In our ‘Oddbox’ our weekly wonky vegetable box we had three garlic bulbs. We decided we didn’t need all three so we cut the top off to see if it would grow.
Grace placed it on a saucer of water and this it what happened!
We are going to have an abundance of home grown garlic to last us all year!!
Back in January the Wonderers and Rangers started a Hydroponic experiment to see how we could grow our fruit and vegetables without using soil.
We started with three main units, 2 small table top appliances one which had built in lights and a pump system and another, a still water system with lights built in. Tracie was then very lucky to have had a third brought for a present, a vertical pump system which needed grow lights added.
The built in pump systems work by pumping water constantly around the root system moving nutrients (added to the water) and providing air flow. We found these seeds germinated quickest out of the 3 systems used. We kept a constant eye on the water levels and nutrient PH.
We found once the plants had grown their second true leaves they started to look like they were wilting. The children came to the conclusion that the lights were scorching them so we raised the lights to see if there would be any improvement.
The root system was amazing, Alfie (one of our seedlings) described them as white wiggly worms. The problem was we they were filling up the units so we decided to trim them back a little to give them room to grow. We found this made the plants less stable and they toppled over.
Chloe and Mason researched using the ipad about hydroponics and found yet another system. it was much bigger and they thought it would provide the roots more space.
We had fun building the unit together, we had to buy even more lights to go around the systems which was a bit pricey. This is essential as they provide the artificial daylight to enhance photosynthesis that plants need to enable them with added nutrients to grow big and strong.
I asked the children if they had thought about ways we can store all the crops once grow. We discussed having to stagger growing, freezing and giving their parents some to take home.
Our plant are thriving better in the bigger system. However they are getting so big again they are starting to topple over. Tracie moved one tomato plant into its own ‘homemade’ system where we add tomato feed and we are waiting to see if it helps.
We will keep you up to dates later in the year to see how it all works.
We’ll finally after wanting one for years we have a Green house! Whoop Whoop
However it was not easy to put together. Gemma came around to help, it took us three days of total frustration to get it together.
We had to start with the base, we soon found out we needed a wooden base for the metal one to sit on!
We tried hard to follow the instructions but they didn’t make sense! we finally got the sides up then found the window fixers wouldn’t fit!
We had to take everything apart and start again making sure the ridge was on the outside for the glass.
When we finally got it up (Chloe helped too!) we realised it wasn’t suitable for the area we had erected it, so had to take it down and then put it up AGAIN!
Finally its in place and is full of growing plants.
Today with the Wonderers, we set up our Hydroponic System to start growing our Fruit and vegetables using air and water rather than soil.
First of all we discussed how we grow our plants. Mason said he remembers sowing the seeds last year in modular trays and soil. Chloe explained her mum uses coco coir at home to grow house plants.
Alfie said he grows his in the garden using the dirt and wiggly worms.
I explained to the group all about hydroponics and how it actually works. We started by opening the box to see what was inside. As soon as Alfie saw all the bits he was off to play, Mason said he wanted to plant the seeds but not read the instructions with us, so he went off to play too! Chloe was a superstar and read out the instructions, we then started to build the system so it was ready to sow the seeds.
We followed the instructions very carefully and managed to attach the pump, light arm, lights and base together.
Next steps where to fit the electric cable and plug it in. Chloe carefully pressed the switch and the lights and pump turned on. Wow it was very bright and I told the children not to look at them, guess what they did, looked at them.
There were a few instructions to read to explain the buttons on the top of the unit. The buttons turned on the lights and enables you to adjust the brightness, set the time for 16hrs a day and off for rest periods.
We were now ready to fill the system, we started by mixing the two types of fertiliser A and B together to make up a litre of solution. We then carefully poured the solution into the unit and the pump kicked in making a bubbling noise.
Because Chloe had helped to set the system up I let her choose the first two seeds to sow, she chose Chilli Peppers and Water Lily seeds. She carefully put them into the hole which was already in the centre of the Medium provided with the system.
Mason chose Sweet Peppers and Hanging Tomatoes, Alfie wanted to grow herbs and lettuce. We also added Cabbages, Broccoli, Onion and Cauliflower.
Chloe put the little domes onto each seed box, this will keep the moisture and heat inside which will help germinate the seeds quicker.
Now we need to check them everyday and make notes on what grows first, how long it takes to grow, how big it grows and any other useful information we want to document.
We will be adding to the blog and letting you know how it works, so watch this space….
Our Martie has grown up so much since starting with us as a baby. She is now starting school and we will be minding her baby sister which we are looking forward too. We will look forward to seeing Marty in the holidays and catching up with all her stories from school.
Here is a compilation of photos from her amazing time with us. Good luck Martie see you at Easter xx
Our Christmas Photo Collection From All At Tracie’s Treasures
This week the Chloe from Rangers wanted to make a window display in honour of all the soldiers who gave their life and courage to protect out country. She has been learning about Remembrance day in school and wears her Poppy with pride.
First, Chloe helped to design a Poppy on the iPad, we then photocopied it for everyone to be able to decorate it. Sophie and Chloe made theirs first. Chloe wanted to colour hers in and paint the middle black. Sophie copied Chloe’s design.
Sophie loved her poppy so much she wanted to take it home for mummy. She also wanted to have it displayed on the window so she ended up painting one too! Isn’t it pretty!
All the seedlings took it in turns to make their own Poppy. We used Paint, pens, pencils and lots and lots of red glitter!
Everyone had fun for Halloween this year, Emma and her family looked amazing. They were very scary and got up to lots of mischief.
Poppy chose not to be scary but join in by wearing her favourite Anime costume. Her jacket stands out on a dark night, which keeps her safe when out and about trick or treating.
Alfie from the seedlings was such a cute bat. He even tried to sleep upside down on the soft play!
The Rangers all helped each other to carve the pumpkins. They were very careful while using the vegetable knives. I am so glad they carved them outside, the mess was phenomenal!
The Rangers and Wanderers enjoyed the carving and apple bobbing the best. The Seedlings enjoyed the hunting for buried spiders, Tracie put a few treats in the sand for them to find for a surprise.
Lincolnshire Wildlife Park is one of the UK’s largest animal sanctuaries. The residents are from all walks of life and from all over the world. They have an amazing array of animals which keep the keepers very busy daily, from Tigers to Parrots and lots in between!
We had a fun packed day out walking around the park, we discovered some amazing facts and information about Parrots and learned why the Charity is so important. We listened to the wonderful sounds of the rainforest, spanning from Australia to Africa to the Americas and discovered why they are the only park that talks back!
The Lincolnshire Wildlife Park is a well established ‘National Parrot Sanctuary’ housing over 1000 re-homed Parrots & Parakeets, covering over 100 different species. They have a third of the UK’s Parrots here, and continue to re-home those that need help. These amazing creatures come in all sizes, colours and with some colourful language to accompany them! This parrot above kept saying hello to Poppy.
We found out some interesting facts about the Reindeer pictured above. Their hoof pads soften and widen in warmer weather to walk with ease on the soft ground, in colder weather their pads shrink, exposing their sharp hooves which are able to dig into the ice for extra grip. Their antlers are like a human’s fingerprints, no reindeer’s antlers are the same! How cool is that!
We loved the Tapir which are related to the rhinoceros and have special splayed toes to help them walk through soft muddy grounds. A group of Tapir in the wild is called a candle and baby Tapir are called calves. Calves have very different markings to adults, they are striped with white bands which helps to camouflage them in the wild.
They have a variety of Turtles at the sanctuary, including Yellow Bellied Sliders, Red Eared Sliders, Cumberland Sliders and Map turtles.
If you would like to visit you will find the details are:
Lincolnshire Wildlife Park,
Dickonhill Road,
Friskney,
Lincolnshire,
PE22 8PP
We all recommend a visit!
Over the summer holidays Poppy went to Grandad Smith and Nanny Rosie’s to see how their wildlife garden and beekeeping were coming along.
Poppy’s sister Chelsea came along for the trip, she loved learning all about the wildlife and the bees in her grandad’s garden. We all talked about nature, looked at the bird houses and saw some footage of the baby birds learning to eat while still in the bird box via a webcam. Never too old to learn!
We brought along some tadpoles from our pond in Liverpool and set them free in Grandad’s pond, hopefully he will have some frogs next time we visit. Do you think they will croak in a scouse accent?
We sat and watched the tadpoles swimming around settling in their new environment. While we were watching them we saw dragonflies, water fleas, snails, hoverflies and lots of beautiful butterflies.
We looked around Grandad’s vegetable garden, he has grown lots of lovely vegetables and fruit this year. Poppy went hunting and found cucumbers, tomatoes, grapes and lemons in the greenhouse.
In the main garden we saw Sweetcorn, Beetroots, Green Beans, Cabbage, leeks, strawberries and lots of Raspberries.
Poppy picked so many Raspberries we had them for tea, snack and breakfast!
Tracie's Treasures 