up soil in all the potato bags, made a compost bay from the pallets and did a lot of watering. This involved many trips down the hill into the school building, returning with watering cans full! Well done to everyone for making the activity days so productive and sucessful. All your hard work has set up the garden nicely for us to leave over the summer holidays. Let's hope there is some rain to keep everything alive until our return in August.

Meanwhile, don't forget about the sunflower growing competition at Frank Nicol's garden centre - they are now over a metre tall and looking very healthy! Call in to see them and guess which will be the tallest to help us raise money to buy a goat for a family in Africa.So, the DiGGers wish everyone a happy summer holiday and look forward to returning to the garden in August.

Welcome to primary pupils!

2010-06-26T09:35:00.001-07:00

If you are a P7 pupil, then well done for finding your way to this blog! We hope that you enjoyed our assembly last week and got to taste some bean sprouts! Don't forget to draw a poster for the "Betty MacKenzie Greenhouse" ready for August, and visit Frank Nicol's to see the sunflowers growing to raise money to buy a goat for a family in Africa.

Well, it's been another busy week. On Monday we planted a courgette plant into a tyre. We have twelve more needing to be planted, but have run out of soil! (Thankfully, there's some due to be delivered on the activity day next Monday). It was hot and sunny so we ate more peas and watered as much as we could.

On both Wednesday and Friday we dug in more raised beds ready to fill with soil next week. The ground was very dry and hard to dig. Below you can see a barrel that we want to convert into a water butt to help with watering in future.

Strawberries planted

2010-06-18T15:15:00.000-07:00

Another busy week has passed. After starting the sunflower competition last Wednesday, we planted up the two barrels at the front of the school on Friday. They needed to look good for the Awards Ceremony this week! The grass was also mown which was a blessing as it was getting quite wild! On Wednesday 16th June we planted out the strawberries at long last into a tall tub. We also tasted our first peas - they were very sweet! On Thursday, Josh Craig (S5) helped Miss Swallow to construct a raised bed for the Food Technology department. It's situated behind the canteen. We will plant it up with herbs in future so that classes can pick them for cooking with. On Friday 18th June, we added more compost into the potato bags and also appeared in the North Star encouraging the public to enter the sunflower competition! Some first years also visited classes to let people make guesses and we raised £13 already towards the "goat fund!" So keep guessing people!

Sunflower competition launched

2010-06-09T14:31:00.000-07:00

Today, three members went to Frank Nicol's garden centre with the sunflowers. We planted all 16 of them into big pots and created a display. Anyone can now visit the centre to see the flowers and take part in the competition. It costs 20p to make a guess. The aim is to guess whose sunflower will grow the tallest, and how tall it will be (to the nearest cm). The winner will win a £20 voucher to spend in the garden centre. We would like to thank Frank Nicol's for hosting the competition and looking after the flowers as they grow over the summer months. We will measure them in September. In the pictures you can see Alexander MacKinnon (S1), Lewis MacKenzie (S2) and Lewis Ross (S3) setting them up. Don't forget, all money raised will go towards buying a goat (or two) for a family in Africa, so feel free to come along and join in the fun!

Beans Peas Pumpkin and Lettuce planted

2010-06-04T15:47:00.000-07:00

This week has been good weather and we got lots of planting done. This involved wheelbarrowing more soil down from the top site to fill the raised beds (Wednesday). On Monday the Runner beans went into the tyres we filled last week: On Friday we filled the raised beds with peas, some broad beans and lettuce:

Oh yes, we planted some pumpkins out on Monday too as they had really outgrown their seed tray!

We have put a padlock on the shed so now it is secure. Also, we obtained two old apple juice drums - we need to put a hole in the bottom of them so we can use them as water butts to collect rain water from the shed and greenhouse!

Shed finished, tyres ready for beans.

2010-05-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

Another week goes by and we have got more jobs done! As you can see above, the shed is now finished - we put the felt on the roof on Friday as well as fitting the windows and doors. On Monday we filled three tyres with soil and tied canes ready for planting runner beans. You can also see that our brussel sprout plants are doing well:

Greenhouse finished, shed started!

2010-05-19T12:48:00.000-07:00

Here you can see the greenhouse which has been anchored into the ground and there are now some seedlings in it. We didn't have any washers at the end of the day on Monday, so we improvised as you can see below - let's hope that makes it a lucky greenhouse!

Today, we made a start on the shed. It took a long time to get the base level and straight. It was hard work carrying everything down from the store and there is still more to do to get it finished.

Nearly there with the greenhouse!

2010-05-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

This has been a busy week. On Monday, we dug some flat areas and turned turf ready for tyres to be filled with soil. We also used an axe, fork and rake to level out a platform for the greenhouse. Miss Swallow spent some extra time after school making a wooden holding frame to allow us to shovel a load of gravel making a good flat area ready for the greenhouse.

Wednesday, we transported lots of barrows of the gravel down to the plot. Below you can see us inventing a new passtime - gravel dancing - to tread it all down!We didn't meet on Friday as Ross County football were visiting the school on their way to their cup final match in Hampden!

Also, Mr MacKenzie who bought us the greenhouse, came in to help Miss Swallow put it together on Wednesday and again on Thursday - it's still not finished (fiddly but we are almost there!)

We need to get the greenhouse up!

2010-05-09T02:13:00.000-07:00

This week, we were off on holiday on Monday. We planted brussel sprout plants into raised beds on Wednesday then we started off more potatoes in bags and planted onions between the sprouts on Friday.

Miss Swallow has taken some seedlings home to repot and look after, and we have more under our cloche but the slugs are going to be our enemy!! Some seedlings have been eaten already which is why we really want to get the greenhouse up asap! We are going to level a platform and lay grit this coming week (slugs hate crawling over grit!), then hopefully Mr MacKenzie can come to help put the greenhouse up.

Oh yes! We featured in the North Star too this week - with details about the Sunflower competition. The seedlings are coming on nicely - look out for a photo of them in our very own greenhouse next week (hopefully!)

Below you can see lettuce (in the tray), peas, corgettes and pumpkins and a mung bean sprout that Lewis planted instead of eating it, just to see what happened!

More seeds sown

2010-04-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

This week, we have been sowing more seeds. We put a cloche in the garden to protect the seeds until we can put up the greenhouse. So now we have sown courgettes, pumpkins, more sunflowers (to brighten up our own plot too!), sweet peas, nasturtiams and four different varieties of lettuce! We still need to plant up the strawberry pot and on Friday we will be digging to level up and prepare raised beds ready for onions next week.

We also started more beans in the sprouter - this time chick peas, fennugreek and alfalfa to see how they taste on Friday! Also, look out for an article in the North Star this Friday about the sunflower competition.

Sunflower Competition Gets Underway

2010-04-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

Pupils came today to the drama studio and planted sunflower seeds into our home-made modules. This is the start of the competition. We have watered them in and will now wait for them to appear! People also enjoyed tasting our first batch of sprouted beans - consensus was that the nuttier tasting aduki beans were favourites though the mung beans went down well too! Earlier in the week, we constructed our strawberry tub. We hope to plant it up next Monday.

Return after Easter Break

2010-04-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately there was some vandalism on the plot before the Easter break, so we decided to move to a different spot! This means we are "back to square one" in some ways and there is a lot of work ahead. Our spirits are not dimmed however - tomorrow we plant potatoes into bags so that will be two crops "in the ground". This term will be very busy now the weather is warmer.

Also next Wednesday we launch our "Sunflower Growing competition". Twenty pupils (first come first served) can come to the drama studio at 1.20pm and pay £1 to plant a Giant Sunflower seed and write their name on a big pot. We will take care of the seedlings and plant them into the big pots in June when they will be put on display at Frank Nicol's garden centre in Dingwall. Anyone can visit to see them growing, and guess which will grow the tallest (and how tall it will be!) The pupil with the tallest flower in September will win a cash prize whilst the person who guesses the closest height wins a £20 voucher to spend in the garden centre. All money raised will go towards buying a goat for a family in Africa through the "Oxfam Unwrapped" scheme - so please go along to join in the fun!

Tools Appeal: We believe in "recycle, re-use" so if anyone has any unwanted garden tools or equipement that you think might be useful to us, please contact the school or send an email to susan.swallow@dingwallacademy.highland.sch.uk. Below is a "wish list" of things that we currently need to give you some idea!

Wheelbarrows, rakes, spades, forks, water butts, guttering, chicken wire, pots. Feel free to email if you have anything you think we might like - even seeds and plants too! Many thanks in advance.

First crop planted!

2010-03-24T13:37:00.000-07:00

Today we planted our first crop outdoors - garlic. We look forward to getting more produce into the ground after the Easter break.

False start with the composting!!

2010-03-16T14:37:00.000-07:00

Well, on Monday, Lewis and Alexander forgot to go and collect the bucket from the canteen! Tuesday - Hannah turned up, but the canteen staff had not expected anyone so did not save any kitchen waste - sorry for that Hannah! Wednesday Ashleigh, Vicky and Alessandra nailed three pallets together to make another compost heap - and Miss Swallow collected the kitchen waste! Thursday Ashleigh remembered to collect it and is pictured here putting it into the bin - well done! Unfortunately today (Friday) Charlene and Bethany (ususally very reliable) completely forgot as well!! So I took it up myself again - come one guys, you must remember next week!

Now Composting Canteen Waste!

2010-03-13T10:58:00.000-08:00

This week, buckets arrived - with lids and handles. We gave two to the canteen staff to put any raw kitchen waste into. We have a rota to make sure it gets collected every day, and put into our newly erected compost bin. Watch this space to see it in action next week!

Meanwhile, our peas and beans are coming along nicely in the greenhouse (need to start off more) and the strawberries have taken well in the pots until we plant them outside (pictured below).

During our meeting on Wednesday 10th March, we constructed a hexagonal compost bin, carried tyres up to the site and also took posession of a new 6by4 feet greenhouse kindly bought for us by Lewis and Hannah's grandfather. We look forward to inviting him back soon to help us plant our first seeds in there! Thankyou so much Mr MacKenzie!

Emergency Meeting!

2010-03-07T12:50:00.001-08:00

At short notice, on Friday 5th March we had a meeting to deal with a delivery of 30 strawberry plants! They needed potting up so that they would not dry out over the weekend. Thanks goes to Alexander in S2 and Rosie, Alice and Ashleigh from S3 pictured here.

Getting ready for spring

2010-03-07T12:47:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday 3rd March, Mrs Kendall from CDT showed us how we should go about digging blocks in and levelling them in order to put our shed up when the ground thaws! After all, we don't want it to be lopsided!

First Seeds Sown!

2010-02-06T06:31:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday 3rd February, we sowed our first seeds of the year! We used a wooden "pot maker" to mould small pots out of strips of newspaper. We started with broad beans and several varieties of pea and will sow more next week and the week after so that we can harvest over a longer period of time. Whilst the weather remains wintry, we are keeping them in the science greenhouse so they can get a good head start!

Raffle Winners Announced!

2010-01-17T06:13:00.001-08:00

On Wednesday 13th January we drew out two lucky winners for our raffle. They were Mr Patterson from Business & Computing and Mrs Leiper from Learning Support. Now we have to grow something tasty for them as their prize is a box of organic produce in the summer!! The raffle raised £56 towards our dream shed!! We now have enough to afford it - hooray!

Photos - Raised beds and soil

2009-12-19T12:55:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday 16th Dec 2009 David Locket brought us a trailer full of soil to put in our raised beds. We bought the raised beds from the Greenhouse shop in Dingwall and also won their latest competition. Below, Dave Lynch from the shop presents us with our prize of £250 towards the club!

Upcoming competition and events

2009-12-04T04:03:00.000-08:00

We need to raise £100 towards the purchase of a new shed. This is essential for us to store equipment and also work on the allotment even when it's raining! Click to hear our podcast about upcoming events for fundraising before the Christmas holidays!

Also, please feel free to leave any comments about what you think of us creating an allotment and any ideas or suggestions you might have for us!

Next Steps

2009-12-04T03:47:00.001-08:00

There is actually a lot for us to do to get a garden up and going.

We had our first meeting on Wednesday 18th November and talked about what to call the Gardening Group and what we would like to grow etc.

The following Wednesday (25th November 09) we planted up the barrels outside the front of the school with a mixture of bulbs - they should give good colour (tulips and daffodils) and scent (blue hyacinths) in the spring. The weather was horrible! Wet and windy, but we persevered!
On Wednesday 2nd December 09, we collected leaves from under the tree on the bank behind the school building. We have stored them ready to put into a leafmold pile for composting. They will need to rot down for two years before they'll be ready to use!

This Wednesday (9th December) we plan to start laying out raised beds ready for a delivery of topsoil next week!

How the club started

2009-12-04T02:25:00.000-08:00

It started with a group of pupils from the Eco group. We enjoyed planting bulbs around the school to improve our own environment in the spring and asked a simple question: "Why can't we have some raised beds and just plant some vegetables?"

Miss Swallow agreed to find out if we could get some raised beds and very quickly it was decided that we would meet to plan things and get started. We now meet every Wednesday lunchtime and new members are welcome.