Harvest time!

There is a lot for us to do as we return to the garden.  We roll up our sleeves and get started!

It’s harvest time!  We have been busy picking grapes and tomatoes (and tasting them of course!)

William and Harry collected onions…

…several trays of them…

…which we put out to dry.

The Junior Enjance Provision class started digging potatoes

Lots of red ones!

Meanwhile, William and Cara helped clear up some damage from Storm Floris during the holidays.

They soon had the path clear!

The S4 class have also started to cut back and clear plants covering the other paths. 

Quinn uses shears to cut hardy geraniums.

Rotary Presentations

 

A huge thank you to Ellon Rotary who held a presentation ceremony giving out funding to many local charities and groups today.  Above you can see Mrs Murray (left) collecting £500 towards sensory equipment to create a nurture space for supporting pupils.  Mrs Murdoch, Mrs Quantrill and her daughter (centre) were awarded £500 for the library to help with future workshops involving a journalist, an illustrator and an author.  Miss Swallow (right) gratefully received £500 towards the garden project so we will be able to afford timber to maintain the sheds and raised beds, bird food, peat free compost and seeds next spring.

Richard Fox gave a summary of the many and varied projects that the Rotary supported today. 

Planting , maintaining, repairing!

On Wednesday Kyle Lawrence and Kody planted a beautiful cherry tree in the Memorial Garden.  It was gifted to us by Mrs Buchan on her retirement.

The hole was started by the S1 team as it needed to be deep and the ground is very stony! 

Last Friday the Interact Group who work with Rotary sowed lots of sunflower seeds.  Once germinated, the seedlings will be planted out during the activity days.

Onions…

potatoes…

broad and runner beans…

 

sweet peas and tomatoes have all been planted,

after a great deal of preparation!

William helped fill the water bottles for seedlings in the polytunnel.

Kody has now clad the first side of the small shed to ensure it lasts many years.

Other jobs have included cutting back roses, fixing a rotten gatepost and renewing pallets under the IBC tank to keep it safe.  Thanks to Mr Pate and Mr Higgins for providing muscle power for that!

Miss Swallow is off until after the summer holidays so the garden is in the hands of the ASL department, library volunteers, other staff volunteers and Gordon Park Nursery so I look forward to returning to a well weeded and nurtured garden! 😁🌻🥔🥕🍅🧅🧄

Work continues in earnest

Pupils have continued to work hard preparing for the summer season - both during classes and at lunchtime.

We are weeding and mulching the beds ready for crops.

Cara has turned this…

…into this…

…and also swept the polytunnel…

…whilst William and Skye helped tidy dead pots from past years.

Kody, Kyle and Lawrence have continued to learn about the mowers and cut the grass

William has used the chipper…

…to chop our “stick pile” up for covering soil between plants.

We’ve also had some fun in the garden playing giant jenga

…and connect four!

Ellon Timber delivered more building materials for us.

Meanwhile, Miss Swallow has managed to turn this…

…into this!  That’s the last bits of path finished at last (just 8 years or so after we started them all!)

Kody is also restoring his plant stand so that we can have a herb garden in pots this year :) 

Thanks to everyone for your hard work and enthusiasm so far - keep it up and the garden should look great this summer!