Bayard's Hill Primary School garden is taking shape, and having filled up the raised beds on our last visit, today it was time to sow some seeds. GoodGymers generously brought along some seed donations to add to Lucy's stash. We were able to sow 2 beds of salad (spinach, lettuce, radishes, herbs), a bed of sunflowers, build climbing frames and sow 2 beds of runner beans and one of peas, sweet peas in the small triangular bed, and finally carrots and turnips together in the last raised bed. Finally, we distributed wildflower seeds in the area beyond the raised beds.

We hope there will be signs of things growing (other than thistles!) before the end of the school year and that will get the staff and pupils keen to take ownership of their garden plot next academic year.

Welcome to GoodGym Heidy!

Third time's the charm at the Bayard's Hill Primary School new vegetable garden.

On previous visits we've weeded the 7 raised beds installed last year, as well as the pile of top soil which will fill those spaces. This time everything just needed a light weeding then we could get the going with topping up the soil in the raised beds. Forming a production line of soil shovellers, bucket carriers and raised bed levellers, we got every raised bed filled with soil and ready for seeds.

A great effort from everyone, particularly on such a warm day.

Thanks to Anna for the wing-themed refreshments ;-)

This week we made our second trip to Bayards Hill Primary School to help with the progress of their garden. The aim is to have a functioning garden so that the children can learn about the life cycle of plants and understand how food is grown. Armed with various tools and with one eye on some VERY threatening clouds we set to work weeding a huge pile of soil, rescuing some tulips in the raised beds, amassing a petting zoo of snails and assorted other bugs, redistributing some daffodil bulbs ready for next spring and topping up some planters with de-weeded soil. Many hands made quick work and we thankfully finished just as the rain started, it was a soggy run back to base though!

We had a muddy and quite chilly evening at Bayard's Hill primary school getting their garden started.

The school had some raised beds built as part of a wider community project, but the area needs tlc before if can be used for growing.

This week we weeded the majority of the raised beds and most of the pile of topsoil to fill them, as well as litter picking the site.

Next week we'll finish that task and top up the beds with soil. Soon we hope to be able to build paths around the beds to make access and maintenance easier.