Welcome to the latest newsletter for schools from Garden Organic. It is bitterly cold outside at the moment but we hope that hasn't put you off and that staff and pupils are ready to get growing in their garden this month. As the national charity for organic growing we are committed to providing support and information to help people grow organically. This month we have several articles that we hope inspire you to go out and 'get growing'.
Advice & News
Coming soon - The One Pot Pledge Garden Organic will be undertaking an exciting new national campaign during 2010 that aims to get 30,000 individuals to try growing for the first time. We're hoping lots of schools will take part, to grow and help others grow too. Look out for more information coming soon.
Seasonal FAQ s
Our horticulture expert, Pauline Pears, answers more questions from members. This week's subjects include Lichen growth on fruit trees, and the best fillings for raised beds. Read more>
New Reduce/Re-use/Recycle tips Organic gardening and sustainability go hand in hand, so we asked readers of our members' magazine, The Organic Way, to send us their tips on how to ‘reduce, re-use, recycle’. See the latest batch here. Read more>
Master Composter in action at schools Mary Bendall was one of the first to be trained as a Master Composter for Schools. Mary joined other school staff to receive her training at Garden Organic, and left with resources and the information required to support her community to get composting. Read more>
Featured Factsheet
Growing from seed Growing your own plants from seed is easy and satisfying even on the smallest scale. Feel free to print this off and inspire pupils to have a go.
WWF - Earth Hour
Climate change is a serious threat and demands urgent global action. Unless we prevent average temperatures rising 2°C above pre-industrial levels, we face a high risk of severe and irreversible changes.
Food, Inc
12th February sees the UK cinema release of new Oscar-tipped documentary Food, Inc. which lifts the veil on the food industry, exposing a highly mechanised underbelly all too often hidden from the consumer. Find out more>
Fruit'full' Schools
Garden Organic is working in partnership with Learning Through Landscapes (LTL) who have developed an exciting new national project enabling thousands of children to establish heritage fruit orchards within their school grounds in partnership with their local communities. Find out more>
Garden News report - Bolsover
Bolsover Junior School wanted to grow fruit so that pupils could learn more about seasonality, and how fruit grows. In the autumn term they got to work planning and then planting fruit trees and bushes. Find out more>
Sustaining urban green spaces conference - Norris Bank Primary School
This conference, held by FFLP registered school Norris Bank, is a unique opportunity to be inspired by some of the leading figures making a difference to our urban green spaces. Find out more>
What's on...
FREE ORGANIC FOOD GROWING WORKSHOP Wednesday 10th March
Garden Organic, West Midlands
The training event will support schools working towards the Food for Life Partnership Mark with a focus on growing skills. It is aimed at schools starting out with a growing project. Course details>
FREE ORGANIC FOOD GROWING WORKSHOP Wednesday
10th March
Twerton Infant School, Bath
The training event will support
schools working towards the Food for Life Partnership Mark with a focus
on growing skills. It is aimed at schools starting out with a growing
project. Course details>
FREE MASTER COMPOSTER FOR SCHOOLS WORKSHOP Wednesday 21st April Garden
Organic, West Midlands
This is a fantastic opportunity to develop the skills and methodology required to pass on the composting message to other schools and the wider community. This will help schools working towards any Food For Life Partnership Mark. Event details>
Click here for the full list of courses & workshops available
Kick off your growing with Figo Cane Connectors
The flexible connector for bamboo or aluminium tubes.
A quick, easy and versatile system for building garden structures like plant protection supports, fruit cages, cloches and frames for climbing plants.
Figo's flexible arms can accommodate canes or poles ranging from 8mm to 16mm in diameter.
The arms can be moved to any angle so you can build a structure of just about any shape. For example, the 3 arm Figo for corners, the 4 arm for wigwams.
The product was invented in the UK and is made from a rubber that has outstanding heat and weather resistance. Figo's can be used over and over again for many years and are guaranteed for 3 years under normal garden conditions and use. Click here to view>
Click here for the Organic Gardening Catalogue for Schools and to browse all available products.
For further information on Garden Organic, please visit our website
or phone 024 7630 3517
Garden Organic is the working name of the Henry Doubleday Research Association
Jobs in your garden this month
