Worm Tea

We are very proud to have worm farms at our school and we work very hard to produce worm tea that is very nutritious for the plants. It helps the plants grow healthy. We are a group of amazing children who help Mrs Naidu look after the worm farms. Once a week we feed the worms yummy scraps from apples, bread, some paper and many more things and also collect worm tea. We have a very healthy collection of worm tea and now its time to bottle it up to sell. We plan to buy more seeds to plant in our school vegetable gardens. Here they are all ready for SALE!

GARDENING TIPS

Herbs in the Vegetable Garden

Some herbs are well suited to growing in the vegetable garden, where they can be harvested as needed and their self-seeding might even be welcome. Annual herbs like basil, coriander and dill are more convenient if they are near the vegetables they will be cooked with.

Where to Plant Your Herb Garden

Pick a sunny spot, but try to keep your herb garden near the kitchen, so you’ll be tempted to step outside and grab what you need while cooking. Of course, if you’re re growing herbs other than for culinary use or if you’re growing large batches of herbs to preserve or dry at the end of the season, kitchen proximity may not be a concern.

From Environment and Sustainability Group

HOT SOUP DAY AT SCHOOL

We cooked some soup with vegetables that we picked from our school garden. We put green beans, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes and some onions. We cooked it in a slow cooker and it was ready for us to eat at break 2 YUM YUM

Mmmmmmmmmm! Very healthy

We are the regular gardeners at PCS

Mr. White also got a chance to taste our lovely vegetable soup

It's still too  hot to eat so I'll wait for a little while- Ocean.

We are a group of amazing environmentalist at Papatoetoe Central School who dedicate two of our breaks each week to look after our vegetable gardens and our worm farms. Some of the jobs that we do in our vegetable gardens are: planting new vegetables keeping in mind the season, weeding and watering. Once a week we also feed  the worms in the worm farm. We collect worm tea that is ready to be bottled and sold so that we can buy more seeds to plant in our gardens. Here are some pictures to show the work we do.

COMPOSTING

Compost is the single most important supplement you can give your garden soil. Composting is a simple way to add nutrient-rich humus which fuels plant growth and restores vitality to depleted soil. It's also free, easy to make and good for the environment.

How to Compost

1. Start your compost pile on bare earth. This allows worms and other beneficial organisms to aerate the compost and be transported to your garden beds. 2. Lay twigs or straw first, a few inches deep. This aids drainage and helps aerate the pile. 3. Add compost materials in layers, alternating moist and dry. Moist ingredients are food scraps, tea bags, seaweed, etc. Dry materials are straw, leaves, sawdust pellets and wood ashes. If you have wood ashes, sprinkle in thin layers, or they will clump together and be slow to break down. 4. Add manure, green manure ( clover, buckwheat, wheatgrass, grass clippings) or any nitrogen source. This activates the compost pile and speeds the process along. 5. Keep compost moist. Water occasionally, or let rain do the job. 6. Cover with anything you have - wood, plastic sheeting, carpet scraps. Covering helps retain moisture and heat, two essentials for compost. Covering also prevents the compost from being over-watered by rain. The compost should be moist, but not soaked and sodden. 7. Turn. Every few weeks give the pile a quick turn with a pitchfork or shovel. This aerates the pile. Oxygen is required for the process to work, and turning "adds" oxygen. You can skip this step if you have a ready supply of coarse material, like straw. Once your compost pile is established, add new materials by mixing them in, rather than by adding them in layers. Mixing, or turning, the compost pile is key to aerating the composting materials and speeding the process to completion.