SAKG 

It has been a busy fortnight in the garden! Our Grades 3–6 students have been working hard to prepare the garden beds for spring planting.

There has been plenty of digging, pulling and clearing as students removed old plants and weeds, before adding fresh compost and cow manure to replenish the soil. Some of the weedy plants had certainly made themselves at home! In a few of the beds, the roots were so extensive that it took us two days to carefully dig them out and clear the soil. Once the hard work was complete, we finished by mulching the beds, leaving them fresh and ready for our spring crops.

Of course, no gardening session is complete without discovering what is living beneath the soil! We found plenty of invertebrates, including spiders, woodlice, caterpillars and snails. These discoveries provided a great opportunity to remind ourselves that the garden is home to many different creatures. Even when we don't particularly like some of the bugs we find, they all have an important place in our garden ecosystem, and we need to care for them too.

Our Grade 5 students have also been busy getting ready for their summer crop. Earlier in the term, they selected the seeds they wanted to grow, and this week they finally got to plant them out. We have an interesting collection of cucumbers, pumpkins, zucchini, beans, corn and carrots. We are looking forward to watching these seeds grow and seeing what kind of harvest our garden produces!

Happy Gardening!

Mrs Claire Gilbert, 

SAKG Specialist Teacher