The Seedlings went into Tracie’s garden to find some rocks to paint. (Don’t tell Tracie!) Sophie found a big rockery stone and wanted to paint a sunflower, unfortunately nobody could pick it up!
Emma set the table ready to make their pretty stones. Emma suggested they make them into ladybirds as we love our story sack ‘What the Ladybird Heard’, the seedlings all got excited and screamed yeah!!
Georgia
Fearne
Sophie
The girls worked really hard and the ladybirds looked amazing just like the one in the story! Now we need to quickly go to a park and hide them before Tracie realises there are five rocks missing from her garden!
Georgia and Fearne Looking For Places to Hide the Stones
The sun is shining, so we’re off out to Stanly Park to hide our lovely Ladybirds now that they are varnished.
Look Up High
Emma thinks the trees are a good place to hide and find the rocks, the girls went off to hide the Ladybirds. Afterwards they looked and found new stones. They found one on a tree stump, another in long grass and the last one up a tree. All three were hidden by someone who is great at painting, we found them behind the COVID centre. Emma put them on the Liverpool Kindness Rocks Facebook page and found out they had only just been hidden that morning.
Look in the Grass
Tracie Loves The Hedgehog
There Over On The Tree Stump!
Tracie is going to take a rock and hide it on Sunday when she goes on her 12 mile cycle ride around Wigan. Wonder if anyone will find it and let us know?
We had a lovely celebration today for Earth Day. The children started the activities by wanting to sing ‘Happy Birthday World!’
The first activity we did was to walk around the front garden. We saw lots and lots of ladybirds, beetles, ants and chaffinches singing in the tree next door.
Alfie Working Hard
Fearne Colouring In
Girls Working Together
World Day Display
Emma and the children finished their ‘World’ project. When Tracie asked Georgia what her work was all about she said “I’m wishing, I’m wishing for a country because I want to go for an adventure!” Sophie shouted she liked “the happy world” and Fearne joined in saying “rubbish makes the world sad.”
We asked what makes us enjoy our world? Georgia said “When we recycle, it makes our world happy.” Fearne said she puts her rubbish in the bin and she loves the flowers that grow in our garden.
Tracie asked Alfie what makes the world happy? “Biscuit” shouted Alfie. Tracie said that would make Alfie happy! We finished the session singing “Happy Birthday World” and If You’re Happy And You Know It.
Today the seedlings and Tracie went over to the greenhouse to check on their strawberry seeds.
Georgia said she thought there will be loads of strawberries all ready to eat! Tracie said it was too early in the year for strawberry picking, we just want strong healthy plants at the moment.
Over Crowded
We opened the door and peaked in, Georgia huffed, “No strawberries in here!”
Tracie took a tray from the side and showed everyone. These are the seedlings we sowed and they have all grown really well, in fact, so well we need to re-pot them so they can get bigger!
Tracie explained to a disappointed Georgia and Sophie that the plants need to grow big and strong. When it’s June and we have lovely hot weather little white flowers will appear, then the strawberry fruit will soon be here.
Cut Toilet Rolls
Filling them with Soil
Pots for the Strawberries
Tracie took the trays of strawberry plants over to the table where she had prepared soil, toilet roll inserts, scissors and gardening tools ready for repotting the growing plants.
First the seedlings cut each toilet roll inserts into 3 pieces. Then they carefully placed them all into a tray. The seedlings took turns to fill each roll with soil.
Using a fork tool, Tracie carefully moved each seedling into a roll. The Seedlings took turns to gently push them down into the soil.
The plants now have little individual pots to give them space to grow.
All the seedlings worked hard together as a team to re-pot them and are really looking forward to the summer when we can all eat strawberries for afternoon tea. Maybe a game of tennis too!!
Today Emma and the seedlings went on a mission to find some more Kindness Rocks as they were very disappointed last week when they didn’t find any at all!
Georgia and Fearne found 5!
The children hunted everywhere, behind, under, next too and near various different places the could be hidden.
The Biggest Stone
Ice Cream Stone
Running Through The Low Walls
Georgia was the first to find one, it was small and colourful. She got so excited and told Tracie it was found at the bottom of a tree.
Fearne found the biggest one! It was a grey stone and was hidden inside the railings near the duck pond.
Are They Here?
What’s on the Step?
Look in Trees
5 Kindness Rocks
The next three where very hard to find. They were all inside different clusters of bushes. The children had to crouch down and look between the trunks and sticks.
The ice cream stone was found in the rose garden, it was the easiest to spot! The children have all hidden them around Stanley park ready for someone else to go hunting and find them.
The Seedlings have been so busy this month in the garden. We have enjoyed the lovely bright days even though its been cold.
Sophie helped Tracie to plant a cherry tomato plant. We have been watching it grow from a tiny seed that we sowed last month. We have put a tall cane next to the plant so when it grows tall we can use it for support.
Fearne made sure the tomato plant had plenty of water to help it grow. Fearne asked Tracie for a drink as she wants to grow up bigger!
While we were weeding and tidying up the front garden, Georgia noticed that the potatoes had started growing. Fearne said “they’re not potatoes!” Tracie explained they are potatoes and that the plant grows big and strong, feeding the potatoes growing underneath.
Georgia Watering
Alfie Watched Us Working
Beans
Tomato Plant
Cherry Tree
Who Made this Hole?
Alfie didn’t want to help plant the vegetables he just wanted to sit and watch! The cheeky monkey! We planted our beans around a wigwam made out of canes, we then added netting around it to support the plants to climb up.
We have decided to plant our vegetables in between the flowers this year as we have so many strong plants. We cant wait to see them grow and make some cauliflower cheese nom, nom!
It’s been all go go go in Gemma’s garden so far this Spring! There have been some fantastic growing under UV lights which have helped to speed up the growing process.
Gemma has prepared her three vegetable beds ready to plant out all her seedlings.
Gemma’s seeds have grown so well and are lovely and strong. Now all she needs to do is plant them out and keep watering daily.
The beds are all planted up now, there are carrots, radish, pak choi, beetroots, spring onion and peas which are growing up the canes.
Jack has enjoyed sitting in the fresh air watching his mummy garden. I bet he is thinking ideas for when he can have his own patch!
Phyllis has definitely been working hard in her garden since we last visited her.
Bird Homes
Haven for Birds and Insects
Front Garden
The little pool Phyllis made out of an old wheelbarrow for the birds and insects is now a haven for them. She has planted pond flowers, plants and a frog which is a fun addition.
Phyllis has worked hard in the front garden to provide the birds with quiet areas to feed and nest safely. There have been loads of bumble bees seen getting the nectar from the flowers.
In the greenhouse there are loads of seeds growing well. Phyllis has taken lots of cuttings from different plants in her garden to make more for free! Everything will need to be planted out soon.
This is Tracie’s favourite picture of Phyllis’ garden. Everything is lush and growing well and it’s all proof Spring is definitely here.
This Easter holidays have flown by so fast. The Seedlings, Wanderers and Rangers have all been so busy in the garden and their efforts are paying off with an abundance of seedlings growing strong.
On the first shelf in our greenhouse we have Marigolds growing, we will be planting them between the tomatoes, Chillies and Cucumbers to help fight away the aphids, this is called companion planting. We do this instead of using pesticides which is better for the environment. The Wanderers are growing Pak Choi, radish, cauliflower and sweetpeas.
On the second shelf we have used toilet rolls as pots, filled them with peat-free compost and sown peas, swede, beetroot and spring onions.
The Little Seedlings helped Tracie to sow the Phlox seeds, Alfie tried so hard to pick a seed up from Tracie’s hand using his pincer grip, but the seeds were just too small. Tracie gave Alfie the packet to sprinkle over the toilet roll pots. I’m sure they will set seed soon and we will thin them out individually if over crowded.
The middle shelf has tomatoes and pansies growing well. We made sure they all have plenty of water and tomato feed to help produce strong stems.
The top shelf is bursting with Chillies, sweet peppers, chives and lavender. Jacy from the Rangers has the strongest tomato plant growing, the Bisto pot is still going strong!!
Last week, Georgia helped to sow the onion sets. This week she noticed they had grown, she asked if she could sow some more. Tracie asked Georgia to help prepare the soil for the seeds, Georgia got stuck in by raking the soil.
Jack came over and asked if he could help, Tracie gave Jack baby sweetcorn and carrots to sow. He then helped to cover the raised bed with mesh, this is because the birds keep attacking the onion sets and seeds.
Every Saturday morning and my day off, first thing I always do is stick the kettle on, get the tea pot out and pop in a bagel to toast.
I then go into the snug and pour out my first cuppa of the day (and I have quite a few!!)
Next it’s feet up, cat on lap and on goes Friday night’s Gardeners’ World. Our Monty Don brightens up the morning. He tells me how to grow all the fruit and vegetables the children love to eat. I have my jotter ready for recommendations and what I need to do for that weekend.
This week our Monty recommended Padron Chillies. Well my face dropped! I can’t stand Chillies, way too hot for me! Monty went on to say they are not hot but fruity!
Our Monty
Shall I give them a go? I chickened out, thinking there’s no point getting them when we have other types chillies growing for the children and our families.
Monday morning who’s ringing my door bell? It’s Granny Smith waving a bag of Padron Chillies!
She says “Our Monty recommended these chillies last night on Gardeners’ World!”
“Really?” I said “I never watch it!” Hehehe.
Monty Recommends Padron Chillies
So I think about it for a while, well if I have to try them, Emma and the children do too!
Georgia did a thumbs up, she said it was delicious.
I Eat Anything! It’s Delicious!
Emma thought it was sweet but it repeated on her.
Crunch Crunch
Fruity Taste
Sophie and Luke wouldn’t try it at all
No Way!
Definitely NO!
Being Brave
Waiting for the Heat
I was so brave, I had two bites! It wasn’t hot in-fact, it’ll be lovely in a Chicken Kebab! Mixed reviews from the children, but thanks Monty Don for recommending the Padron Chillies!
Tracie's Treasures 