GARDENING No summer break for the school garden

FORWARD THINKING?Plan now for summer tasks in the school veg patch.

No summer break for the school garden


Growning
Hans Wieland

Soon ‘School’s out for summer’ but what about the school garden? Better be organised during the summer months and be able to enjoy the garden and the produce on returning in September.
At the Organic Centre, we’ve been working with schools for more than ten years, and have picked up some great tips. Hope you find them useful.
First things first: The burning question is who will be looking after the garden in July and August? What was probably a daunting task in the early years of school gardening has become much easier. Where once there was the odd dedicated teacher, lonely parent or not-so-enthusiastic caretaker, in many towns and cities nowadays there is an army out there who can provide support: Community gardeners, allotment holders, garden clubs and the newly arrived GIY (Grow It Yourself) groups and volunteers, and not to forget SEED – our own established national network of organic centres.
It’s a matter of calling for help, establish a rota for checking, weeding and pest control and, in case of a heat wave, watering.
Don’t forget about harvesting. July and August are the months to enjoy the fruit of your labour. We simply can’t leave everything until September! Radishes would become woody and some lettuce plants might go to seed. The garden is not in holiday mood in the summer. We suggest to sitting down before the start of the holidays and talking it through. A few hours a week, or at least one visit per week, is all that is needed to keep on top of things.
Beware if you have a polytunnel, though! Opening and closing every day and watering every second day is essential. Whoever is in charge of that important task deserves a few extra cherry tomatoes, or a bunch of grapes in September.

Jobs to do before the summer break

• Etarth up potatoes – as the leaves grow, cover up the stalks and leaves with soil or compost so the baby potatoes (tubers) don’t get exposed to the light and go green, which can make you a little sick. Also, the more soil you put on them, the more potatoes you’ll have! Potatoes like a lot of water while they are growing – bear in mind if there’s no rain.
• Make a bean support for the beans to climb up on – for example, a tepee with bamboo sticks, or just two sticks tied together. Sow three runner beans at each pole.
• Mulch strawberries with straw. Strawberries love to have nice fresh, straw put all around each plant (Don’t put the straw on top of them though as you will block out the light and they will die). The straw keeps them warm and keeps the strawberries off the ground and so they won’t rot. It’s how strawberries got their name!
• Every week you need to watch out for pests and do some weeding – this applies for all the holiday weeks as well. The main pests that will eat your plants are slugs, cabbage root fly, flea beetle (if the weather’s very dry) and caterpillars from cabbage white butterfly. Set up a ‘slug patrol unit’, who will check your garden every morning or lunchtime for slugs that may be hiding. They come out at night to munch on the vegetables, and find somewhere dark in the morning to sleep for the day – that’s the time to find them and throw them away for the birds, frogs and hedgehogs. Keep an eye out for caterpillars also eating your cabbages. Pick them off and leave them somewhere for the birds to eat.
• To help stop weeds from growing and taking food and water from your vegetables, mulch around the vegetables with grass clippings. This will also provide the vegetables with extra nourishment (nitrogen).
• Thin carrots, parsnips, turnips and radishes. If they are growing in a bunch together, they won’t have enough room to develop into good size vegetables. Carefully remove the smaller ones and leave the bigger ones to grow on. Put the thinned out seedlings into the compost as they don’t like to be transplanted, or eat them if they are big enough … baby carrots are delicious!
• Sow winter vegetable seeds indoors in pots: brussels sprouts, kale, sprouting broccoli, winter, spring cabbage.
• Plant out pumpkins and courgettes (after hardening off), about one metre apart.
• Have a end-of-school-year garden party with sweet garden peas ready to eat! If you planted radishes and salads they should be ready now for eating. Treat everyone to a tasty salad.

Hans Wieland is training manager at The Organic Centre, Rossinver, Co Leitrim, which offers courses, training and information on organic growing and cooking, and runs an Eco Shop and an online gardening store. For more information or to download the centre’s free 2013 Course Programme and Seed Catalogue, visit www.theorganiccentre.ie.
Gardening questions or comments? Feel free to contact Hans at living@mayonews.ie.