Junior School Gardening Competition Launch

The beginning of this term has seen the launch of the Class Gardening Competition!

All classes have been issued with the following challenge: You have 12 weeks to grow something edible in the raised beds in the environmental area!

At the moment the beds all look very similar. A few left over onions and garlic from last year's crop and a few weeds.

But if you look carefully over the fence

you may notice some changes occurring over the next few weeks.

During the first week of term each class was issued with their starter growing kits and suddenly there was a certain keenness to head for the Outdoor Learning Area to try to decide which of the eight beds had the best growing potential.

Which bed would get the most sunlight? Which had the best soil? And which had the scariest crop of weeds to be removed before any planting could be done?

It was agreed that once a Class marker had been planted it could not be uprooted and by the end of the week each class had claimed their plot.

Now the planning stages could begin. Staff and children alike have developed an interest in talking to family members about their gardening experiences and getting ideas. Super Salads, Edible Flowers, Supports for Climbing plants and the best compost to use are not subjects that we would usually expect to hear discussed around school before this term but an element of competition seems to have crept into the garden!

Mr Cato is helping by rebuilding the bottle greenhouse with a wheelbarrow store and a cold frame section for our growing plants and seedlings.

There have been a lot of visitors to the Outdoor Learning Area this week with a combination of whole classes, small groups with parents and lone parents tackling the initial weeding of the beds and we are really looking forward to seeing how the Vegetable Beds will develop over the next few weeks.

If you have a school DBS and would like to help with a class garden do contact the school office, your class rep or your class teacher. 

If you have any spare seeds or seedlings, compost or garden twine left over from your own garden or allotment they would all be gratefully received. Items can be sent in with children or dropped off at the school office but please check with your class teacher first if possible.

Thank you to Mrs Coleman for organising and launching this competition and thank you to everyone who is helping and supporting this project.

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Class Gardening Competition Details 
CSG Junior School Transform your class gardening bed and win your child’s class a picnic! 

Your child’s class has 12 weeks to grow something edible! 

Can you help? Plant, nurture and protect! If you have any time available to come and prepare your child’s class garden bed, plant seeds, maintain growth or transfer seedlings please contact the office. 

Each class will need at least one volunteer helper. 

The class garden beds are in the environmental area and need to be ready by the 13th July 2018 for judging to take place the following week.

Each class will have a small plant ready to plant in their beds straight away, giving them a sure start! There will also be seeds to plant in small trays to keep in the classroom or in the greenhouse which will need to be transferred once they are hardy enough (see packet guidelines). 

Of course, children, parents, teachers are welcome to supplement this pack in any way they wish! E.g. providing more vegetable plants, creating signs or decorative items… 

Judging criteria: An edible food item grown and cared for from seed or young plant within the Summer term. If you harvest your food item before the judging date please keep it or photograph it as evidence! 

Maintenance of garden - tidy and well kept. How will you ensure the vegetables grow? Protection - how will you stop the vegetables from being eaten? 

Community participation - children must experience looking after the garden along with help from parents and class adults 

Clear theme - name your garden. Be creative! Will the judges be able to see what the theme of your garden is? 

Relevance of décor items.