Case Study 8: FSC Margam - Design
FSC Margam Sustainable Garden Design
Table of Contents
Overview and Vision
The Field Studies Council (FSC) at Margam ran a course in March 2015 to create a design for a sustainable garden. The weekend course followed the Permaculture methodology and techniques. The overall vision for the garden is to:
have a space to engage students and the public in the outside where food /smells/ wildlife in the garden can enhance students involvement and engagement in the outside world.
be an education space for school groups to learn about growing food, with seasonal tasks such as sowing, potting and harvesting for up to 30 children.
produce some food for children to pick and eat in the garden, for staff and to the supplement the kitchen.
act as an exemplar project and be a demonstration site to inspire visiting teachers to take back and implement in their schools.
Pictures from the design weekend are attached separately. On the following page there is a design map, which the remainder of this documents describes and explains.
Design Map
Survey
The people who interact with the site and its potential produce, and the site itself, and the background of the site were surveyed to gather information to inform the design.
FSC Staff Involvement
A questionnaire was sent to the staff at FSC which provided a valuable source of information as to what was the needs for the garden. One member of staff joined the course so that they could provide creative input into the design process. Other staff made valuable occasional contributions throughout the weekend.
From talking to staff, there is a suggestion of passion for back garden and allotment style growing. People are either doing it themselves or their family are, inspiring others to do it or remember it fondly from their childhood. Additionally a garden to reflect Welsh heritage and varieities, especially things that grow weell in Wales. Specific crops were mentioned, described below in the design, as well as a desire to grow food that is ready in the summer term to inspire school groups and teachers.
Background information
The site is called Margam Discovery Centre and is owned by the local council. It is part of Margam Country park. There are are approximately 16,000 visitors per annum. On most days there are school groups of varying sizes. There is a cafe that is open to the public visiting the park.
There are many interesting features to students of geography. Trips are made to nearby beaches and surrounding hills, as well as to places of interest within the park. The area has an industrial heritage, where the nearby Port Talbot flourished alongside coal. There is still a large steel works at Port Talbot. The Rice-Mansel-Talbot family are linked to the park, which houses remains of Margam Abbey, Margam Castle and grand orangery which is now a wedding and conference venue. The current use of the site by the FSC is one that is passionate about natural history and art, connecting people to nature.
Site survey
We measured the site to create the base plan for the design, noting a considerable number of drain covers and some standing water. There was no significant slope on the land, which was confirmed on looking at OS maps. Considerable research and eventually the use of divining rods confirmed a criss cross pattern of drains which will have a large impact on the design, and in particular placement of trees. It is recommended to confirm the drain pattern with the Welsh Water Board.
The soil is a clay loam, confirmed through on-site knowledge and soil texture tests. The pH level is 6 which is slightly acid. This is on the border of requiring lime to be added to raise the pH, but not worth doing unless plants are observed not to grow well. There is not a great deal of organic matter, confirmed through observation and a soil jar test. Two plants were observed on site, grass and Juncus or common rush. These factors suggests that the site will not drain well, pointing to the need to create raised beds for growing vegetables and the addition of plenty of organic matter.
The site is very exposed, with wind observed from the south-west, confirmed by meteorological records kept by staff. The records showed winds mainly coming from the west rather than south-west, with some easterlies in the winter. There is virtually no shade, except early morning in the winter where the main building casts some shade.
Vegetables
Raised beds are recommend for this garden. This is because they look distinct and set out the structure of the garden simply and cleanly, an advantage in the educational context. Because the soil is clay loam and will not drain well, adding additional top soil and enclosing in borders will help with drainage, although more watering will be necessary in dry periods in the summer. The centre has some scaffold boards from the original garden which it can re-use. There is funding for additional scaffold boards if required.
4 x 1.2 m wide and approximately 4m (varying lengths to fit the space available). The beds would be planted with a 4 year rotation of vegetables of high value to the staff and kitchen. Below is some ideas for rotation, though there is some good knowledge at Margam for how to organise beds of this nature. The centre would like to produce food that could be harvested at almost any time of the year. A list of plants that do well in summer time is included in the appendix.
Bed One - Cucurbits
Courgettes, squash, pumpkins
Sow seeds in the cold frame in mid-March and plant out after the last frost end of April or early May, harvest continually from June to October. A mixture of courgettes and squash / pumpkins is recommended, mixing green and yellow varieties. You always miss one or two courgettes, which grow into marrow and can be used for chutney. Add lots of compost or manure before this crop as they are rich feeders. Courgettes can be grown for a summer term crop.
Bed Two – Alliums and roots (onions, garlic, beetroot and carrots)
The onions are planted as sets in March time, beetroot and spring onions can be sown direct from March onwards and harvested June onwards. 100 onion sets, a packet of beetroot and a packet spring onion seeds. Early Nantes carrots and spring onions can be grown to produce a summer term crop.
Bed Three – Legumes (Peas , Beans and Spinach)
These crops put nitrogen in to the soil so the leafy salads that follow on will benefit from the high nitrogen levels from the legumes. Broad beans can be sown direct into the ground in February and can be harvested by May. Runner Beans, French Beans, Peas - sow in module trays in March and then plant out after the last frost, usually around the end of April or 1st week of May. The peas and beans can be grown up bamboo sticks from a large bamboo stand in the park. Sow in March, plant end April / beginning May and harvest July – October.
As beans are tall crops the spinach can be grown at the base of the beans, around the edge of the beds. Swiss chard bolts less than spinach and the rainbow or rhubarb chard is particularly attractive. Sow these in March for a summer term crop and it will carry on growing into the winter.
Bed Four - Brassicas
There was high demand from the kitchen for salad leaves. Start sowing lettuce in March in the mini greenhouse and plant out late April, use 3-4 cut and come again varieties so you have constant lettuce. Sow another batch in late May as lettuce tends to bolt at 21st June (the solstice), so you will be ready to replant to keep your kitchen in salad till the autumn. In August the lettuce can be followed on with the winter salads such as rocket, mizuna, purslane, corn salad and Chinese mustard. Sow these direct into the soil or bring on in peat modules to slot in the gaps as they arise. The coldframe can also be used to raise winter salads and should provide some leaves to pick, even in February. Radish can be sown in single rows in the gaps on a regular basis as they grow in 6 weeks and can be eaten and then are sown into any gaps, providing a repeat opportunity for educational tasks.
Management of the beds
These beds rotate on a 4 year cycle. Add manure / compost when being prepared and if you have it, wood ash from a wood burning stove. In the autumn as the beds become empty, mulch with a layer of compost and topped with straw or other suitable material to “put the garden to bed for the winter”. In March all you need to do is to pull the straw back and then you will be ready to plant – no digging. This also allows the soil micro flora and fauna population build up which is the key in organic growing and improves the quality of the soil.
The paths between the raised beds are 1m wide so that children can work back-to-back on the beds, and can be created from abundant wood chip from the parklaid onto mypex plastic, a woven plastic weed suppressor (this will last more than 10 years).
Herbs / Pollinators / Sensory / Flowers / Climbing Plants
There is a half width bed (60 cm) since it will border the deer fence and therefore only be accessible from one side. This would feature perennial herbs, plants to attract wildlife and pollinators, and sensory plants, particularly interesting smells, for the children to explore. The fence can be used to grow tall and / or climbing plants, creating a visual appeal as this fence is viewed from the centre, and demonstrates vertical growing as an educational tool. There is a risk that the deer will get at these plants, so you may wish to choose plants that deer do not like so much. Two good links for ideas: English Country Garden and Cornell University (US). Clematis could be a good choice for climbers, with lots of varieties, some evergreen which flower at different times of the year. Foxglove could be a fun tall plant with visual appeal and a good pollinator. Hardy Geranium is good for attracting pest predators. Note that there are also several perennial herbs is this list such as Oregano, Thyme, Lemon Balm and Sage, so these could be placed near the back of the bed. Lavendar is also on this list, and is a great sensory plant and great for bees, as is Feverfew and Snow-in-summer.
There is a Rosemary bush in the planters in the outdoor corridor near the kitchen which could be relocated here, and a well managed bay tree would complete a great set of perennial herbs. Choose the culinary varieties rather than the coloured or variegated varieties.
The following flowers could be added to this border to add to the sensory atmosphere and to educate about the uses of flowers. There are more than you need for this border here:
Edible flowers: Nasturtium, Calendula, Borage ( See Appendix 1 for a larger selection of plants). All grown from seed, often they self seed so they only need to be introduced once, sow in modules in March, plant out in May. Keen gardeners often save these seeds so could probably be sourced from the staff.
Cut flowers – annual: Sweet peas (use hazel poles for support), Cosmos, Sunflowers, Chinese aster, Nigella or love in a mist, Cornflower, Larkspur, Cowslip, Wild Pansy, Dill, Physallis - all from Stormy Hall seeds catalogue and raise as for edible flowers.
Cut flowers – perennial: 2 x Fennel (also tea plant), 3 x Alchimilla mollis, 1 x Echiops rito, 1 x Solidago canadensis, 3 x Lavender munstead, 3 x Echinacea, 1 x Rose “Cottage Rose”, 3 x Achillia fillipenulina, 3 x Verbena bonariensis, 2 x Hyssop, 3 x Cranesbill, 3 x Salvia viridis “blue”, 1 x Nepeta, 3 x Wild strawberry, 1 x Viburnum bondantense. 3 x Dahlias (Bishop of Landuff), 25 x gladioli, 50 x tulips for early flowers in spring from Parkers catalogue (plant in autumn/ spring). We suggest that you use multiples as indicated, for the perennial plants this will be too many in the long term but will give an early established look to the garden.
Comfrey: This bed would be a good place to grow Comfrey (variety Bocking 14) as a perennial herb. It will die back each year and grow up to 1.5 m high. It has lovely purple flowers that bees love. Pick some of the leaves off every month or so and put them in a bucket of water and leave to ‘stew’ in the sunshine. Dilute to 1/15 and water with it. It’s a great plant feed – you should never have to buy Tomorite again!
Container Garden
There is a small area near the beds to showcase container growing. There are several tyres piled up near the site that are ideal for growing potatoes, stacking the tyres up and adding mulch / compost as the plant grows. This site cannot in any way grow enough potatoes for the kitchen, so a token growing of early new potatoes harvested in the summer term, outside of the normal bed rotation would be appropriate and a good educational tool. The staff are adept at 'finding things' and free-cycling to add to the mixture of containers rather than buying them in. Other good candidates for containers are tomatoes and cucumbers, again more of a token growing to demonstrate what's possible. This is also an fence area to the side of the bed for hanging baskets to further demonstrate growing in small, unusual spaces. Tumbling tomatoes can be good in these, but do require watering often.
Annual herbs
Basil, Coriander and Parsley can be sown in modules and raised in the mini-greenhouse mid March and planted out early May, and then picked little and often. Because the kitchen might want to nip and pick these we recommend growing these in the planters in the outdoor corridor near the kitchen rather that the actual garden – it would be too far to go. Basil and Coriander will last till the end of the summer months when they can be removed and used to make pesto. The Parsley will carry on cropping until April the following year when it will bolt. This can also be used as the basis of pesto. Coriander tends to bolt if not watered adequately but if this happens you can re-sow direct into the soil in the summer months. We would recommend the flat leaved Parsley for culinary purposes.
Pests and Diseases Control
Slugs are often the biggest problem in any garden and the easiest way to control them is to collect in the breeding season in Feb/march under a “slug trap” (a plank covered in black plastic or a brick left on the ground) and put them in salty water. The straw mulch can be a lovely home to slugs and if the population builds up too much then remove the mulch for a season. Water the vulnerable crops such as lettuce with maxicrop – liquid seaweed to deter slug attack.
Allow “functional biodiversity” in the garden to work its magic. Flowers have been chosen specifically to attract pollinators and predatory insects into the garden, to control the pests and diseases, to pollinate the crops but also as an educational resource for courses.
Seed Raising and Cress – Mini greenhouse
A place to raise seeds would be crucial for the garden to be a success. A coldframe on the site was considered, but in the design we have suggested a mini greenhouse placed in a deep sunny alcove in the 'Afan' training room would give the seedlings a better chance of getting the daily attention they require. This could also be used for educational value – small tasks for the younger children. The training room has a tap nearby.
The kitchen staff asked for cress – this could be grown in the mini greenhouse when there is space and delivered to the nearby kitchen. Its fast growing nature makes it a good educational tool with the children
Appendix 2 lists all the seed sourcing possibilities - using heritage varieties might be another way of adding to the heritage culture of the garden.
Fruit Beds
There is one further raised be for the growing of soft fruit and bush fruit. This can contain the following, requested from the tutoring and kitchen staff:
2 x Rhubarb plants: variety Timperley early, providing a harvest opportunity early in the year
2 x Blackcurrant bushes: variety Ben Sarek. Staff indicating blackcurrants do well in this area, possibly due to the slightly acidic soils.
2 / 3 rows of raspberries across the bed: consider an Autumn variety such as 'All Gold' to harvest in the autumn term. This has fun educational value as the fruits are yellow rather than red and less susceptible to being eaten by birds.
Strawberry patch: 21 plants spaced at 30cm intervals fits into this triangular bed, which makes best use of this space behind the teaching area and demonstrates that not all raised beds needs to be rectangular. A mixture of early and mid-season varieties that can be picked by children in the summer term.
These should be planted through mypex to prevent the weed build up. I have found that by allowing a few "weeds" to grow up on top of the mypex around the raspberries and blackcurrants in the summer months the birds do not notice the fruit so you do not lose too many to the bird population. The weeds are then removed after harvest time. If too many losses do occur you might need to buy some Environ-mesh for the ripening period to keep the birds off the crop.
Wild Area - Fruit Trees and Edible Hedge
Beyond the educational areas there is space for a wilder area, less formal than the neater arrangement of vegetable and fruit beds. The boundary of this area is an edible hedge, with a gap through the hedge located above the drain running through the area. A willow arch could be considered at this entrance. Behind the hedge there will be a sense of fun and mystery for the children who visit. They can run on the grass rather than the woodchip floor, hiding behind the edible hedge and disappear briefly behind the windbreak, which also has gaps located above the drains. There is a large collection of water drain covers in this area – a bench is suggested on this, perhaps covered with a simple pagoda style structure for an attractive space for staff and visitors to relax on, or children to play around. Beans could be grown up and around the structure posts.
There is only space for two fruit trees in this design, less than originally thought. This is because a large amount of space needs to be given over to gathering areas and teaching spaces, and just as importantly because there is a network of drains under the site, on top of which you would not want to plant deeper rooting trees. After creating an overlay map of the drain plan, the positioning of the two trees in the design became evident. A desert and a cooking apple have been requested. The Appendix lists some Welsh varieties from a local source. Add plenty of compost to the holes when planting. The trees can be underplanted with daffodils for a gesture to Welsh culture and because they flower before the trees do, bringing pollinators to the area. Plant them 6 inches away from the trunk, in a circle around the tree. Chives could also be considered as part of this ring to repel fruit tree borers and many other garden pests.
The edible hedge could be a mixture of different plants and hedge packs are often a good buy. This link is a good place to start: http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/hedging/hedging-packs/elspeths-edible-hedging and contains Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Juneberry, Hazel, Cherry Plum, Crab apple, Blackberry, Oleater, Elderflow, Dog rose and Wild Pear.
Watering
Ensuring an adequate store of water and the watering of productive plants will be key to the success of this site during dry spells in the summer. The design allows for 2 IBCs to collect water from the roof of the shed and the covered working area. It is quite likely these would run out in a hot dry summer, so as a back up, running a temporary pipe from the tap outside the store room directly into the IBC's is recommended. This gives the system a resilience to lack of water, and the water from this tap is rainwater, collected from the roofs of the buildings.
Bike powered water pump: There is enthusiasm from the staff to fit a bike powered water pump to water the beds from the IBCs, via a leaky hose drip irrigation system. This would offer a fun and educational activity to get children involved during visits. This model is very clever and combines a pannier frame with a stand. It was designed for farmers in Guatemala to move water around their siteIt would rely on enthusiastic engineers to use these plans as a starting point and to build. A pump could be sourced new for approximately £15, or second hand from ebay. The following links are plans and pictures:
http://www.mayapedal.org/Bicibomba_Movil_eng.pdf
http://www.mayapedal.org/construction_photos.pdf
This blog and youtube shows an alternative simple way of attaching a bike on an exercise stand to turn a drill pump directly. A new outdoor stand would be expensive starting at £100, but a search on ebay indicated second hand options available.
http://commmunitygardening.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/bicycle-powered-water-pump-for.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTdShy89IMg&feature=youtu.be
It would be worth getting in touch with colleagues at the FSC Flatford Mill as they used these ideas as a starting point for building their own bike powered water pump for their permaculture inspired garden.
Irrigation: Reduce the water requirements of the garden by building up the organic content of the soil, which you will do over the years, mulching and drip irrigation systems. This also saves you a lot of time as the garden can water itself. It is key however to check the soil regularly for dampness in the soil.
Irrigate where possible using leaky hose under the mulch to keep the moisture in. The irrigation system will be gravity fed from the IBC. Remember to feel the dampness of the soil to gauge if it requires water. If this isn’t possible then water using a hosepipe directed at the soil rather than the plants as much as possible.
The IBC can be obscured from view by trailing plants up the frame that encloses it. It could also be used to mount an information board about the garden.
Close attention would need to be paid in the period whilst raising plants in the mini-greenhouse, where daily watering would be required in warm periods. These can be a task for groups using the Afan training room – there is a tap nearby for the small but regular amounts of water required.
Educational Spaces
A major function of the garden is to host educational programmes. There are two primary spaces for this. A teaching area with simple bench seats for 30 children, and a working area with workbenches for children to engage in activities such as seed sowing, transplanting, potting and drawing. These will be based around the shed, close to tools and teaching aids. The shed walls can also be used to mount an outdoor whiteboard and educational posters, in front of which the teacher will stand to teach.
There is also spaces left as 'Gathering Areas' for at each of the doors into the garden. At the main door nearest to the centre where groups will approach from, gather and be told about the garden, especially the adjacent sensory bed, before being left to wander through it by themselves to absorb the garden. At the other door near the shed, groups can be told about water harvesting, composting and the coldframe.
The shed roof can be 'pent' style (sloping from right to left as you look at it) so that all water can be collected into an industrial bulk container (IBC) for water storage. A further pent roof can then be fitted sloping the other way over the working area to provide shade and shelter, and then collect water into another IBC that will be near to the raised beds. The compost area can be enclosed with pallets – there is already one on the current garden which can be moved over and its contents used to start the new one.
The ground around all these spaces will be closely mown and then heavily covered annually with woodchip, available on site, to reduce the likelihood of creating muddy areas, and to allow for wheelchair access.
Implementation Plan
To establish the garden, the FSC at Margam plans to appeal to volunteers for help, and some time will be given to staff. Another consideration might be to run a garden implementation weekend, offering volunteers accommodation and meals. This was delivered by The Apricot Centre at Flatford Mill and was very successful in getting most of the garden implemented over one weekend.
To maintain the garden, staff time will be allocated, plus there will be some tasks such as planting and weeding that children can get involved in. There is also the possibility of a 'gardening through the year' course for one day a month through the year, carrying out tasks appropriate to the season.
The following table lists the tasks required and the potential timings for implementing the garden. This is a guideline only and the pace of development will be determined by the resources available.
Task |
Description |
People |
Timing |
Deer Fence |
Take down deer fence from existing garden and erect around new site. The fence has been measured and there is more than enough for the 60 metres of fencing required. |
FSC staff / volunteers |
April / May 2015 |
Confirm Drain Pattern |
Confirm the drain pattern with the water authorities and any restrictions on planting above drains. |
FSC Staff |
April 2015 |
Apply funding |
Apply to the 'Green Fund' for money for the shed, raised beds, topsoil and IBC's. |
FSC Staff |
In progress |
Preparing the beds |
Prepare the site’s bed areas by forking over and digging out the grass and rushes. If digging out all the grass feels like too much work, an alternative strategy could be to mulch with thick cardboard before adding the topsoil. It could be decided to bring one bed in at a time rather than all the beds to get up and running. |
FSC staff / volunteers |
April / May 2015. Could be done in a day with 5 -10 volunteers |
Order materials |
Order all the materials for making and planting the garden and putting up the shed once it is known how much funding is available. |
FSC staff |
April 2015 |
Layout of garden |
Make raised beds: the existing garden has scaffolding boards already, and there may be funding for more. Lay mypex to just inside the beds and out onto the paths, and put down wood chips into the paths, and then fill with compost and soil. |
FSC staff / volunteers |
Late April 2015 |
Plant garden |
Plant soft fruit fruit areas through mypex if the bed has been constructed, or else leave to 2016. Sow some vegetables and flowers in soil. Buy / swap veg plants for this year and plant |
FSC staff / volunteers |
May 2015 |
Shed and educational spaces |
Put up shed if funding allows, and make / buy work benches, the work bench shelter and bench seats. Relocate pallet composters and fit IBC's. It is unlikely that the spaces would be used in 2015 as there will be little to see in the garden, so the staff can take their time with this. It might be nice to aim for getting this established for the spring of 2016, where the centre can start educational growing with childrens groups. |
FSC staff / volunteers |
Summer – Winter 2015 |
Maintain garden |
Maintain garden. Make do with where you have reached at the point and focus on caring for what plants you have, staying on top of weeding and remembering to harvest! Fill the IBC's from the centre tap if needed and water the beds you have by hand. |
FSC staff / volunteers |
Summer 2015 |
New courses |
Decide and develop new courses - re site |
FSC staff |
Autumn 2015 |
Maintain garden |
Mulch veg beds for winter |
FSC staff / Fvolunteers |
Autumn 2015 |
Install watering system |
Commission bike water pump Install leaky hose |
SC staff / volunteers |
Autumn 2015 |
Winter Tree Planting |
Plant the Willow windbreak, edible hedge and fruit bushes and trees. |
FSC staff / volunteers |
Winter 2015/16 |
Signage |
Commission any signage required |
FSC staff |
January 2016 |
Order seeds and equipment |
Order seeds for the following year, tools for tool box, potting compost, modules, etc. |
FSC staff |
January 2016 |
Celebrate |
Celebrate the completion of the garden and the new growing year |
FSC staff / volunteers / public |
March 2016 |
Materials List and Costings
The table below sets at the materials required and the costs where known, or estimated. A grant of £2,320 has been applied for to cover some of these costs (scaffold boards, shed, water butts, tools etc). The costs below are approximate and add up to £2,728. The main thing that was not costed into the funding bid was work benches and bench seats, which are highly estimated at £800, so there could be savings or additional expense here. Some of these costs can probably be absorbeed into annual budgets as educational resources. Some of them can possibly be saved by donations of plants, seeds and the like, and by making do with equipment from the existing garden site.
Note that 'LHS' in suppliers below = local horticultural suppliers – see appendix.
Item |
Description |
Quantities |
Costs |
Source |
Veg bed |
Scaffold boards. Most available from the existing garden. Funds may be available to purchase additional if required Topsoil |
60 -80 m
|
£80
£120 |
On site
LHS |
Woodchip |
Woodchip to cover entire veg bed / educational space (and re-apply annually as required) |
Approx 150 metre square |
0
|
Margam Park |
Weed matting |
Mypex and pegs (paths around veg beds, windbreaks and fruit). |
100 m x 1 m roll Bag of pegs |
£50 £5.00 |
LHS |
Willow wind-break |
Willow cuttings, to be planted every 0.5 metres |
Approx 60 cuttings |
0 |
Locally for free? |
Plants, Trees |
As listed in body of text |
@ 80 plants in total |
£400 |
LHS |
Seeds |
As listed in body of text |
|
£50 |
LHS |
Shed |
8' by 10' |
1 |
£350 |
|
Work-benches |
Simple workbenches. Maybe able to make on site with cheaply sourced materials |
|
£400 ? |
|
Work-bench shelter |
Shelter roof Posts |
1 2 |
0 0 |
Freecycle / reclaimed? |
Bench Seats |
Simple bench seats based on existing design seen at FSC Margam. Maybe able to make onsite? |
9 |
£400 ? |
Made on site Nelson potter On-site |
Signage |
2 main boards, 1 for each entrance? Smaller context boards |
|
£200 ? |
|
Water Storage |
IBC Leaky hose irrigation pipes Bike Pump equipment: Bike Centrifugal water pump Iron for frame Tap for IBC and fixings Hose and couplings |
2 50 m roll ? 1 1 ? 2 20 m plus geiga couplings |
£90 £50
Free £100
£20 £35 £20 |
ebay LHS Needs researching Free cycle
LHS |
Mini green-house |
For the Afan classroom to raise seedlings |
1 |
£20 |
Ebay? LHS |
Cold frame |
Wood and glass, can probably be sourced from existing garden |
|
0 |
On site |
Compost Bins |
Pallets from existing garden
|
1 |
0 |
On site |
Growing supplies |
Modules - 12's Organic potting compost Maxicrop Environ-mesh (brassicas) Tools |
Stack of 25 1 bag 5 litre 2 x sheets 8 sets for childrens activities |
£5 £8 £10 £35 £280 |
LHS |
Total costs approximately £2728
Appendix 1 – Plants
Source: ( Plants for a Future) http://pfaf.org/user/cmspage.aspx?pageid=38
Nutritionally, the flower can be divided into three main elements. Firstly, there is the pollen. Although only present in fairly small quantities, this is a very rich source of protein and so helps to build and maintain the body structure. Its flavour is usually rather bland. Secondly, we have the nectar. This is usually rather sweet and is the substance that most attracts bees to the flowers to pollinate them. The bees turn the nectar into honey - when we eat the flowers we can use the sugars in the nectar to provide us with a good source of energy. Nectar provides a balanced form of sugars together with a range of minerals and does not have the negative effects of refined sugars, such as rotting the teeth. Finally, we have the petals and other parts of the flower structure. Although not normally as nutritious as leaves, they do have many similarities nutritionally and so can provide us with a good range of vitamins and minerals. Yellow flowers, in particular, are very good sources of vitamin A.
Alliums
The flowers of the various onions and garlics have a very similar taste to the leaves, though they are usually somewhat stronger and also sweeter. They make a particularly attractive addition to salads. By careful selection of species, it is possible to have flowers from spring to early winter. Most members of the genus prefer a sunny but sheltered position in a light well-drained soil, though they are surprisingly tolerant of other conditions.
Multi-functional varieties
A. cernuum. The NODDING ONION grows about 40cm tall, forming a clump about 25cm wide, it has some of the most beautiful flowers in the genus. These are produced in mid summer and have a strong onion flavour. If you can obtain it, the cultivar ‘Major’ is a more vigorous form with larger flower clusters.
A. moly. GOLDEN GARLIC grows up to 30cm tall and 10cm wide. Its yellow flowers are produced in early summer and have a very crisp texture with a garlic-like flavour. An excellent flavouring in salads, though too strong to be used in large quantities. Be careful not to get the sub-species A. moly bulbiferum since this produces bulbils in the flowering head and can be invasive. Golden garlic is a very vigorous plant that can look after itself, it is useful for naturalising between shrubs and grows well at the base of a beech hedge in a wet garden.
A. neapolitanum. Growing up to 30cm tall and 20cm wide, DAFFODIL GARLIC produces its white flowers in mid spring. These have a delicious sweetness followed by a fairly strong garlic flavour. The plant is not hardy in the colder areas, but in gardens where it is happy it will usually self-sow quite freely. Try to obtain the cultivar ‘Grandiflorum’ since this has larger flowers which are also produced in greater abundance.
A. tuberosum. GARLIC CHIVES grows about 30cm tall and 25cm wide. Its white flowers, which are produced in the autumn, have a pleasant onion flavour.
A.ursinum. Wild Garlic, or Ramsons, is a native woodland plant growing about 1ft tall that often forms large dense green carpets of growth in the early spring. The leaves have a mild garlic flavour and appear in late winter; they can be eaten both raw and cooked. As the leaves grow old in spring you could then eat the flowers, and finally the much hotter young seed-pods as spring turns into summer.
Asphodeline lutea
Growing up to 1 metre tall and eventually forming a clump 1 metre or more wide, YELLOW ASPHODEL is a very easily grown plant that succeeds in most soils so long as they are well drained. It grows best in full sun, though it also tolerates partial shade and is very drought tolerant. The yellow star-shaped flowers are an epicurean’s treat. They have a delightful sweetness and are delicious either on their own or in salads. They do need to be used as soon as possible after harvesting, however, because they do not store and will soon start to decompose. The plant flowers from late spring until the middle of summer -individual flowers are very short-lived, but new flowers are produced every day. If you pick them in the evening you can enjoy them visually during the day and gastronomically in the evening.
Calendula. versicolor
Growing up to 1.2 metres tall and 50cm wide, the beautiful flowers are produced in abundance from mid-summer, until the autumn frosts finally convince the plant that no more seed will be ripened this year. The plant requires a warm, sheltered position and is not hardy in the colder areas.
Hemerocolis. fulva
If you are only going to grow one day lily, then this is the species to go for. A vigorous spreading plant, it grows up to 1 metre tall and 1 metre or more wide. The flowers can be up to 20cm long, they have particularly thick, crunchy and tasty petals, whilst the taste is just amazing. They are produced in mid-summer. There are a number of double-flowered named cultivars of this species that are cultivated for their edible flowers in the Orient. With twice as many petals per flower, these are especially delicious to eat. Cultivars to look out for are ‘Kwanzo’, ‘Green Kwanzo’ and ‘Flore pleno’.
Malva moschata
The Musk Mallow is another very easily grown plant, growing up to 80cm tall and 60cm wide. It succeeds in most soils, though it prefers a reasonably well-drained and moderately fertile soil in a sunny position. Individual plants are generally quite short-lived though they can self-sow freely when in a suitable position and usually more than maintain themselves. The flowers are produced in great abundance in mid summer - if the plants are cut back when they are finishing flowering then they will often produce a fresh flush in early spring. These flowers have a very mild flavour and mucilaginous texture; they make an excellent and very decorative addition to the salad bowl. M. alcea is a closely related plant that can be used in the same way.
Tropaeolum majus
The only annual plant included in this section, the garden Nasturtium tolerates most soils, though it prefers a rich light well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. Plants will often maintain themselves by self-sowing, though in cold springs the seed will often not germinate until mid or even late summer, which is too late to produce a reasonable crop. A very ornamental and free-flowering species, it is often in bloom from early summer until cut down by the autumn frosts. The flowers have a hot, watercress-like flavour and make a tasty addition to the salad bowl.
Typha angustifolia
The Reedmace is a very easily grown plant for boggy pond margins or shallow water up to 15cm deep. It requires a rich soil if it is to do well and succeeds in full sun or part shade. A very invasive plant, it grows 2 metres or more tall and spreads freely at the roots when in a suitable site. The young flowering stems can be eaten raw, cooked or made into a soup. They have a taste like sweet corn.
Viola odorata
The Sweet Violet succeeds in most soils but prefers a cool moist well-drained humus-rich soil in partial or dappled shade and protection from scorching winds. Sweet violets are evergreen perennials growing about 15cm tall and forming spreading clumps. They make an excellent weed-excluding ground cover and will often self-sow when well sited. The delicately scented flowers are produced in late winter and early spring, at which time they are usually the only edible flower available. Their sweetly perfumed taste makes them a treat not to be missed. They are also said to be useful as a thickener in soups and stews, and they are used fresh to flavour and colour confectionery.
Some crops for school summer term growing:
Summer terms vary in length according to the position of Easter, but are no longer than 12 weeks which is short for many crops. Sowing guides are given on seed packets so follow those, but generally sowing can begin indoors in March and then planting out takes place once the ground has warmed up and the last frost has passed. There is a huge range of varieties of crops, those shown are mostly from the Organic Gardening Catalogue. Early maturing usually means fast growing, but it is best to avoid those which state cropping over a long period.
Crop |
Start indoors? |
“Early maturing” varieties, e.g. |
Dwarf French beans |
Yes |
Speedy |
Broad beans |
Yes |
Stereo; express eleonora; wikiem manita |
Climbing French bean |
Yes |
Borlotto lingua di Fuoco |
Chard |
No |
Rainbow chard |
Spinach |
No |
Perpetual; matador
|
Carrots |
No |
Early nantes, Amsterdam forcing, sugarsnax |
Early potatoes |
No |
Oral, sharpes express, arran pilot |
Courgette |
Yes |
Tempra F1 |
Cress |
No |
American land cress; fine curled |
Cos lettuce |
Yes |
Tom thumb, Little gem
|
Loose leaf lettuce |
Yes |
All varieties |
Chinese cabbage |
Yes |
|
Kohl rabi |
Yes |
Olivia F1 |
Mange-tout peas |
Yes |
Onward, herald, bijou |
Petit pois peas |
Yes |
All varieties |
Peas |
Yes |
Meteor, oskar |
Sugar snap peas |
Yes |
All varieties |
Radish |
No |
All varieties |
Rocket |
Yes |
All varieties |
Turnip |
No |
Purple top Milan, snowball |
Appendix 2 - Suppliers
Dolau-hiron Fruit Trees
http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/applewise
Ashbridge Trees
For edible hedge (it is difficult to get an organic edible hedge)
http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/
Stormy Hall Seeds Catalogue
http://www.stormy-hall-seeds.co.uk/index.html
Biodynamic and Organic Vegetable, Herb and Flower Seeds - relocationg to Wix nr Manningtree March 2014.
Kings Seeds Catalogue
Vegetable, flower, herbs and Sweet Pea seeds, from the traditional home of the British seed industry, Kelvedon, Essex.
The Real Seed Catalogue
Many seeds are rare heirlooms, and because all are open-pollinated (non-hybrid) , you can save your own seed for future years.
Garden Organic's Heritage Seed Library
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/hsl/index.php
Heritage Seed Library (HSL) aims to conserve and make available vegetable varieties that are not widely available. Currently they have around 800 accessions of open-pollinated varieties, of which about 200 are in their current Seed Catalogue which is sent free to members each year. Members receive their choice of up to six varieties and there is also an informal Seed Swap section run between members themselves. Seed Guardians are members who have decided to take on the extra responsibility of growing seed for them. Of the 40,000 plus packets of seed sent out each year, 40-50% is supplied by Guardians. So these people are essential to maintaining a sufficient amount of stock as well as safeguarding rare varieties.