BBC garden school workshops remembered

A World Outside the Classroom

The start of BBC Gardeners World Live at the NEC in Birmingham and the school kitchen / wildlife garden is now full steam ahead and poised to make a real impact at the show. 'A World Outside the Classroom'is the brainchild of Simply Gardening for Schools and Victoriana Nursery Gardens and is an inspirational garden designed for schools, teachers, school children and their parents – providing an insight into how a sustainable school kitchen and wildlife garden is achievable on a limited budget and how school workshops can be woven into the maintenance of the school garden.

All of the show garden can be recreated in schools either in its entirety or sections at a time and it’s the hope that this will be the case and give schools an idea of just what they can achieve. “We have tried to include something of everything, with the whole round show garden split into different areas so children can have multi lessons at the same time” said John Cavill who is Managing Director of Simply Gardening for Schools and also the designer alongside Stephen Shirley of Victoriana Nursery Gardens in Kent.

A shade sail will cover a seating area capable of seating 16 children on just two benches. A right angles potting shed with glass growing area will house the tools and tomatoes plus double as a bird hide to view the central wildlife area. The wildlife area itself will be a loggery for mini beasts and have four areas of different feed to attract different birds. A hedgehog house will be home for a small spiky friend, a bird bath, butterfly houses and planting at attract more butterflies and bees.

An incredible edible fence will surround the whole garden made up of over 15 varieties of fruit and this is where the design skills of Victoriana really do shine above the rest. There will be five raised planting beds, 3 for vegetable rotation and this year will be planted with inspirational red, purple and yellow carrots, orange cauliflower and much more. The fourth bed is a specialist bed and will be called “three sisters” from the Native Americans who thought sweetcorn, squash and climbing beans wouldn’t grow separately. The fifth bed is for herbs so the children can experiment with them in cooking at the school.

Composting and water collection will be done next to the shed to teach the children how important this is in a kitchen and wildlife garden and links to the national curriculum will be shown in the shed at the show. Last but not least Leys Farm Junior School who will have the garden rebuilt for them after the show have made up a family of scarecrows so sister, brother mum and dad will be watching over the garden to ensure the birds don’t eat too much. Everyone is very welcome to join John and Stephen at the show and if you would like a look round the garden just ask, they will be happy to give you a guided tour!