April 24 Combined - Flipbook - Page 32
Hayling Herald Community update
Schools spring into action to
start Growing Together
Pupils and volunteers working hard on the Growing Together project in 2022
By Angharad Pike from the Growing
Together project
WITH spring on the way the children at Hayling’s school gardening
clubs, run by The Growing Together Project, are keen to get weeding,
sowing and growing.
Over the winter, Mengham Infant
School had a new greenhouse installed. They are just waiting on the
staging to be set up for the children
to be able to grow on their seeds.
Carole Jones, coordinator for
this site, said she has been chitting
potatoes for the children to plant
and they now have a wildlife camera
to watch everything going on in the
garden.
Joy Forrow and Cliff Piper, coordinators at Mill Rythe Junior School,
have made huge progress since
reinstating the club last April.
Joy said: ‘New raised beds and a
seating area have been created. The
children have been finishing off the
tidying up and preparation for this
32
year’s growing season and they now
can’t wait to get stuck in.
‘This year they hope to grow
things the children can use in meals,
which the coordinators have been
discussing with the teachers.
‘Flowers for cutting were really
popular with children last year who
created posies for their teachers, so
we will be doing this again.’
Mengham Junior School’s first
gardening club of the season started
in February.
Tony Athill, was thankful for some
covered space outdoors and, despite
the weather, they managed to pot up
60 petunia seedlings, started their
marigold show entries and sowed 20
cells of nasturtiums.
In year 3, all the children plant
sunflower seeds which are then
transplanted out into the school
grounds a few weeks later. They
make for a fabulous display around
the fences come the summer.
Lesley Tyrrell has been busy at
Mill Rythe Infants. They are hoping
to establish a new vegetable bed for
runner beans, potatoes and pumpkins which were very successful last
year.
The triangle garden outside reception is being planted with herbs and
scented plants all grown from seed
by the children.
They have also established a cut
flower bed, which has been planted
with seasonal bulbs and they will be
sowing a mixture of colourful calendula, cosmos, and daisies which
they will be able to take home.
Lesley has also been working with
some smaller groups of children on
specific projects such as taking cuttings from the spider plants which
the children can then take home.
Ray Jones, project coordinator and
Hayling College coordinator, has
been working with Chris King over
the last few months to rebuild the
shed.
Students at the college have been
digging over the vegetable beds and
flower gardens ready for planting.
It’s a large site and the Community
Service Team have been working
hard over the weekends to help with
the weeding, clearing and tidying up
of the Growing Together areas.
The schools will be starting their
peas, beans, lettuces and onions,
followed by pumpkins, squash,
courgettes and cucumbers over next
few weeks.
Tony explained how this is always
a fine balancing act for the project
coordinators as they have to get
their timing right, ensuring they
have produce before the summer
holidays, whilst hoping they haven’t
sown too early and get hit by a late
frost. Let’s keep our fingers crossed
for them.
If you like the sound of the gardening clubs and the work the
project does, and would like to get
involved get in touch with Ray Jones
on 02392 468121.