The School Garden

School Farm Garden information

Farm Garden News

We’ve all had the best time lately playing in perfect autumn garden weather. It’s been such a relief after the scorching start to the growing year. We mulched all the paths with new wood chips; made and turned several hot compost piles; and have sown garlic, snow peas, spinach, radish, beetroot, broccoli, lettuce, coriander, pak choi, parsley, rhubarb and more flowers. We now have 6 hens producing eggs, the deep litter chicken pen supplies valuable compost materials and, along with the castings and leachate from our worm farms contribute to dynamic microbial soil activity - the number of huge earthworms attest to this! We are regularly potting up native lemongrass, rosemary, mint and comfrey to sell as well.

Seed Saving

Last year students saved snow pea, mixed lettuce, rocket, coriander, mustard and marigold seeds that we are now sowing. We try to only sow heritage seeds that will produce a plant true to the parent plant from saved seed. These seeds will now be acclimated to our local growing conditions and produce strong and healthy plants. Some of these seeds are now being packaged up for sale at the produce stall and the Autumn Fair.

Class 6 Wednesday Produce Stall: please keep this time in mind and come grab some super nutrient dense, biodynamic vegetables and herbs. We harvested Tuscan kale, silverbeet, rocket, lettuce, radish, basil, thyme, sage, mint, garlic greens, parsley, capsicum, radish, chilli, zucchini and zinnia flowers. We’re experimenting with you being able to choose what you want so bring a bag or damp tea towel to wrap your goodies to keep them fresh. We also had some eggs and seeds for sale.

Recent Garden Fauna: Spencers burrowing frog and a sleeping Stimson python.

Plant of the Month - Garlic Greens

We’ve been planting loads of garlic but some of them have started to sprout. These cloves won’t form big bulbs so we plant them close together this year to produce garlic greens that are ever so tasty! Use them in a similar way to chives. Look out for them at the produce stall on a Wednesday.

Community Engagement

ABC Radio Rural reporter Tori Ellis visited and recorded discussion with Class 6 

Composting Workshop

Our workshop was very well attended (half Steiner parents and half general community), relaxed and engaging for everyone. We were lucky to have Geoff and Costa do the ABC Radio Gardening Program while wandering around our garden and grounds and to then join us for the second half of the workshop. It was a pretty special treat for us all.

Next Garden Working Bee: Saturday 15 June 9.30am - 11.30am

Reminders

• Please peel off stickers before sending to school (they all end up in the worm Farms)
• Please keep the yoghurt tubs with handles coming - they’re super useful.

Kaz contact details:

0427 461 047

gardener2@alicesteiner.nt.edu.au

Steiner School Gardeners WhatsApp Group: If you’d like to be added, please send contact details.