Autumn Term - Thursday 30th September 2021

This week on the allotment the children chatted about the jobs we needed to get busy with. As usual we listed all the jobs on our job board and set to work. We have been drying out wood over the spring and summer months ready for our winter fires so the first job of the day was to gather all of our wheelbarrows and transfer the wooden logs to our wood store. The children worked hard manoeuvering their wheelbarrows around the vegetable beds and into the fire pit before stacking the logs neatly into our store. The children worked together tirelessly to complete the task and were so proud of themselves once it was finished. We are now all prepared for the winter season and cooking on the fire. 

After lunch we began to tackle the sunflowers. They were full of sunflower seeds which we needed to remove and dry out in preparation for planting next year. We were amazed by the amount of seeds we collected. We also collected lots of nasturtium seeds which we plan to use in our growing packs next year. 

Soon it was time to collect our amazing apples. We have had a huge crop this year and after Lisa gave the tree a little shake the children were able to collect them and take them back to nursery to share with all the units where we can engage in cooking, cutting and eating activities. The children giggled and screamed as the apples fell from the tree. We couldn't believe how many we were able to collect - a whole wheelbarrow full! We soon realised our apple tree needed a hair cut and using the loppers we began to give it a trim. The children watched on as the branches started to fall but what would we do with all of these branches? The children suggested we place them into the compost bin which they did. We then began to cut back our other fruit bushes. We also have a huge tree which has grown a lot this year and is now blocking some of the light into our greenhouse so Lisa began to cut back the largest branches. The children believed they were tree surgeons and began dragging the huge branches to our compost bins. As the branches coming down became larger and larger the children's mathematical language began to flow. "My branch is huge" said Rupert. "My branch is huger" replied Joseph. 

The end of the day came too quickly and just as we sat on the bus the rain began to fall. What a busy day we had had. Next week we are planning on tidying up our orchard and weeding some of the beds which we will then cover and get ready for Spring time.

Autumn Term - Thursday 23rd September 2021

This week at the allotment was an exciting week as some of the children had not visited the allotment and were intrigued by what they might see while they were there.  During the bus journey we talked about what things might be growing at the allotment and Olivia thought we might see flowers and even pumpkins!  

As we walked through the allotment gates the children were amazed and quickly wanted to explore the space, but first we gazed across the allotment and decided which jobs we would need to focus on today.  Very quickly the children thought of six different areas to focus on and were ready to get busy.  As this was the first time for some of the children Tara took the children on a tour of the allotment to explain each area and what the spaces are used for.  

The apple tree was bursting with big juicy apples and were over hanging the path so we moved the branch to walk down the path.  We looked at the greenhouse, fruit cage and poly tunnel and then walked towards the pond, thats when Olivia spotted the pumpkins and pointed to show everyone they were there.  Joseph began counting them and Lily asked when they would be ready to pick and was thrilled to discover it is very soon!

We collected our tools from the shed and all decided to help with the biggest bed that was filled with potatoes (and weeds). As the grown ups began turning over the soil Rupert spotted a huge potato and rushed to pick it up.  Everyone was excited and continued digging to see how many we could find, before we knew it we had a huge bucketful and an even bigger pile of weeds. Our vegetable beds are ready to be renewed this winter so we removed the wood from the edges and continued to dig the weeds out.  We very quickly had a big clear space ready for the new beds to be added.

Everyone helped to dig and it was very hard work so we stopped for lunch and sat on the benches for a rest.

After lunch Sam, Rupert and Joseph wanted to look at the pond and they discovered a tiny little frog sitting on the edge!  Sam was so excited and wanted everyone else to see so Tara let the frog hop onto her hand, the children were amazed by how small it was.

Some of the children wanted to continue digging with Lisa and Tara and some of the children began a new task with kirsty which was collecting sunflower seeds from the huge sunflowers that were dried out and ready to harvest.  Lisa talked with the children about the sunflower heads and what we could do with the seeds once they were collected.  We also discussed leaving some of the sunflowers so the birds could eat the seeds.  Jenny agreed this was a good idea as the birds might be hungry and would love to have sunflower seeds to collect.  Toby carefully picked the seeds and then put them into the pot and was sure there was at least 100 seeds in there! Rishaan looked at the pot and guessed there may be 29, this sparked lots of conversations about numbers.  The time had passed by very quickly and it was time to return to nursery.  We returned to our list to see how many things we could tick of our list and we had completed four tasks, rupert reminded everyone we could continue the others next week.

Summer Term - Week 4, 4th August 2021

We prepared for a very hot day today at the allotment but we were not quite prepared for the weather we encountered!  

We began making a list of jobs for the day. Kirsten continued weeding the vegetable beds with Charlotte and Daphne and very quickly had them weed free. Lisa and Amy decided to tackle a huge job with the help of all the other children and cleared the top area of our growing beds which were very overgrown with an abundance of weeds, nettles and wild flowers. It was very hard work but we worked together to cut and pull out the weeds and fill up the wheelbarrows. Joseph and Lewis took turns to empty them into the compost bins.

We then began preparing a space for our new greenhouse and worked together to move the plant pot store and collect all of the plant pots from around the allotment.

The weather was hot so we put up a shelter so we could hide in the shade. Ruadhan found a snail and put it under the canopy as he didn’t want him to get too hot.

After a busy morning we stopped for lunch, we had only been sitting a couple of minutes when it began! The rain came, the biggest raindrops you have ever seen and they did not want to stop!  We listened as they hit the top of the shed. Lewis was pleased as the rain had saved the children from doing a job! We didn’t need to water the plants now. Ossie was concerned the rain might never stop, it was so heavy and the drops were bouncing inside the shed doors.

As we finished lunch we peeked outside and the rain continued to bounce on the ground, we decided we would have to make a dash to the poly tunnel to finish the jobs we had already started before heading back to nursery.

Summer Term - Week 3, Wednesday 28th July 2021

We were prepared for a very rainy and stormy day on the allotment so we packed up our suits, wellington boots and our hot chocolate in preparation however throughout the day the weather became warmer and warmer until the time had come for sun cream and sun hats. We were pleasantly surprised but then realised the plants would all need a very big drink of water. 

Our first job of the day was to write down all of the jobs on our 'to do' board. There were lots of jobs to do that day but we were optimistic we could get them done. We walked around our allotment to see what was growing and we were amazed by the size of our pumpkins (the children thought they were watermelons as they are still green), our potatoes which are almost ready and our strawberries which were looking delicious! It was going to be a tricky job picking strawberries and eating them but we knew it had to done. 

Lisa and Kirsten began weeding some of our vegetable beds and Tara began to remove weeds and soil ready for our new greenhouse area. The children all enjoyed getting involved and weeding, moving the wheelbarrows back and forth to the compost bin and spotting minibeasts! Joseph and Lewis found a caterpillar whilst Beatrice spotted a snail. We also spotted lots of woodlice, millipedes and spiders of every different shape and size. There were lots harvestman  spiders to dodge as we cut back the weeds. After a hard morning of weeding we stopped for lunch in our fire pit. We all sat together around the table chatting about our morning and what we would be doing that afternoon. The sun was getting very hot so we talked about our bodies and what we needed to give us energy for the rest of the afternoon. We then got back to work. We needed volunteers to knock down the old fence between the beds and the greenhouse. Luckily, there were lots of willing volunteers who used the hammers and the fence was down in no time. We stacked the wood ready for another project and cleared out the rest of the weeds behind the fruit cage. Some of the weeds had damaged our netting so that will be priority on our 'to do' board next week. 

Soon the clouds rolled in and we knew we were running out of the glorious sunshine. We packed up our tools and tidied up. We headed back to our shed for a drink and some yummy strawberries. As we relaxed in the shed, the rain came down but we didn't mind, we were all safe and dry in 'the big shed'. The rain stopped for a short while giving us just enough time to get back to the minibus. What a busy day we had had. The muddy faces told the story of a productive day on our alloment!

Summer Term - Week 2, 13th July 2021

As we opened the gates to the allotment this week, we were shocked by the growth of all the lovely fruit and vegetables but also by the number of weeds in just a week!

We popped on our wellingtons and waterproofs and decided to plan a list so we knew which areas we should tackle first.

Even though we have had lots of rain it has also been very warm so the tomato and cucumber plants in the poly tunnel and greenhouse were very dry, so this was priority and we set off watering them.

 The next job on the list was to save the potato plants and onions from the ever-growing weeds. Before we knew it we had bucketful's of weeds and the compost bin began to fill up.

Weeding was hard work and our tummy's began to rumble so our next job was lunch which everyone enjoyed!

After lunch some of the children wanted to pick strawberries and it did not take long to fill a big pot ready to bring back to nursery! I wonder what we can make with those this week?  

Joseph noticed that the leaves on some of the potato plants were turning yellow, he questioned why? Lisa explained that the potatoes were ready to harvest when the leaves changed colour which Joseph was thrilled about and quickly collected a trowel to begin digging out our first potatoes of the year.

He collected them in a pot and put them next to the strawberries and called his friends to look at the harvest we had already!

Time was passing quickly, and we still wanted to re pot some of the big strawberry plants and plant the remaining cabbage plants in the new beds.  

Nyla, Anna, and Joseph helped to dig out the strawberry plants and move them to the big pots where Tara helped to replant them. Luke, Rishaan, Rupert and Jesse began planting the cabbages taking care when pushing them into the soil.

Summer 2021 - Week 1, 29th June 2021

This week we introduced our new children to the allotment. As we walked through the gate the children were mesmerized. Our allotment was filled with growing vegetables, beautiful flowers and the sun was shining brightly. What a perfect day to visit! We began with a walk around looking at the different areas. Our wildlife area was very popular and the children were fascinated by the tadpoles. We then headed to the shed where we made a jobs list. There was lots to get through so we made a start. Some children worked in the poly tunnel preparing our cucumber frame (we already have cucumbers growing which is very exciting!) whilst others helped weed the fruit cage. We were shocked to see our new raspberry canes are now producing raspberries and our currant bushes have bright, beautiful red berries. We also spotted some very juicy strawberries which we are planning on picking next week. 

 We then decided to move some of our huge tomato plants into the greenhouse where we added new, longer canes and wrapped twine around to support them. A group of children then helped to dig out an older vegetable bed in preparation for our new beds which will be built in the next few weeks. Lewis and Edward carefully moved compost and weeds back and forth in order for us to prepare the area. 

 Daphne, Luke, Toby, Chloe, Joseph, Rupert and Rishaan helped to plant our cauliflowers and cabbages. We then covered these with nets to protect them from the birds. After a quick tidy up it was time to head home. We are all very excited to return next week. 

Summer 2021 - Week 4, 23rd June 2021

What a transformation we are seeing at our allotment! There is so much happening at the minute with the installation of our new vegetable beds, extension of our pond and the beginning of our new wildlife area as well as the amazing amount of plant growth. The trees in our orchard are producing a huge amount of fruit which we can't wait to taste! Keep an eye out in the future for our allotment shop back at nursery where the children will be selling their own produce! 

Some of our strawberries are now ready and we spent some time collecting them ready for tasting. We cut some rhubarb to take back to nursery which we have some tasty plans for! Our potatoes, onions, redcurrants, blackcurrants, cabbages, peas, beans, pumpkins, sunflowers and herbs are growing incredibly well and today we planted sprouts, cauliflowers and leeks ready for the winter season. 

Our allotment is an abundance of wildlife at the minute and we will soon be adding to our wildlife area with some animal homes and feeders. Today we observed several birds taking a bath in our pond as well as spotting many tadpoles swimming around happily. We found lots of minibeasts as we dug and some very long worms!

Today we filled our new beds with compost and planted our winter vegetables. The children worked tirelessly to finish everything on time. We stopped for snacks throughout the day as it was lots of hard work. We have now begun to empty our greenhouse in preparation for winter planting and we have engaged in lots of mathematical learning when matching our pots in our new pot holder. 

Summer 2021 -Week 3 , 26th May 2021

What a busy day we have had at the allotment! We began our day by clearing back some of the weeds in our orchard area. We spotted lots of fruit growing including plums and apples. Joseph helped to put a stake into the ground which was used to support one of our plum trees. This is our first year of growing plums successfully so as you can imagine we are very excited!

We have started the process of moving all of our flowers and plants from our greenhouse to the poly tunnel to make room for all of our tomato plants. They are growing very big and we are looking forward to sampling them. There is nothing quite as delicious as homegrown tomatoes. We did find a little visitor in our greenhouse who was happily hopping about as we worked. A huge frog! Unfortunately we had to relocate him to a safer area whilst we worked. He didn't mind and went hopping off to the pond. 

After a drink and a snack it was time to finish moving the old compost bins to our brand new ones. The children (and staff) worked tirelessly to move wheelbarrows full of compost and weeds. The area was then raked flat and is now ready for all of our new beds to go in. How exciting! 

Around the allotment the children separated off into small groups. Some chose to help weed the beds while others transported old plants to our compost bins. Some children chose to help carry our pots to their new home at the side of the greenhouse and others chilled happily in the shaded area of our fire pit chatting to their friends. 

We stopped continuously for drinks and snacks throughout the day and checked our list of jobs, marking them off as we went. The children were amazed by our huge strawberries which we hope will be ready to eat next week. To protect them we built cages and covered them in nets. 

The children all worked really hard and soon time had arrived for our tired and muddy faces to head back to nursery for a well earned rest.

Summer 2021 -Week 2, 19th May 2021

This week involved watering, watering and even more watering! It was a hot sunny day, and the plants were growing everywhere! Before we started anything else we got the watering cans out to give the thirsty seedlings a refreshing drink. We were ready to plant some of the vegetables we had grown back at nursery but before we could do that, we needed to prepare the beds as they were a little overgrown due to all the rain that we have had. We talked about the different tools that we could use to dig in the beds and which tools would be best for the job. The children decided that small spades and gardening forks would work the best. The children chose a tool each and made their way safely to the big vegetable bed. Before we began digging, we talked about how to use a spade or fork to turn over the soil. The adult then role modelled this for the group and the children then set to work. Max used his foot to push his spade deep into the soil and then showed Oscar his technique. Oscar then copied this and was very proud of himself. Before we knew it the weeds were gone and the soil was lovely and fresh again ready for our sweetcorn to be planted. 

We are looking forward to tasting our sweetcorn very soon. Our potatoes and onion beds are looking very healthy and we are looking forward to all the dishes we can make using these ingredients. We wonder what changes we will see next week on our allotment.

Summer 2021 - Week 1, 12th May 2021

The children were very excited to return to the allotment and wondered what it might look like. The children could not contain their excitement as they waited for the minibus, and the bus ride was just as exciting as Auryn was sure he could see all the way to London from the window and wondered if that's where the allotment was?

As we opened the gates to the allotment the children gasped and were keen to begin looking around. The adults showed the children the different areas of the allotment and explained what they are used for.  The group were excited by the pond and spotted some tiny tadpoles moving around in the water.

There were lots of jobs to do at the allotment, so we chose to either pull out the weeds from the vegetable beds or help to repot the plants from the greenhouse and poly tunnel.  Digging in the soil was very popular and before we knew it the bed was clear of weeds and the compost bins were full.

The poly tunnel was bursting with flowers and vegetable plants ready for our plant sale at nursery. The plants had grown so well and were ready for bigger pots.  Daphne gathered lots of bigger pots from the greenhouse and began repotting our flowers. She worked hard to ensure all the plants were re-potted ready for our plant sale. Each pot was carefully filled with compost before the plants were carefully tucked into their new home. A little watering later meant they would grow big and strong in their new pots ready for next week. As we re-potted, weeded, and watered, we spotted many different minibeasts. The worms were a favourite with the children trying to find the biggest worms.