WINTER

Growing & Harvesting Food

Winter pruning of hardy fruit trees (apples, plums, figs, cherries), grapevines and shrubs

PRUNE FRUIT TREES

START SEEDS

Start seeds indoors/greenhouse for cool-season transplants such as: Asian Greens, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Chard, Collards, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Nasturtium and Onions
Sow seeds directly into garden beds for early spring planting, such as: Beets, Calendula, Carrots, Fava Beans, Garlic, Grains, Nasturtium, Onions, Peas, Radish, Spinach and Potatoes.

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Living Soil

Paper towels & food waste, water, measure temperatures & stir!

KEEP ON COMPOSTING

OUTDOOR COMPOSTING

Clean out composters and dig compost into garden beds for overwintering; Save some leaves to add to the compost during the year
A big wooden sign could be painted and attached to the fence behind the compost bins to highlight the waste recycling and ecological processes going on here.
Parent, Molly Murphy with the BC Mud Girls Collective could share more about building with cob and might be available to help construct a cob wall behind the greenhouse or something else this year.
Mix compost, water, sieve final product. Care for the compost bins and compost and enhance garden soil with the final product.
Visit the Victoria Compost Centre! Also, there are free composting workshops on Saturdays October 13th and 20th, and they come to schools directly.

SOIL-BUILDING

Plant cover crops, lasagna garden with layers directly on the beds, gather leaves and seaweed and other compostables (coffee grounds from local cafes?). Build a Hugel Kulture bed and try trench composting.
Joss Krayenhoff has really nice sieves and will come to your class to help separate soil into its component parts.
Simple pH and nutrient test kits are available at Foxglove Garden for $35 for ten testers. Learn about soil additives in the Foxglove Garden bulk room after testing the soils around the gardens.
Learn what Bullock Lake Farm does with its compost and how it uses kelp and alfalfa to grow veggies.
Visit Seven Ravens Permaculture to learn about soil-building with plants.

PUT BEDS TO SLEEP

Plant cover crops/green manure (such as winter rye)
Prepare lasagna/layered garden beds
Autumn mulching (such as leaves, straw, bark/wood chips...)

Community Arts & Culture

Artists in the Classroom
Salt Spring Arts Council Community Grants
Garden Mandalas
Plan ahead for Spring Construction Projects like cob, rammed-earth, or shelters (funding & schedules)

CONNECT W/LOCAL ARTISTS & ARTISANS

STRAW BALES!

Straw-bale beds and benches.
Makeshift Outdoor Classroom & Play Structures

MULTI-LINGUAL GARDEN SIGNAGE

First Voices website for Sencoten and Hul'Q'imi'num words for veggies, fruits, tools, and native plants.
French, latin plant names, and other school family languages.
Interview gardeners from other cultures and invite them to garden activities to learn more about different cultivation techniques.

FALL FAIR! APPLE FEST!

Participate in Fall Fair art submissions.
Connect to Apple Fest & other Autumn Events.

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Ecosystem Science (focus: Pollination)

for overwintering mason bees and other insects.

CREATE A BUG HOTEL

PLANT FLOWER BULBS

Daffodil & Crocus bulbs for BC Get Outside Day.
Fun Alliums and others for more spring colour.

BUTTERFLY GARDENS

Butterfly Garden construction. Parent, Carolyn Hopp designed the initial butterfly garden along the playground bench and building.
Make Butterfly art - Luba Polouvytnova might be able to help with butterfly mosaic creation.
Plan a school orchard & other pollinator plantings. TD Grant.
Entemologist, Linda Gilkeson, could provide education and advice around pollinator plants. We have funding to purchase these plants.
VICTORIA BUTTERFLY GARDENS & INSECTORIUM - Located in Brentwood Bay, this place looks amazing and directly relates to the pollinator and insect learning! Maybe get ideas for painting the wooden cut-outs here?

APPLE ORCHARDS

Interview ochardists about the importance of pollination.
Fruit Orchard Field Trips - Apple Luscious, Laughing Apple, Wild Cider, and others all maintain large fruit orchards that could give insight to students designing a school orchard.
APPLE FEST (Sunday Sept 30) - Start planning the school orchard by learning more about apples on the islands.

HONEY BEES

Visit Black Horse Apiary Hives on SSI - Ask Wendi Gilson to show a class around, if possible. She would also have more Gulf Islands beekeeper contacts to suggest. She runs 60-80 colonies on SSI in 7 locations and is a Beemaster and Apiary Inspector at BC Ministry of Agriculture, and works with the collective group- Ethical Bees
QUEEN BEE THEATRE, STONEWELL FARM - A special dramatic performance by Grace Jordan about hive life. They came to SSE.
Ron Pither can bring a portable hive to school and Katharine Byers has already arranged for a date in late Sept/Oct.
Register as a BEE SCHOOL, and browse opportunities at http://pollinator.org/canada
Galiano School has an observation hive and a field trip to see their garden and other Galiano Conservancy sites would be awesome. You can apply for a school observation hive through Whole Kids, due Oct 15.

Fulford School Garden_Robin Jenkinson.JP

Garden Coordination & Maintenance

Coordinate monthly garden work parties (with parents, students and community members) to help with fall harvesting, prepare for the winter and plant winter cover crops and bulbs in the school gardens.
PAC Coordination; Staff Meeting Garden Survey (what would teachers like this year?);

REGULAR WORK-PARTIES

CELEBRATE TEACHERS & VOLUNTEERS

Articles in the local paper, posters of photos on display, end of summer potluck.
New Garden Gate celebrating past year and setting course for the next.
Nominate them for awards!

WELCOME NEW FAMILIES

Planting party before school starts to beautify the entryway.
Share info with new Kindergarten parents and invite to participate.

WINTER

Growing & Harvesting Food

Winter pruning of hardy fruit trees (apples, plums, figs, cherries), grapevines and shrubs

PRUNE FRUIT TREES

START SEEDS

Start seeds indoors/greenhouse for cool-season transplants such as: Asian Greens, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Chard, Collards, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Nasturtium and Onions

Sow seeds directly into garden beds for early spring planting, such as: Beets, Calendula, Carrots, Fava Beans, Garlic, Grains, Nasturtium, Onions, Peas, Radish, Spinach and Potatoes.

.

.

Living Soil

Paper towels & food waste, water, measure temperatures & stir!

KEEP ON COMPOSTING

OUTDOOR COMPOSTING

Clean out composters and dig compost into garden beds for overwintering; Save some leaves to add to the compost during the year

A big wooden sign could be painted and attached to the fence behind the compost bins to highlight the waste recycling and ecological processes going on here.

Parent, Molly Murphy with the BC Mud Girls Collective could share more about building with cob and might be available to help construct a cob wall behind the greenhouse or something else this year.

Mix compost, water, sieve final product. Care for the compost bins and compost and enhance garden soil with the final product.

Visit the Victoria Compost Centre! Also, there are free composting workshops on Saturdays October 13th and 20th, and they come to schools directly.

SOIL-BUILDING

Plant cover crops, lasagna garden with layers directly on the beds, gather leaves and seaweed and other compostables (coffee grounds from local cafes?). Build a Hugel Kulture bed and try trench composting.

Joss Krayenhoff has really nice sieves and will come to your class to help separate soil into its component parts.

Simple pH and nutrient test kits are available at Foxglove Garden for $35 for ten testers. Learn about soil additives in the Foxglove Garden bulk room after testing the soils around the gardens.

Learn what Bullock Lake Farm does with its compost and how it uses kelp and alfalfa to grow veggies.

Visit Seven Ravens Permaculture to learn about soil-building with plants.

PUT BEDS TO SLEEP

Plant cover crops/green manure (such as winter rye)

Prepare lasagna/layered garden beds

Community Arts & Culture

Artists in the Classroom

Salt Spring Arts Council Community Grants

Garden Mandalas

Plan ahead for Spring Construction Projects like cob, rammed-earth, or shelters (funding & schedules)

CONNECT W/LOCAL ARTISTS & ARTISANS

STRAW BALES!

MULTI-LINGUAL GARDEN SIGNAGE

FALL FAIR! APPLE FEST!

Ecosystem Science (focus: Pollination)

for overwintering mason bees and other insects.

CREATE A BUG HOTEL

PLANT FLOWER BULBS

BUTTERFLY GARDENS

Butterfly Garden construction. Parent, Carolyn Hopp designed the initial butterfly garden along the playground bench and building.

Make Butterfly art - Luba Polouvytnova might be able to help with butterfly mosaic creation.

Plan a school orchard & other pollinator plantings. TD Grant.

Entemologist, Linda Gilkeson, could provide education and advice around pollinator plants. We have funding to purchase these plants.

VICTORIA BUTTERFLY GARDENS & INSECTORIUM - Located in Brentwood Bay, this place looks amazing and directly relates to the pollinator and insect learning! Maybe get ideas for painting the wooden cut-outs here?

APPLE ORCHARDS

Interview ochardists about the importance of pollination.

Fruit Orchard Field Trips - Apple Luscious, Laughing Apple, Wild Cider, and others all maintain large fruit orchards that could give insight to students designing a school orchard.

APPLE FEST (Sunday Sept 30) - Start planning the school orchard by learning more about apples on the islands.

HONEY BEES

Garden Coordination & Maintenance

Coordinate monthly garden work parties (with parents, students and community members) to help with fall harvesting, prepare for the winter and plant winter cover crops and bulbs in the school gardens.

PAC Coordination; Staff Meeting Garden Survey (what would teachers like this year?);

REGULAR WORK-PARTIES

CELEBRATE TEACHERS & VOLUNTEERS

WELCOME NEW FAMILIES

.