Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden 

Bianca Tondo 

Garden Specialist

Hello Kingswood Community,

Can you believe the term is over already and we are halfway through the year? I am surprised we haven’t seen any rain during our garden sessions yet, allowing all students to enjoy the awe and wonderment of our outdoor classroom. 

Our Year 3 students have been instrumental in helping me monitor the condition of our hens. They've taken on the responsibility of observing the hens and determining if they need extra care, showcasing their engagement and leadership skills. We've noticed signs of a potential bully among the hens, and students are taking special care of those that need a little extra TLC. 

To enrich our hens’ environment, the Year 3 classes have planted a mixed pack of seeds in containers, which we hope to transplant into the chicken coop once they’ve grown. I look forward to sharing pictures of this project next term.

Year 5 students have been busy with a variety of garden activities. One class has revitalized our wicking garden beds at the front of the school by turning over the soil and planting pak choy and silver beet. Another class tackled the challenging task of removing the sunflowers that have now died off. We were all surprised by how tough it was to pull them out and by the weight of the stalks. Although, we managed to remove only a few, I know other classes will enjoy this challenge next term. 

Two more Year 5 classes helped prune and harvest the last of our mandarins. The tree has grown quite tall, so we cut the tall branches and harvested the mandarins once the branches were on the ground. Last week, we harvested an impressive 28 kg of mandarins! Every student who visited the garden this term had the opportunity to taste a freshly picked mandarins. They even made a beautiful mandarin salad and we sold some mandarins to raise funds for a new hen house. 

To conclude our semester, we held a morning tea for our wonderful volunteers who help students grow, prepare and share. Without our amazing volunteers, the program simply couldn’t run. Sonia and I made some delicious treats and shared a cuppa with the volunteers.

It was lovely to sit and catch up amidst the busy schedule of classes coming and going. This gathering was a testament to our community spirit and the deep connections we foster through our shared love of gardening, preparing and sharing. 

As we close out the term, Sonia and I want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone for your ongoing support. We wish you a happy and safe term break and look forward to seeing you again in Term 3.

Happy Gardening!