Our School Garden: Autumn/Winter ideas??

[Galcon]

Hi,

We are trying to utilise our space in the most efficient possible way in our school garden. As you can see, we are using containers. The orange bench upon which small pots now lay could be used for something else, perhaps a place for climbers for sweet peas?

Up until last week, the circular containers were used to grow onions, sweet peas, coriander and lettuce. The rectangular containers were used to grow chives, lettuce and spinach.

Also, if anyone can suggest any vegetables/herbs which will be suitable for planting now in Autumn it would be a great help.

The climate of Ireland is mild, moist and changeable with abundant rainfall and a lack of temperature extremes and the location is exposed to plenty of light.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[ElizabethB]

I am really not familiar with your growing season.

With our mild winters and long growing season we plant greens in the fall - Spinach, mustard greens, kale, lettuce. Cool weather crops like cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower Root vegetables - turnips, carrots and beets. I make use of the greens from the turnips and beets. Winter squash.

I grow lettuce and herbs in containers that can be moved under the patio cover to protect them from frost.

Your garden is lovely. Good job.

[Galcon]

Thank you for your reply Elizabeth! That is similar to our growing climate. I will be using containers so I can take them indoors whenever necessary. In terms of layout, do you have any suggestions for the long orange bench in the background? It's never used for seating. I was thinking about using it as a place to put more soil and use it for planting, but I am not sure how to set that up in relation to drainage etc. Any thoughts?

Thanks again!

[thanrose]

Galcon, if you can, try to support the middle of that long orange bench. It's sagging from the small pots and anything larger will make it worse. Are the planks in it separated or loose? Or are they nailed or sealed together? The gaps between planks is often enough for drainage on an outdoor surface as long as you understand that any wood exposed to a lot of moisture will rot sooner rather than later.

Depending on the garden's orientation, the optimal for you being East/West, so the bench on the north or south wall may be too shaded or too hot. Any pea likes it cool, but sun is important. North side wall would capture more heat from the sun all day. However, if you trellis that might be a really good place for climbers. Is that pallet wood I'm seeing? The multicolored flat and the tiered planter leaning against the wall? Using the lightest possible pallet wood, you could place maybe three pallets against the wall above the bench. String twine or wire between them, and if wind is a problem you might fasten them to bolts placed into the brick wall.

For continual year round interest, you might find a couple of shrubs that are native and plant them on the north sides of each planting box. Keep them small, but when things are dying down or newly planted, they still add life. Plus kids could decorate them for any wildlife: feathers, fluff, twigs, small yarn pieces for nesting birds, peanut butter and sunflower seed balls or cranberry strings for winter feeding, tissue paper flowers for particular holidays, etc.

Did you start a compost pile? That's useful in teaching and in gardening, and some kids will be fascinated by it. Once it's going, you can add vegetable and plant scraps from the school.