New Year New Challenges

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  We returned from our Christmas break to experience very high wind.  The tree branches overhanging the poly-tunnels are something of a worry as they could fall and crush the structures!  We are thrilled that Duncan Wight of Trees R Us came to look at them and is happy to come in when they are next in the area to clear them for us!  

THANK YOU so much!  This is something we could not do ourselves and it will make the garden a safer place.  The S4 class hope to see them action so watch this space for more!

Talking of high wind, this is the small shed that B&Q donated to us :(  We need to landscape between the poly-tunnels so we can put it up and treat it.

In the meantime we have now stacked it more securely off the ground so it won't get blown around again.

We've only been back a week, but have been busy!  Here, Ryan and Ross are cutting plants that have died back for the winter.

Weeding too provides material for the compost heap :)

 

Some stems make good hardwood cuttings - wild rose here - so we can get plants for free next year.

They will sprout new roots and start to bud in spring.

The S2 class has almost put the last of the 2000 or so crocus bulbs into pots! 

Many are already showing shoots in pots outside

We are still retrieving seeds from their dried pods to keep for sowing in spring.  These are runner beans...

...and french climbing beans.

Before the holidays we also got two sacks of spring bulbs into the wildlife area.  This will provide colour in spring.

We took delivery of a consignment of trees and hedging plants - some for the Memorial Garden project.  We healed them in and put netting over to stop rabbits nibbling them.  (An ongoing job is laying rabbit wire on the bank in the woodland on the outside of our fence to stop them burrowing under our own fencing).

Merry Christmas and Thank You!

After a fabulously busy last week at school we have made it to the holidays.  There has been so much going on at the Academy this term - you might like to take a look at an entertaining video here:
Million Dreams video 

In the Garden we have had an amazing term.  Here are a few of our milestones:

• Our Awards Ceremony attended by dignitaries including Beechgrove Garden’s Jim McColl
• A showing of the pupil’s Halloween Movie attended by staff
• Planting crocus bulbs with Rotary and the Interact group for their End Polio campaign 
• Harvesting and looking after the garden
• Keeping the RIDAN hot composter going
• Working with Jo  a professional garden designer helping to design the Memorial Garden space
• Having our Memorial garden funding bid go to a public vote
• Making Christmas Gift Bags for gardeners (to sell to staff)!

We would like to thank ALL who contributed in any way whether it be buying produce, attending events, helping out or voting for us to win the £1000 from Corra foundation.  Your contribution and encouragement goes a very long way!

Personally I would also like to thank all my colleagues and my wonderful pupils who have brought the gardening courses to life with your efforts and ideas - you brighten my days and keep me on my toes!  I hope you all have a lovely holiday and recharge your batteries ready for more gardening and learning in 2019.

Memorial Garden Funding bid Result!

Drum roll...and the winner is...

ELLON ACADEMY!

Click here to see the Corra Foundation announcement

As you will be aware we have had two weeks of public voting for our Memorial Garden project.  We are very happy to announce that we won the Corra Foundation "Kindness" category so a huge THANK YOU to everyone who registered a vote! 

It was a real team effort.  We had votes coming in from all over the UK, Canada, China, France and Norway (and they're the ones we're aware of!).  It is wonderful that so many people thought the Memorial Garden is a worthwhile project.  

This means we will be awarded £1,000 to help get us started.  Watch this space to see how things develop in future!

LetsChangeThat - Please vote for us!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS0Qp_23EWA

This week our £1000 funding application goes live for public voting.

Voting closes at the end of next week.

This money would help with the Memorial Garden reflective space in our TEAM-CG project (The Ellon Academy Memorial Community Garden).

Please take 3 and a half minutes to watch our video to see what we are aiming for and if you like it VOTE FOR US and feel free to spread the link to friends, family, colleagues - anyone who you think would be interested to help!

Click here or on the picture above to watch the video and vote for us.  Thank You!

Planting Crocus bulbs to End Polio!

On Friday 1st November the Interact group joined the EAGer Bunch to plant crocus bulbs into pots. Local Rotarian Edwin Duncan (centre) joined in.  

The bulbs were donated by Rotary as part of their End Polio Now campaign.

There was a great turnout...

...and we got many bulbs planted.

Thank you to the S4 boys for helping out and for everyone who joined in!  Keep an eye on the blog to see the purple flowers in the plant theatre next spring :)

Ellon Academy Garden of Horror!!!

There were spooky goings-on in the garden this Halloween Wednesday!

Pupils put on a showing of their "Ellon Academy Garden of Horror" Movie.

They worked hard to create posters and decorate the poly-tunnel with "spook-tacular" items...

...and invited staff to come and watch!

The event was great fun and many staff came to enjoy the show

It was a cold afternoon so we served them hot pumpkin soup first - home-made of course (thanks to the S2 boys)!

Mr Wilson came to see the S4 boys again, and was happy to don an apron and help with pop-corn!  Thank You Mr Wilson :)

He also had a little helper - Alice!  

We had lots of produce for sale...

 and the boys served drink and chocolate treats in the shed.

Everyone put on their "scary" faces!

A huge thank you to Mrs Nicholson for working with the boys to edit the movie and add fabulous sound effects!

Folks bought lots of freshly harvested produce...

and enjoyed the atmosphere.

We then invited everyone to take their seeds for the movie!

Afterwards, the stars were willing to be photographed with some of the guests!

Thank you to all who attended - as well as having great fun, we raised £21 (with a couple of IOUs still to come!) so that is great for our garden project!

Enjoying Garden Produce

We continue to harvest edible crops in the warm weather.

Here Ryan is washing potatoes (luxury eh?!) and sorting out produce boxes for staff.

Lewis harvests tomatoes...

...along with peppers and herbs to make pitta-bread pizzas.

There has been a lot of activity to tidy the place as winter approaches.  Collecting runner beans both to eat...

...and to collect seeds from the drier pods.

We've been continuing to weed the borders...

...and top them up with more soil.

The S2 class have started sowing broad beans...

for an early crop in spring.

The S4 class have also been learning how to split and divide perennial plants.  

This is a great way to keep them healthy whilst gaining more plants for free ☺

They topped up the new "long border"...

...dug in some fresh compost from our RIDAN hot composter...

...and planted the new plants into it.

It is important to water them really well to make sure moist soil is washed around the roots of the plants.  If the roots sit in an air pocket, they will die and the plant will suffer.

Talking of plants for free, S2 pupils have been learning how to take cuttings from the laurel bushes around the school campus.

They should take care of themselves in the ground over the winter and start to grow bigger in spring when we can transplant them somewhere else.

In other news, we CAUGHT A RABBIT!!  IN THE GARDEN!!  Oh dear, after three years they have worked out that they can dig into the steep bank in the woods behind the garden and burrow under our rabbit wire.  We released this little one and...

...cut some short lengths of new wire to put over the fresh holes in the woodland.  In time, we might have to lay wire along the whole length of the bank to prevent them getting in again - something of a mammoth task!

Talking of mammoth tasks, the council guys came in to clear all the weeds from the walled area.  It looks SO much better!  This will make it easier to develop into a reflective garden next year.

They were also happy to take away the old broken-down picnic bench and pallets to help tidy things up.

We break up this week for our October half term holidays.  So to everyone involved in the garden project - enjoy a restful break and re-charge your batteries ready for more hard work when we return!  Thank YOU too for visiting this blog and taking an interest in TEAM CG - The Ellon Academy Memorial Community Garden!