Hankies at the ready for onions

The onion family includes garlic, shallots and onions. It also includes a number of ornamental bulbs including daffodils and narcissus.

Autumn Term

September  If the onion family has been grown in the raised beds, harvest any onions left from the previous summer crops and clear the raised bed with onions in ready for another class.  It is VERY important that onions are NOT grown in the same place each year.  Ideally they should be grown where brassica grew the previous school year.  Work with the class group that grew these the previous school year to take over the raised beds and mark as growing onions.  Note the class growing beetroot may want the same beds, but onions take priority as they do not do well in pots.

Purchase onion and garlic sets they are in the garden centres and on line, varieties for autumn planting.  Buy daffodil or narcissus bulbs, dwarf varieties work best in pots.

October/ November Plant autumn varieties of onion and garlic sets in raised beds.  These will be ready to harvest at the summer farmers market.  Once planted check the beds regularly and replant any dislodged sets.  Birds have a habit of pulling out onions and garlic when first planted.

October/ November Plant daffodils for spring market, label and leave in poly tunnel.  If using dwarf varieties 3 per pot look best.

December keep bulbs in pots moist.

Spring term

January/ February keep bulbs moist and watch them grow.  If they appear to be getting ready to flower too soon, take them out of the poly tunnel and put them in the garden in the shade.

March prepare for farmers market.  Weed the onions and garlic in the raised beds

Summer term

April/ May sow salad onions or spring onions in pots to sell as plants or as a crop at the farmers market.  If there is any space in raised beds interplant spring onions for a crop.

June Keep plants in pots moist and weed raised beds. As the onions and garlic ripen their stems will begin to go brown and shrivel.  If any start to develop flowers pull the flower heads off.  Spring onions will remain green and should thicken up evenly rather than develop a bulb.

July Prepare for farmers market.  Harvest onions and garlic a couple of days before to allow the stems to dry and plait into 3’s.  Spring onions will still be green and will not plait successfully.

See here also for links to other on line resources

Spud shortage?

The second Ferncumbe Farmers Market, created a potato shortage when the potatoes grown by Reception sold out within 10 minutes of the market starting.  Their new potatoes, grown in bags, watered loved and inspected daily were a big hit with parents, and many customers left disappointed when the stall sold out so quickly.  Reception teacher Miss Fitzgerald said

“We’ll have to grow more next year!”

Other class stalls managed to keep gong longer, but the Yr2/3 garlic and onion plaits were very popular and sold quickly.

Year 1/2 were very proud of their chillis

It was a great event and worth all the effort put in by school and parents alike.

 

The producers who joined us for the market had a successful afternoon, all selling well, helped by pupil ‘apprentices’.

The ice creams a particular hit in the hot summer weather!

Over all the market was a great community event, with many visitors to the school and the children working hard to promote their produce.

With school breaking up for the summer any moment, this blog will take its summer break.  More in September when we plan and plant our next season of growing.  Look out for our next market in March 2014

In the mean time, Happy Gardening, hope your plants are thriving in this heat

Keeeeep Potting!

The second gardening lunchtime over, and even more strawberries are planted to grow on over the winter.  The children are so keen, they plant at a really fast rate; it’s a struggle to keep up with them!  At this rate there will be at least 100 strawberry plants for sale as well as the herbs, daffodils and any veg seedlings we manage to raise, when we have the market in March.  Let’s hope they all grow on well.

One of the groups weeded a raised bed and the next group planted some rather ancient broad bean seeds, I do have new seeds, I just forgot to bring them with me.  I wonder if these old seeds will germinate; if not we will plant again with the new seeds, and pop in some overwintering peas in the same bed.  Next week we will prepare and plant some overwintering onions sets in another bed, which will mean that half the beds will have been planted.

The garlic which we planted about 6 weeks ago is growing well, green shoots coming up and most of the cloves appear to have sprouted.  So far they do not seem to have been disturbed by the local pigeons or rodents.  Here’s hoping the wildlife keeps away from the beans, peas and onions when they go in.

One thing on the to do list is a planting plan, as we lift the original plants from beds it becomes increasingly important to ensure we manage the crop rotation, to help the soil maintain fertility and reduce the risk of disease.  We will aim for a 3 year rotation, as the beds are not really deep enough for potatoes, and we are keeping separate areas for fruit and herbs.  At the moment I am not too sure what to grow as the brassica crop.  Traditional cabbages etc take up so much space we would probably only get a couple of plants per bed, and they take so long to grow they are quite boring for the children.  If anyone has any suggestions please comment on this blog.

Our friends at Northleigh have started their preparations too, planting peas, beans, cauliflowers and salad in their raised beds.  As Northleigh specialises in older children, who are at secondary school, they are thinking of other products to bring to the market to add interest and colour to their stall.

We are hoping to catch up with Faye from the Soil Association next week, we are sure she will help us with our planning and put us in touch with other local producers.

I will also be talking to the lovely ladies of Hatton Park WI to enlist their help, trying to make sure this really is a community event.

We will set the date next week, so watch out for the next post with full details for your diary.  In the mean time Happy Gardening!