K.H.S. Garden Of Excellence

Many students will now be aware of the garden within the school grounds. The hard work by the students was rewarded at last year's Lowestoft in Bloom, by winning the Gold award. Those students who helped on the garden attended a ceremony at Lowestoft Town Hall in September 2007, to accept the trophy on behalf of the school.

It was always intended to develop an area for small animals within the garden, I am pleased to announce that the school now has several small animals, which includes Rabbits - Guinea pigs and Chickens. Many of the students within the school are aware of the animals, and I have had many students now saying that they wish to help with the care of them.

I would like over the coming weeks to run a competition to name the Rabbits and Guinea pigs. So if you have a name for any of the animals, you will shortly be seeing posters, displaying the photographs of the animals to be named, around the school, and how to put your entry in.

The allotment at Kirkley High School is situated between the Music block and the Science block. It is approx 80ft x 22ft in area.

The allotment is currently underway with students and staff clearing the weeds and lifting shrubs that are to be transplanted to another piece of garden close to the Community wing.

For the allotment to be ready for planting next spring there is a lot of work to be done. With the help of local business; Barclays bank providing £500-00 to purchase tools, in addition to this also, Harrods and Travis Perkins of Lowestoft supplying materials and advice.

This is an ideal time of year to start the preparation for next year, over the coming weeks, apart from turning over the soil and digging in compost/manure. There will lots of jobs to do like building Compost bins, constructing Wormeries, connecting water butts to the down pipes for a regular supply of water for the plants. Constructing a footpath – raised beds and a trellis to support sweet peas and runner beans.

Whilst, the site is not ideal, because of shade, I believe it has the potential to grow everything the school requires. A flourishing garden can produce a wide range of flowers and vegetables, all of which will be organic. The produce can be sold in and around the school, generating money for other projects, such as poly-tunnels for growing Tomatoes – Peppers etc.

This type of project for students at K.H.S can be rewarding and certainly educational. Students over the coming months will certainly need to use their Enterprise skills and conduct scientific experiments, along side the more mundane work done on allotments.

Already the allotment is creating a lot of interest within the school, not only from students, but also teachers. We hope to capture this interest and develop this garden into a worthwhile project that will benefit the whole school.

Contact D. Banks