Maintenance
Minimum input - maximum output
Soon I'm going to go to live in England, where is very far from the garden, and for that reason I want to give designs that can be implemented, so in a future the site can be maintained with minimal effort. A good layer of mulch over the beds protects soil life, keeps moisture and stops the weeds. Big amount of compost can be made annually with school food scraps and garden waste. Nettles also grow as a pest in spring, and this renewable resource can be use as powerful fertilizers and pest control for plants. If the school garden products are sold in the market, can generate enough economy to pay the few materials that have to be purchased every year. But what's more talented for the school is to water during the summer vacation season, when many annuals are in fruit down of the full sun, and rely needs heavily water irrigation. |
I've done a irrigation system design which according to them, they say that they can make. So far this year will be watered with watering can and the system will be implemented the next year.
Ativities program
What garden appreciates much from a gardener is dedication, so if the school encourages and organizes more activities in the garden will be reciprocally benefit, being the participants always well informed of all that is happening at the site.
That's why is good and some times necessary to have a good program of annual activities that may improve over time, mixing increasingly criteria of school with activities in the garden.
This is a very basic activities program which can be improved over the years by teachers. My intention is to give a general view to the teachers of possibilities and opportunities that their school garden offers.
This way they can have an annual pattern as a guide and focus gradually into the details, also this guide can help them in don't waste time and resources being ready for the next steps to do.
The school year begins in September, so I will begin the program of activities in the fall and complete the course till September of the next year.
That's why is good and some times necessary to have a good program of annual activities that may improve over time, mixing increasingly criteria of school with activities in the garden.
This is a very basic activities program which can be improved over the years by teachers. My intention is to give a general view to the teachers of possibilities and opportunities that their school garden offers.
This way they can have an annual pattern as a guide and focus gradually into the details, also this guide can help them in don't waste time and resources being ready for the next steps to do.
The school year begins in September, so I will begin the program of activities in the fall and complete the course till September of the next year.
Anual Program
Autumn
Autumn
- Summer fruits last harvest
- Seed harvest
- Seed bank maintenance and improvement
- Site Maintenance, veggies, weeding, molching
- Improving soil quality: Add manure, annual compost, organic matter ...
- Planting winter crops
- Preserve squash , pumpkin
- Wild Zone: explore masilium, bugs...
- Out door forest trips
winter
- Harvest fruits
- Put potatoes to sprout
- Exchange seeds with other schools
- Clean and prepare beds for the next year garden
- Site maintenance, veggies, weeding, mulching
- Planting green manure
- Planning next year beds
- Clean the nursery
- Check stock materials for potting
Spring
- Potting soil activities (1fine sand+ ½ fiber +1 1compost)
- Germinate in class (beans in yogurt for the most little kids)
- Harvest winter food
- Seed saving from winter food
- Site maintenance, veggies, weeding, heavy mulching
- Make long term compost pile, compost tea
- Harvest long term compost
- Prepare the beds for summer anual plants
- Sow and transplant (Nursery and garden)
Summer
- Maintenance: weeding, mulching, pests, diseases, growth and development
- Add food for plants, melaces, teas
- Harvest fruits
- Harvest seeds
- School market