Kitchen Garden

This term our students have been digging into the fascinating world of garden systems, learning how producers, consumers and decomposers play a vital role in creating a sustainable, living ecosystem in our school’s Kitchen Garden.

Students have explored the importance of mulching to conserve water, protect soil and reduce weed growth. Using straw and sugar cane mulch they’ve seen how simple gardening techniques support healthy plant growth by keeping moisture in and microbes happy underground. Years 4-6 showed plenty of stamina and resilience re-mulching the entire garden.

A big highlight has been setting up our school composting system! Students have been collecting food scraps, learning how to balance green waste (like veggie peels) with brown waste (like dry leaves and cardboard), and will monitor how heat, moisture and microbes break it all down. Through this hands-on learning, students have discovered the power of decomposers specifically organisms and fungi and how they help transform waste into rich, nutrient packed compost for our garden beds.

We’ve also welcomed some very wriggly worm friends. Students are now managing a worm farm, feeding the worms fruit scraps and eventually will harvest worm tea (a natural liquid fertiliser) to apply to the garden. By observing and participating in these processes, students have made real-world connections to science, sustainability, and food systems. They now understand how producers, consumers and decomposers work together to keep our garden thriving.  We’re proud of their hard work and excited to see their knowledge continue to grow alongside our veggies.

A big thank you to Carly and Jodie for volunteering their time to cut back the fruit trees in the Environment Centre and plant new ones.  Much appreciated.

Deb Neale