vast amount of support needed

[pea]

Hello,as you all know im very new to growing.You also need to know that as a parent (of three straping lads)I have involved myself with school needs.I have been quite loud at school with the need for a vegetable garden as most children do not know where there veg comes from.I have managed to become chair of our healthy schools commitee and we have passed the first govement stage.We are now trying to move on and are building three 8ft by 4ft raised beds.My problem is seasons the childen need to harvest veg but school finishes in july any suggestions as to what we should grow for a quick school time harvest.We have no poly tunnel or greenhouse and all classes need to grow.My thanks to you all Pea

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Pea, i have to say i think it is very brave of you to chair your schools healthy foods commitee.

I will leave the list of plants to someone a little wiser, but i was just thinking that a lot of vegetable plants will need quite a long growing season. So not to miss out on some varieties, would you be able to get volunteers to get them started in a greenhouse for you.
This won't have to be the case for all the veg, so the children won't miss out on the sowing side, but it will give them the advantage of being able to pick and eat a bigger selection of veg.
If you haven't got anyone able to do this for you, you could always try your local garden centers or growers, they normally like helping schools.


This is just another one of my outlandish thoughts.

[Elderflower]

Hello Pea - well done and good luck in your venture.
Is there a nearby allotment site? In my experience allotment folk are usually very supportive with both advice and practical help. There`s often a useful pool of retired folk (like me) with a little time to spare. At our site we have local schoolchildren in to plant up tomatoes etc which we then look after in our big greenhouse. They make regular visits to work on them and eventually harvest them. They also plant veg seeds to plant up at school at the right time.
Good fun is had by all!

[John]

Hello Pea
Fitting your growing plans into the school year will be quite a problem.
A few suggestions though:

First early pots, chitted on a classroom windowsill from now on, should give a good crop before July. 'Maris Bard' is well-tried favourite. Plenty of mileage in learning about the effects late frosts and how to cope with them here!

Cabbages such as 'Hispi' and the all year round 'Pyramid' can be sown early in modules and mature quickly - could be eaten at the leaf stage if necessary.

Early peas can go in from now on.

'Cut and come again' lettuces - no waiting for these to heart up.

There are lots of oriental vegetables that grow outside and mature quickly often within weeks - 'Mizuna' would be a good one to start with.

Try Swiss Chard - like spinach - it grows quickly and leaves can be pulled as needed, var. 'Bright Lights' gives a good mix of coloured leaves. Also has big seeds that are easily sown by little fingers.

Early carrots.

Too late for this coming spring but spring cabbage can be sown in early September to give plants that will overwinter and give a crop say next March/April - choose your variety carefully here.

Don't bother with radish - slugs love them and most children hate them.

Hope these few ideas are some help. Others will hopefully think of a few more.

John

PS Have you got your compost heaps organised. Council might give you some bins if you twist their arm and tell them its for a school project.

PPS You will need to give your beds a good dressing of a base fertilizer to start them off especially if you are using previously uncultivated soil.

[Primrose]

Well done for this initiative. Anything which helps to connect children with the way food is produced is a good idea. You don't say what age the children are, but although school finishes in July, I wonder whether the same children would be back at school in September and able to carry on where they left off. If this is the case, various varieties of winter squash come to mind because they could possibly be left to their own devices over the summer. Otherwise baby turnips and various salad leaves and lettuces come to mind.

[pea]

Thank you all very much for your help i am sure that my primary school will thank you to i promose to keep you all up to date with our progress.I have a allottment myself and will now post a notice on the board for extra help and to see if anyone has extra greenhouse space
thanks again
pea

[Primrose]

Another thought. How about Mouli - the long white mild radish-type root? It's a very quick grower and has a mild taste so the children could cut it up and include it in their salads or in coleslaw? And for some reason, I find it doesn't seem to be so susceptible to slugs like the ordinary red radishes are.

[John]

More thoughts!
For quick-growing onions, 'Paris Silverskin' is ideal. Though this is sold as a small white pickling onion, it can be also be used as a salad onion, when young, and for flavouring in stews etc as it matures. Sow a pinch of seed in each section of a module tray and plant out when large enough - no need to thin out.

Is there a flower bed in the school grounds that could be requisitioned for growing herbs e.g. rosemary, thyme, chives, bay etc?

John

[Mike Vogel]

I'd suggest garlic, Pea, because it can be sown in the autumn term and harvested before the end of the summer trerm. Same with broad beans. I suppose chldren don't like either.

But wouldn't the school be able to make special arrangements for the children to come in during the summer hols? Supervised,of course - health and safety and all that. It would need parental help and involvement, so you might get to work on the parent governors and/or Chair.

If you can get in during the summer, you could grow tomatoes, sowinfg and planting later than usual, so that they are producing most fruit in September.

Good luck anyway

mike

[helixdesign]

Dear Pea

Have you checked out the RHS website they have very good web pages to support schools growing veg. Also check out the learning through landscapes website they also have useful links.

Good luck

[Tigger]

Alan Titchmarsh has a charity children's gardening scheme too, and there's the Yorkshire Water gardening project for children, mentioned on page 83 of the Feb KG. Both of these have websites.

[Helenclare]

The Italian seed company sell their seeds very cheaply to school projects, try their web site for more detils.

[John]

Hello Pea
Perhaps the title to your thread could equally well refer to Mr J. Paxman's problem with M&S underwear!!!

John