Community Gardening Projects

 Community Gardening Projects

Since the beginning of September, Mairtin and I have been back working on our community garden projects in Newbridge and Allenwood. The men's group in the Newbridge Family Resource centre have this autumn started into doing FETAC Level 3 horticulture, we're keeping the vegetable patch going, planting it up for winter with onions, garlic, spelt, green manures and some spring cabbages! We're hoping to expand this autumn and get some money for a polytunnel and expand the vegetable patch, and maybe even get an orchard and woodland in, fingers crossed! Over in Allenwood, Mairtin is doing the locally devised module, developed by the lads in KEEP in Kerry, it's called 'Local Organic Food', so they're sprouting seeds, storing vegetables and putting together a local cook book, I'm continuing on with a new FETAC Level 3 group, who are lovely, and we're working away doing a bit of seedsaving, harvesting and crops for the winter!

Electric Picnic - Living Willow!

 Electric Picnic - Living Willow!

Ok! Very lazy this autumn on keeping the news flowing! Big project of the summer was Lucy working on the Electric Picnic, along with Cathy Eastman from KEEP, the girls oversaw the willow fence crew in the Body and Soul area, where they built some unusual fences, one based on the double helix, and another was a bit more Alice in Wonderland! We did the main enterance to the Body and Soul and the entrance to the Zen garden, I got to work on a giant dream catcher for a new entrance into the Body and Soul which was very exciting, and it has to be said looked pretty deadly when it was up!

School Gardens in Full Swing!

School Gardens in Full Swing!

Well, it's been one busy spring and early summer! We haven't stopped to draw breath or get our own vegetables planted it's been so busy! School gardens are in full swing. New vegetable patches have been set up in St.Finian's and St.Malachy's in Finglas and most recently in Scoil Mhuire, Nurney, on home turf. Most of the beds were built with the capable hands of a variety of 4th, 5th and 6th class, the favourite part being the 'shovelling of cow pooh'. Other ongoing projects such as with the Holy Trinity N.S. in Donaghmede, which I still do with KEEP, are looking great too, they have 16 vegetable beds in full swing now, and the native woodland and soft fruit area has been extended over the last few visits. The potatoes are jumping put of the ground and there's radishes and lettuce for munching on. They have the biggest garlic I've seen anywhere this year. The kids are hoping there's enough blackcurrants to make home made ribena this year! We're hoping to get back to a few of the schools and do some nice projects such as living willow fences and domes in the autumn. don't forget you can book us through the INTO/Heritage in Schools scheme, and they pay half our fee!

GROW listed on INTO/heritage in Schools Scheme

 GROW listed on INTO/heritage in Schools Scheme Brochure

Great news for GROW. We've been accepted as Heritage Specialists on the INTO/Heritage in Schools Scheme for 2010. Lucy has been a specialist in Kerry for the last 4 years, and GROW are delighted to be finally set up in Kildare. We're hoping to get involved in helping Kildare and surrounding counties schools set up their own gardens in the school grounds. and with the scheme, the schools get our fee part paid by the Heritage Council. So, if you're interested in setting up a vegetable patch, or a native woodland, or building some living willow sculptures, book us now through the scheme. You can find out more about it on

http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/education/heritage-council-initiatives/heritage-in-schools-scheme/#c2639

2010

I feel like I have joined the cyber race with my first post to the Grow network BLOG. I will be updating this post every so often on the goings on in the gardening world and the world of food.

*NEW* & ON SALE NOW - 'The Year Round Organic School Garden'

The Year Round Organic School Garden

- ON SALE NOW -

Kerry Earth Education Project and Irish Seedsavers have just brought out their joint publication - 'The Year Round Organic School Garden', which is a hands on manual for teachers and anyone working in schools setting up school gardens with children. It's been a long road to finally get it to this stage, so I'm really excited about it! I co-wrote the book with KEEP and Irish Seedsavers, and I've been doing the hard slog of editing and getting it to the printers, and it surely has been a learning curve, but well worth it when you see the finished product. So, if you're at all interersted in the book, they're selling at 15 euros, to buy them contact me on 087 6508226 or email growingardens@gmail.com and we'll be in touch, it should be going to some of the good, small bookshops near you!

Thursday May 28th, 2009

KEEP at Bloom 2009

It's a GOLD for The Living Classroom Recycled at Bloom 2009 in the Phoenix Park!
Kerry Earth Education Project, Kildare's sister project had an amazing week at the Bloom Garden Festival in the Phoenix Park, scooping a Gold Medal for its model school organic garden, 'The Living Classroom (Recycled) and Best in Engaging Spaces Category, champion nettles! Who'd have thought our weeds would have got so much praise! We had an amazing week, blasted by the sun, talked about slugs til they were literally coming out our ears and saw over a thousand school children come through the gardens' magnificent willow arches! Sadly its all over and we took down the garden on Tuesday and returned to the real world!

Check it all out on www.bloominthepark.com