WPS Community Children’s Garden

As we continue to harvest summer goodies and prepare the beds for winter, there is a lot to learn.

Corn.

This year in the garden we grew both 1.5m high, yellow, sweet corn (ie the corn you buy at Coles) and giant, 2+m high, black, popcorn. The seeds from which we grew this special popcorn were donated by Millie from Gardening Australia.

Corn is related to grass, in fact it’s leaves look like giant grass leaves. All types of corn form cobs when pollen from the boy flowers at the very top of each plant, falls onto the girl flowers with hairy tufts that grow along the stem below. This process is called pollination. When pollination has been successful, the girl flowers grow into a corn cob and each corn kernel is a seed (or a piece of popcorn).

Corn naturally comes in many colours such as black, purple, red, yellow and white. However, in western countries such as Australia, the agricultural industry only grows yellow corn. As yellow corn is all we see, it is therefore what we think all corn looks like, however this is not the case at all. If you go to a market in another country such as South America, and you’ll see many different colours and types of corn for sale.

Volunteers needed: WPS Children’s Garden Club
Where:	Woodend Community Children’s Garden (Buckland St, Woodend)
When:	12.40-2.00pm Mondays parent help required to run lunchtime Kid’s Garden Club
	2.00-3.30pm Mondays - parent’s gardening group
BYO:	Bring your enthusiasm and desire to pitch in (No gardening knowhow needed). Please wear sturdy shoes, gardening gloves and weather appropriate clothing. Pre-school age children are welcome too
Sign in:	Please sign in at the Office before gardening (Working With Children Check required)
Contact:	Nicole Middleton 0418 233 366

If you can’t make it to the Monday sessions, but you can help out another garden, simply contact me to see what needs to be done.

Volunteer Gardening Group Facilitator

Nicole Middleton - 0418 233 366