Today's Kitchen Garden PD

Kitchen Gardens PD

Ballarat Botanical Gardens

March 13th

Melbourne Botanical Gardens Education ( Emma and Tash)

Julie welcomed us back and enthused about the recent Begonia Festival. Over 3000 families passed through the Friends of the Gardens planting tent. She was very impressed by the enthusiasm and behaviour of the children and the support of their parents.

Julie showed us a display of a nature table and was excited about getting children into the gardens. She talked about a study which advocated bringing the outdoors into the classroom.The study said that children could identify 1000 corporate logos but only 10 plants. We will start this at Glen Park in term 2. 

Chris from Clunes Primary School talked about his kitchen garden experiences.

Volunteers do the garden work at Clunes ( they think this is a sustainable approach)and they cook once per week.They have a large herb garden which they use as a sensory garden. He prefers a managed layout for their garden especially as it is a bushfire prone area. They are preparing edible play-scapes (citrus orchard) and are looking at developing their garden over the long haul. 

Discussion about Melbourne Botanic Gardens education program

(Linking the curriculum through Sustainable gardens and kitchen gardens.)

In their program students have an understanding about why organic gardening is best.

They talked about avoiding toxic plants in the garden like oleander.

they said it was important to be discerning about what to plant in our gardens.( a garden grazing policy is advisable) 

Failing in the garden is a great opportunity to find out what went wrong and try again. Microclimates determine what will grow and schools need to research what will grow locally. Schools book into programs at the Melbourne Botanical Gardens as an excursion. Cranbourne Botanical gardens are looking at carbon futures and are linking up to schools online. They run PDs such as landscapes for learning .They also can consult with schools. Tash talked about different perspectives about success in schools. Gardens used as a resource for learning is seen as a success by the presenters and that students and staff are engaged and that the ideas learnt at school go home.( They showed Gould League posters about composting that looked great and 

Tash recommended a book by Nuttall and Millington called 'Outdoor Classroom' and Bentleigh West Primary School as a school advanced with its kitchen garden program with an AusVELS audited program garden program.

Tash showed seed bombs made from clay, seeds( beans recommended) , native grass and potting mix ( refer photo) 

she mixes it up and soaks it in lemon juice so it is sticky and plants it.