HORTICULTURE CENTRE

The rain fell in great bucket loads, and it stayed warm; the vegetables grew at an alarming rate. The boys enjoyed eating carrots, very long runner beans, and crunch sweetcorn well into November when the first signs of winter froze the ground and water pipes. The milder autumn kept the squirrels in the woods, allowing the pupils to taste our first apple harvest. We had 6 crunchy, sweet, and juicy apples to share. Sliced up, we all had a little treat. 

The pupils find the garden area a calming space and like to watch the birds, so we made apple bird feeders using windfall apples and sunflower seeds. Robins, bluetits, blackbirds, and a wren have visited us. We researched Robins and found that the young birds are speckled and don't have red breasts until adulthood.

Our winter veg is growing well, and the pupils like to eat the curly kale, but they are not so keen on sprouts!

The polytunnel has been a great space to get creative. We have gathered evergreens from the school woods, and some of the younger pupils have made beautiful table arrangements to share at home. We used some smaller Holly leaves to press into clay to make decorations. Once dry, the pupils painted them carefully to hang them on trees at home.