making cold frames (thanks Euan!)...
shifting topsoil (thanks Michael!)...
...and planting out more crops.
The EAGer Bunch meet every Friday lunchtime. We aim to build a garden where we can grow lots of edible produce and encourage wildlife with flowers and habitat boxes. We hope to enjoy eating the food we grow and sell some to help us buy more seeds. This blog will also keep you up to date with the Memorial Garden project and other Horticultural events around Ellon Academy. We hope you enjoy it - become a follower and feel free to join in by making comments!
Friday 23 June 2017
Pick n Mix and Plants for Sale
making cold frames (thanks Euan!)...
shifting topsoil (thanks Michael!)...
...and planting out more crops.
Saturday 10 June 2017
Staff BBQ raises funds for the garden :)
On Thursday 8th May, we held a BBQ for staff to attend at lunch time.
We had a great turnout and raised over £100 for the garden through entrance fees, plant sales and orders for hanging baskets. A huge thanks to all those who attended and contributed, Gosia and Jo for letting us use their BBQs and to Sheila and Elaine for stepping in to cook once things got going!
Also a big thank you goes to the musicians who entertained staff as they wandered the garden and browsed the plant sale table.
It was a hectic day getting everything ready and we were extremely lucky with the weather. Gales and rain the day before, and rain at 3pm just as we finished packing up! In between was cloudy but dry with a sunny morning to prepare.
Just the day before, we were still adding finishing touches to things - painting a cold frame...
...extending the path a little further...
...putting up signs painted by Mr Richardson's Wider Achievement Program group...
...sweeping and generally tidying. Still so much more to do!
We served freshly picked home-grown salad (lettuce, radish, rocket, spinach and nasturtium flowers) with some cucumber and tomatoes.
We started 15 minutes before the lunch bell - cooking for forty people!
After lunch, the canteen staff came out to see what we are growing in the garden. It was great to have so many folk come out to see the development of the garden space.
Wednesday 7 June 2017
Wider Achievement Program - Three days of garden building!
For three days from Wednesday 31st May to Friday the 2nd June, pupils and staff worked tirelessly in the garden as part of the Wider Achievement Program (WAP). We made wonderful progress with many jobs completed.
DAY1
Both the shed and a cold frame were treated.
The weed barrier was lifted in our wildlife area...
...
and the dying grass covered with topsoil
The two "Ross"es then sowed a wild flower mix and watered it in.
The hose pipe was set up to fill all the water butts and whilst it was in the garden, all the plants got a good drink!
Ross then topped up all the potato bags...
...whilst others started shifting the last of the pile of topsoil
Abbie and Kaci made loads of paper pots...
..whilst others helped fix a raised bed into place for more topsoil.
We used long screws to secure it to posts in the ground.
During the afternoon, they made another raised bed from 3 by 2 inch timbers.
Saw, hammer and nails allowed us to create this.
Jamie helps to assemble the pieces
Earlier in the week, Euan laid the foundations for the long path adjacent to the polytunnel to be started.
He also built several cold frames...
...using sterling board
He was not deterred by a rain storm, he set up in the shed to finish it
Dr Cruickshank and his team made great progress with the path on day 1
Meanwhile, Mrs Mair and her group planted up two half barrels.
At the end of the day, Ellon Timber delivered a bulk bag of sand and more timber to keep us going!
DAY 2
Mrs Murray and Jamie started the day weeding the fruit bushes
Then three of them started to fix bird netting onto the outside of the fruit cage.
Mrs Russell, Mrs Dilworth and Mrs Davidson pitched in with Callum and others to continue shifting topsoil into the new raised bed.
Mrs Cudak organised Ross and Ross to plant up ALL the hanging baskets - well done you three; amazing work!
They added water retaining gel into the compost and watered the plants in.
A team of boys took it in turns to work with Miss Swallow preparing the ground for more slabs...
...and wheel-barrowing sand and slabs to the site.
At lunchtime, Ross sanded an old bench to start restoring it and Euan continued to build cold frames.
In the afternoon, Mrs Russell commandeered helpers to clear the compound of sawdust for the RIDAN to tidy the place up.
Thank you everyone for a hard day's work!
DAY 3
Mrs Murray started the day with two boys building another raised bed :)
Mr Richardson's WAP group created a variety of artworks for the garden. Here, colourful flowers for the fence...
...and a totem pole to brighten the bean wigwam
Shifting topsoil was a continuing theme through the three days!
Mrs Cudak and Ross sow flower seeds into the paper pots and salad seeds into beds both outside and in the polytunnel
Ross helps Mrs Russell set up for a BBQ later.
After break, everyone came together to open the box with the brand new "pop up gazebo" inside.
We worked as a team to erect it...
..."one, two...
...three!"
Then we decided we'd jumped the gun! We took it down to put the roof canvas on first...
...then hoisted it up again.
Ta-da! Keiran photographed the whole process!
Everyone went in to wash their hands for lunch. We were given extra cakes cooked by yet another Ross - thanks!
Everyone enjoyed the BBQ. We picked our own lettuce, herbs and chilli peppers to make the salad :)
Michael arrived just in time for food!
Burgers and sausages...
then chocolate melted inside bananas - mmmm!
We had another delivery of art work from Mr Richardson's WAP group - thank you guys! They will look great around the garden.
A third day of hard work - well done and thank you to all.
SUMMARY of some of the jobs:
Wild flower area sown
Fruit cage netting attached
Crops weeded
Pot men oversee everything!
Potatoes earthed up
Shed treated and half-barrels planted up
New plant labels painted...
...and others written
Bench rubbed down ready to varnish
Topsoil pile shifted...
...into newly constructed and fixed raised beds
Arty adornments delivered from other WAP pupils :)
DAY1
Both the shed and a cold frame were treated.
The weed barrier was lifted in our wildlife area...
...
and the dying grass covered with topsoil
The two "Ross"es then sowed a wild flower mix and watered it in.
The hose pipe was set up to fill all the water butts and whilst it was in the garden, all the plants got a good drink!
Ross then topped up all the potato bags...
...whilst others started shifting the last of the pile of topsoil
Abbie and Kaci made loads of paper pots...
..whilst others helped fix a raised bed into place for more topsoil.
We used long screws to secure it to posts in the ground.
During the afternoon, they made another raised bed from 3 by 2 inch timbers.
Saw, hammer and nails allowed us to create this.
Jamie helps to assemble the pieces
Earlier in the week, Euan laid the foundations for the long path adjacent to the polytunnel to be started.
He also built several cold frames...
...using sterling board
He was not deterred by a rain storm, he set up in the shed to finish it
Dr Cruickshank and his team made great progress with the path on day 1
Meanwhile, Mrs Mair and her group planted up two half barrels.
At the end of the day, Ellon Timber delivered a bulk bag of sand and more timber to keep us going!
DAY 2
Mrs Murray and Jamie started the day weeding the fruit bushes
Then three of them started to fix bird netting onto the outside of the fruit cage.
Mrs Russell, Mrs Dilworth and Mrs Davidson pitched in with Callum and others to continue shifting topsoil into the new raised bed.
Mrs Cudak organised Ross and Ross to plant up ALL the hanging baskets - well done you three; amazing work!
They added water retaining gel into the compost and watered the plants in.
A team of boys took it in turns to work with Miss Swallow preparing the ground for more slabs...
...and wheel-barrowing sand and slabs to the site.
At lunchtime, Ross sanded an old bench to start restoring it and Euan continued to build cold frames.
In the afternoon, Mrs Russell commandeered helpers to clear the compound of sawdust for the RIDAN to tidy the place up.
Thank you everyone for a hard day's work!
DAY 3
Mrs Murray started the day with two boys building another raised bed :)
Mr Richardson's WAP group created a variety of artworks for the garden. Here, colourful flowers for the fence...
...and a totem pole to brighten the bean wigwam
Shifting topsoil was a continuing theme through the three days!
Mrs Cudak and Ross sow flower seeds into the paper pots and salad seeds into beds both outside and in the polytunnel
Ross helps Mrs Russell set up for a BBQ later.
After break, everyone came together to open the box with the brand new "pop up gazebo" inside.
We worked as a team to erect it...
..."one, two...
...three!"
Then we decided we'd jumped the gun! We took it down to put the roof canvas on first...
...then hoisted it up again.
Ta-da! Keiran photographed the whole process!
Everyone went in to wash their hands for lunch. We were given extra cakes cooked by yet another Ross - thanks!
Everyone enjoyed the BBQ. We picked our own lettuce, herbs and chilli peppers to make the salad :)
Michael arrived just in time for food!
Burgers and sausages...
then chocolate melted inside bananas - mmmm!
We had another delivery of art work from Mr Richardson's WAP group - thank you guys! They will look great around the garden.
A third day of hard work - well done and thank you to all.
SUMMARY of some of the jobs:
Wild flower area sown
Fruit cage netting attached
Crops weeded
Pot men oversee everything!
Potatoes earthed up
Shed treated and half-barrels planted up
New plant labels painted...
...and others written
Paving, paving and more paving!
Bench rubbed down ready to varnish
Hanging baskets planted up
Topsoil pile shifted...
...into newly constructed and fixed raised beds
Arty adornments delivered from other WAP pupils :)
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