Week+5

Week 5 has been a week of planting and seed sowing.

Last Monday I borrowed Mr Hannon’s trailer and bought in six bales of lucerne hay. The Monday gardening group helped to build a small propagation house from the bales. We used a heavy duty plastic sheet over the top of the house which has kept the rain out and helped keep the warm humid air in our house. This moist warm zone within this propagation house is just what our new tomato and lettuce seeds need to germinate and grow to become little plants.

Last Wednesday Mr Hannon worked in the garden with the Wednesday garden club and they planted three different types of olive trees along the back corner of the garden. As these olive trees mature they will offer lovely shade to our chicken house once built.

Olives can be used in so many ways these days; here are three uses of the fruit - 1/ Olive oil, 2/ Olive soap and 3/ Olive oil hand cream. Can you think of other uses for this wonderful fruit?

Last Friday it poured with rain all through the lunchtime garden club. Four of our keen gardeners kept working outdoors, filling the raised beds with soil until the thunder overhead was too scary and we all took cover in our tiny sheds. It was an amazing time to be out in the garden. Some of us felt fearful and others laughed and made comment that we should have had our water tanks already in place to collect the wonderful flow of rain.

All three garden club groups are now working in the garden understanding that they need to listen and follow instructions clearly. We have learnt to watch out for each other and lend a hand to help another student if a task is too difficult for one person to do alone. I have seen lots of laughter and I am hopeful that you are all enjoying your time in your garden.

Happy Gardening, Sue