Week 4   17 March

Excellent gardening weather today - sunny and dry. Activities were mainly outside. As is customary, we started with healthy snacks, then the children were divided into their groups. 
Today's activities were potato planting, sowing peas in tubs for salad sprouts, working on the strawberry beds, digging out compost, and harvesting ingredients for the cookery session.

The seed potatoes had been set up to 'chit' (sprout) in the first session. As everyone knows (or maybe doesn't know) this is to give them a head start, encouraging quicker growth and earlier crops. It's quite early for planting potatoes due the threat of frosts, but we had decided to bring the planting forward due to to the excellent weather. If a frost is forecast when they come out, we need to remember to cover them.

This photo is from week 1. By week 4, the sprouts have grown (disappointingly, not by much, because it's been quite cold, but they are ok for planting). 

Some rows had already been dug in the potato bed. Now all we had to do was add some manure, plant the seed potatoes, then cover them over with soil. The children were divided into the various jobs. First, some manure was then forked into the row. This is to 'feed' the potatoes and helps them to grow. The 'planters' were then given a measuring stick so the the potatoes could be spaced equally apart (30cm). Then the potatoes were covered over with soil. The children worked hard, did a great job, and the first row was completed in super-quick time. The potato shoots should be peeping out in a few weeks - probably four or five weeks we hope - if the weather doesn't go cold again. 

Here, the potatoes have just been been planted, and we are covering them with soil.

More peas were sown in tubs in the polytunnel (the ones sown last week are already peeping through). The mustard seeds we sowed in tissue paper in week 1 have also done well - the seedlings are now large enough for salad use or garnish. 

Outside work also included digging out compost and transporting it to the beds; and placing some wood chips between the rows of strawberries. Thyme, artichokes and broccoli were harvested for today's cookery session.

Purple sprouting broccoli, freshly picked

 Just picked some thyme for today's recipe

 Recipes at the cookery session included potato and celeriac mash with garlic, Jerusalem artichoke and purple sprouting broccoli flavoured with thyme, and French beans tied with chives. A lot of chopping and preparation (and patience) was involved. The children worked with great care. Result: a range of tasty and healthy vegetable dishes to accompany a meal, including ingredients grown in the garden.

Tying the beans with chives

To take home

Visit https://www.facebook.com/Loverslanecommunitygarden to see more pictures, activities and descriptions of this week's cookery session.

Today's extra bit:
These are some great photos of earlier weeks, just received:

In the polytunnel - learning about composting - sorting what is and isn't compostable - week 1

Choosing vegetables for the cookery session

Picking herbs and salad crops

Bean sowing team           at work >

Harvesting broccoli in the polytunnel for the cookery session

< The results of cooking the purple sprouting broccoli. Interestingly, when it's cooked, the purple turns dark green like this. It's full of vitamins and goodness.

Week 3   10 March

On arrival, the children added the composting materials they had collected to the compost heap. After enjoying healthy snacks and drinks, they were divided into their groups.

Due to running out of time at previous sessions we decided not to do the planned treasure hunt game and concentrate on gardening activities. These were:

1. Preparing and planting up the 'square foot garden'. The children were introduced to the square foot garden. After choosing their plot, they prepared the soil by raking and adding compost, and transplanted coriander and rocket seedlings and onion sets. 
2. Sowing peas (for salad pea spouts). The peas had been soaked overnight to aid germination. The peas were sown in large plantpots filled with compost. 
3. Gathering coriander leaves for today's recipe (Chickpea Balti and Indian flatbread).

The children were very engaged with the activities and we found ourselves running out of time again. We had also decided to set off earlier for the cookery session, as each week it has run over, and more time is needed. 

The cookery session went very well...

Followed by a game....

The children were able to take away Chickpea Balti and flatbreads they had helped to prepare and make...

During the project, the eldest child involved has been keeping a diary of his expeirences. Here is Angus' take on Dig for Dinner thus far...

Angus' Diary Entry #1

First, we met at Mrs Shovlin's classroom and walked down to the Community Garden. When we arrived, we met Heather, Jane, Keith (AKA Mr Potato Man) and Michael (the chef) involved in the project. We split into three groups and there were three activities to take part in - composting, harvesting and sowing. This week my group looked at methods of composting and what you can or can't put in the compost bin. Did you know your compost should be made of 50% greens and 50% browns? You can also compost egg shells! After finishing in the garden, we walked to the Methodist Hall to work with Michael. We then split into pairs and Michael taught us how to make Leek and Potato soup using a bouquet garni. We also kneaded some dough to make bread rolls. We took the food home and it was delicious. We all had a very enjoyable afternoon and week one was a resounding success!

Angus' Diary Entry #2

After a delicious snack of carrots, peppers, cucumbers, humus, cheese and chive dip and a refreshing drink we set to work in the garden. Our first task was to identify different shapes around the garden. We had to look at the shape of the leaves, the different beds and the gardening tools to find them all. After that we planted some bean seeds and covered them with soil. Then Michael took us to the poly-tunnel to harvest some rocket leaves and purple sprouting broccoli to take back to the kitchen. Once we had enough, we set off to the kitchen for the cooking task. This week we made broccoli and cheese quiche, potato salad and a spicy rocket salad. Making the pastry was good fun and they turned out really well in the end. Once again, we had a fantastic time.

Angus' Diary Entry #3

It was another glorious, sunny afternoon in the garden today. This week we were planting pea seeds as part of an experiment. Half of the seeds were soaked in water and half were dry and we planted them in a big tub. We will see which seeds have grown the quickest next week. After that it was time to dig out the wheelbarrows and spread some compost. We emptied it into a bed and raked it out so it is ready for planting next week. After that we went to the shed to learn about planting potatoes in a dustbin and we harvested some quinoa grains. We also cut some coriander leaves to take back to the kitchen. Our cooking challenge this week was a curry. Using the quinoa and coriander, we created a huge pot of Chick Pea Balti and some aromatic Indian flatbreads. The smell was fantastic and a good time was once again had by all.

 

Week 2  3 March

On arrival, approximately 3.40pm, the children enjoyed healthy snacks and fruit juice provided. The first activity was a treasure hunt game - 'Shapes', in which everyone took part. The task was to find things in the garden which were different shapes and write them down on the sheet provided. Some of the shapes were quite challenging but the children really surprised us with their powers of observation, and most managed to complete the list. There were some interesting and original answers. One team, judged to have found the best answers, were rewarded with a prize of mini Easter eggs. Here is the worksheet they were given:

During the week, the groups had chosen their names. These are:

• Sweet Potatoes
• Star Fruit
• Peas

The main activities (as last week, divided into sowing, composting and harvesting) were:

• sowing broad bean seeds outside in the peas and beans bed. The children really enjoyed working the soil and sowing the seeds, and did a very neat job. It will probably take a couple of weeks for the seeds to germinate - the soil has been quite cold recently, so some slightly warmer weather would be welcome.
• composting - sorting what is/what is not compostable. The children were also given a composting bag to take home. (Last week's composting group had brought theirs back full of compostable items collected at home - these were added to the compost heap).
• selecting and harvesting vegetables for today's cookery session (broccoli and Birdoswald cheese quiche, with a potato and leaf salad).  

The mustard that was sown in week 1 is coming on really well. We meant to show the group, but unfortunately forgot. It's on the list for the next session. It's nearly big enough to cut and eat.   

Grown on tissue paper/kitchen roll

In compost

 
The activities kept the children busy throughout, and once again the time went quickly. It was soon 4.30, and time to walk across to the Methodist Hall to prepare and cook today's meal. 

There is a nice snapshot video of the cookery session on the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Loverslanecommunitygarden, but unfortunately, we don't have any photos of the garden activities/participation. Must try and take some next week. If anybody has any from this or other sessions and willing for them to be used on the blog, please let us know.

Next week, it is planned to get the children outside in the garden more (providing the weather is suitable). There are a number of digging, weeding and tidying jobs to do. We also put some seed peas to soak last week, and these should be ready to sow in pots. Once they get growing, it's hoped these will provide a continuous crop of pea shoots for salad use. Also, a 'square foot' garden (below) has been constructed in the polytunnel: this provides a miniature garden per each child.

They will prepare the soil by adding and mixing in some compost, then will transplant various seedlings into their 'square foot'. Seedlings are unfortunately hard to come by at this time of the year, but we have found a few growing in the polytunnel, such as coriander and rocket, and are also planning to plant some onion sets and garlic. It might look similar to this in a few weeks (we hope):

 
Another job is to pot the strawberry plants which have overwintered in the polytunnel: the children can take them home and look after them and see how they progress. 

Then, produce needs to be chosen and harvested for the cookery session. That's usually decided on the day. After that, if there's enough time left, some beds need to be cleared of last year's expired crops. We then have another 'treasure hunt' sheet lined up, in the unlikely event we run out of things to do.