growing – Page 4 – Tracie's Treasures

Garden Challenge 2021: Phyllis update

Posted on 20th Jun 202110th Aug 2021 by Tracie Dowling

Phyllis has been working very hard in her garden over the last few months and it’s all just starting to pay off. Below are just a few of her amazing flowers, they come in all sizes, shapes and amazing colours.

In the edible part of the garden, Phyllis’s fruit and vegetables are growing strong.

Watch out for your cherries Phyllis, I saw a cheeky blackbird flying around, eyeing them up for lunch!

The tomato vines are growing tall and strong, Phyllis is having to use canes to support the stems and cuts the side shots off to ensure the goodness goes into the growing delicious tomatoes.

Phylis has made a delicious Sunday roast using the potatoes and cabbage from her garden. They taste so much better than the ones you buy in the shops. What I want to know is where’s mine!!

This is Phyllis’ Christmas Dinner bed! She has made it in her front garden and all the vegetables will be used on Christmas day! I cant wait to see it all dished up, I had better get an invite!!!

Garden Classroom, rangers, Seedlings, Uncategorized, wanderers

Garden Challenge 2021: Tracie’s Treasures

Posted on 13th May 202110th Aug 2021 by Tracie Dowling

What a wet May we have all had! Its been so hard gardening because every time we go to do some, the weather changes!!

The garden has loved the wet weather and all the plants and grass are all growing lovely.

Early in the year, we sowed tomatoes in various ways to see which would grow better.

Jacy sowed his tomato seed in a Bisto pot, he thought it would protect the roots when he potted it on. Eventually the Bisto pot will disintegrate when the plant is placed in the grow bag giving the roots extra space to grow.

What a fantastic idea Jacy had. His tomato plant is the strongest, tallest and has a tomato already growing on it! We are so impressed that we are collecting Bisto pots now!

The pictures below are of Tracie holding Jacy’s tomato plant up so you can see the amazingly strong roots!

The middle picture is a tomato plant we grew in the green house in a plastic pot. As you can see there are less roots and they are wonky (we do love wonky veg so thats ok!) they are much smaller, thin and scraggly. The bottom pictures (above) are of our other seedlings which we are growing in toilet rolls and they seem nice and strong! We will start hardening them off soon, ready to be planted among our flowers.

Above is our pot we sowed the Melon seeds in. We have no idea how but we have a tomato plant and weeds! No sign of a melon!

We have tried to grow cucumbers as we had a bumper crop last year. Unfortunately they didn’t grow even though we sowed 6!

We decided to go to the garden centre and buy one already established. Within 2 days they had slug damage! So back to the garden centre we went. This time we have put a water marker on it, covered the pot rim with copper (to keep slugs away) and placed it on gravel. We will see how they go in our next garden post.

family, Garden Classroom, Seedlings

Strawberry Wall

Posted on 12th May 202110th Aug 2021 by Tracie Dowling

Today, in between the rain and the wind, the Seedlings braved the weather to plant up the Strawberry wall. Tracie prepared the wall by filling it with peat-free compost.

At the weekend Tracie dug up the strawberry plants from our plot that the seedlings made last year, she prepared them for the seedlings to replant in the wall.

We have decided to build a new pond in the old strawberry bed for all our growing frogs!

This is Mr Frog, he made Tracie jump! She was sitting on the sofa watching us play when the frog jumped next to her to see what she was doing! We all thought it was funny! Tracie very carefully picked up Mr Frog and took him over to the pond.

family, Garden Classroom, Seedlings

Garden Challenge 2021: Phyllis’ May Garden

Posted on 12th May 202110th Aug 2021 by Tracie Dowling

Phyllis has been working hard in her Garden and all the plants are growing well.

The nets Phyllis has had to put up isn’t to stop the birds and pests, its to protect the crops from Hebe the cat!

What a pickle Hebe is! Everywhere Phyllis is, Hebe’s not far away causing mayhem!

All the vegetables are looking lush and growing big and strong. Phyllis has to keep mowing the grass to make it look nice and tidy.

The fruit is coming along too! There will be lovely ripe strawberries to pick and eat, they will go well with scones and cream in June! Something for us to look forward too!

Mind you that’s if they actually get to the kitchen! I know a few Treasures who like to pick and eat them before Phyllis gets a chance!!

Frank has made a Tomato planter in the greenhouse, Phyllis has planted the tomato plants the seedlings have grown for her, there are cucumbers growing too! All you need is onions and you have a salad!

Phyllis has also got lots of lovely colourful flowers around her garden to encourage the bees and butterflies. She has sent me pictures of them, below are my favourite ones. I bet they smell amazing.

family, Garden Classroom, rangers, Uncategorized

Garden Challenge 2021: Gemma’s May Update

Posted on 12th May 202110th Aug 2021 by Tracie Dowling

At the beginning of May, Gemma sent us some pictures of her garden vegetable raised beds that she had made. They have come on so well and are all starting to grow nice and strong.

Its mid-May now and only two weeks since the above pictures and the raised beds have grown so much! Gemma and the children are doing so well, they must all have green fingers!!

Chloe has been helping Gemma after school with watering and trying to keep Cooper their dog from jumping on them! All our pets want to join in with gardening!

Garden Classroom, Uncategorized

Strawberry Potting On with the Seedlings

Posted on 21st Apr 202110th Aug 2021 by Tracie Dowling

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.

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.

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!!

Garden Classroom, Seedlings

Garden Challenge 2021: Tracie’s Garden Update

Posted on 16th Apr 202110th Aug 2021 by Tracie Dowling

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.

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!

family, Garden Classroom

Garden Challenge 2021: Gemma’s April Garden Update

Posted on 14th Apr 202110th Aug 2021 by Tracie Dowling

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!

family, Garden Classroom

Garden Challenge 2021: Phyllis April Update

Posted on 14th Apr 202110th Aug 2021 by Tracie Dowling

Phyllis has definitely been working hard in her garden since we last visited her.

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.

Garden Classroom, rangers, Seedlings, wanderers

Spring is here!

Posted on 9th Apr 202110th Aug 2021 by Tracie Dowling

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.