Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Impossible is nothing

Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in a world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary.

Impossible is nothing!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

VEGITABLE GARDEN

I USED THE SEEDS TO PLANT A VEGITABLE GARDEN(LETTUCE GARDEN)HAHAHAHA THEY ARE PLANTED IN A OLD FISH TANK OF MINE IT LOOKS QUITE COOL HOPE THEY GROW;) 

MATTHEW

!!!SEEDS!!!

MY MOM GOT ME SOME SEEDS (LETUCE) THAT CAN BE HARVESTED BETWEEN 40~60 DAYS AND CAN BE GROWEN IN ANY SEASON.                    

MATTHEW

Monday, March 7, 2011

My dad has an old tyre Which he said we could have!
The only problem is that it will be quite hard to roll a tyre into school.

Tim

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Worm Farming

Maintenance is one of the most important things to a worm farm. Just like anything else that lives, you have to take care of it to keep it going. So here are a few things to take into consideration when trying to maintain your worm farm. Enjoy.
Food and Feeding: As I said keep to natural garden trimmings, egg shells, coffee, and vegetables. You don't just throw it all in there and call it a day though. Worms like their food to be prepared too. Get some candles, a nice table cloth, romantic music, and hope for the best. But in all reality I like to get a metal bucket and just put everything in it. Then I like to get a shovel and just chop it all up into really small pieces, this helps spread it out better and also it's easier for the worms to deal with. When adding paper, try to use paper that has as little chemicals as possible. I like to get shredded paper and soak it in water, then I drain the water and let the paper try out, this gets a lot of the chemicals out and is better for the worms. I feed my worms about once a week, depending how much food is left, it's always a good idea to get it into small pieces then spread it all around the farm then use the soil to cover it up so the food is all covered and the worms can eat in peace. Try and keep the soil as most as possible without it being mud, moist is good but mud is bad.

Bedding: I don't know about you, but I don't like crawling around in my own crap. Worms crap in the farm that they also build, you should change out the bedding every month or so, when it starts to smell like crap, it's time to change it. You can prolong this process by every week or so adding fresh dirt and removing some. You should again layer the farm with dirt, paper, grass, etc. Make sure when you are removing dirt to be careful not to harm any worms or throw any away.

Harvesting worms: When you're ready to get some worms out of the farm there are a few ways you can do it. Some people make electrical probes you can stick in the ground and it electrocutes the ground and the worms come up. I find this very dangerous both for the worms and the person using it so I don't recommend it and will not be telling you how to make one. I prefer to just stick my hands in the dirt and start going through it. I recommend leaving the smaller ones and taking only the larger ones so that they have time to grow. One little trick I found was filling one corner of the rub with a lot of water, for some reason the worms are drawn to the water and will start to hang out right around the edge of the pool and are easy pickin. If you're looking to add more worms to your collection, I recommend going outside when it rains heavy and worms will literally just be crawling around on the grass, cement, and everywhere else.
So there you have it, basically you just need to feed them, clean their home and keep them happy. Worms are very delicate and it doesn't take much to harm them. Keep it simple and in no time your worms will turn into American Gladiators. When in doubt, drop a question and I'll let you know what I think as soon as I can.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Robert

the edible playground website link is http://www.edibleplaygrounds.co.uk/

Robert

image

How to grow your own
veg in an edible window box…

This project is great if you haven't got lots of space to grow – and you like salad.
For this project you will need:
window box container
decorating things/paint
drill
pot with compost (soil)
seeds (see step 3)
spray water bottle
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01

Find a suitable container that will fit on an outside windowsill. Paint or decorate it on the outside so that it looks nice.
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02

Ask someone to drill some holes in the bottom so it doesn't get waterlogged.
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03

Fill it with a mix of damp multipurpose compost and soil, and plant salad leaf seeds in your box.
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04

Keep the compost damp (but not wet) by spraying with water.
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05

In a week or so the leaves will start to grow and grow. Carefully harvest your leaves to add to salads and sandwiches. More will grow.

Remember...

Please make sure you ask a responsible adult to help you.

Robert

image

Bird scarer

Your old CDs can be used to protect planted seeds from pigeons and other birds.
For this project you will need:
old CDs
metallic gift ribbon or strips of silver foil
approx 2m of twine or string
2 bamboo canes or sticks
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01

String the CDs along the twine, tying each in place and leaving gaps between them. Leave a long length of twine at each end
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02

Tie different lengths of metallic ribbon or foil in the gaps.
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03

Dig two canes into the ground near to where you have planted your seeds. Attach one end of the bird scarer to each.
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04

The CDs and ribbons will glint and flutter and scare the pesky birds away!

Remember...

Please make sure you ask a responsible adult to help you.

Comfrey

This is comfrey!!!

Sunflowers

How to Plant Sunflower Seeds

Plant the sunflower seeds only about a deep as the seed itself is long at the maximum. Smaller sized sunflowers can be spaced a foot apart. Larger varieties will need to be spaced as far apart as three feet. This allows mature plants enough space for the seed heads to ripen without bumping into each other and knocking the ripe seeds off before gardeners ave a chance to harvest them.


Read more at Suite101: Planting Sunflower Seeds: Growing Your Own Sunflowers in a Home Garden http://www.suite101.com/content/planting-sunflower-seeds-a144167#ixzz1FKFVQj1I

Fish

It's pretty easy to find the changes for the fish jonny. Nice changes!!!!!!

Mike

Mike

Comfrey is a plant which is used to make medicines

Comfrey has been used since the sixteenth century in the external treatment of broken bones.  It therefore got the name “knit-bone”.    Allantoin, the active ingredient, with exceptional healing properties, is absorbed  fast and deep into the skin.    This is the reason why it could assist with the healing of bones and why even external application can bring relief and assist with the healing of internal ailments, such as ruptures, muscle injuries, bruises and the inflammation of arthritic joints, etc.  Being a proliferant, the healing process is speeded up because of rapid growth of new cells. Ironically, Alllantoin is now  being synthesized in the modern pharmaceutical industry.



Medicinal gardens crave the presence of this, the official species. Bitter aromatic, antimicrobial and carminative. Cultivate in ordinary deep, moist loam, in a shady position, as the plant thrives best in a damp soil and loves to grow near running water.

Arnica Arnica montana
Herbaceous perennial for cold and hardy zones. Sow within a mix of loam, peat moss, and sand in the spring. Likes acid pH, full sun, moisture, and a high altitude. Used for sprains, bruises, soaks, compresses, and an ingredient for salves and oils. The flowers are collected entire and dried, but the receptacles are sometimes removed as they are liable to be attacked by insects.
The root is collected in autumn after the leaves have died down

Ashwagandha Withania somnifera
Herbaceous perennial in the tropics, annual in temperate zones. Start indoors and transplant as you would tomatoes. Does not tolerate cold conditions well. Ginseng-like Ayurvedic tonic mainly for physical and mental exhaustion.Easy to grow, unusual and useful, also increasingly popular herb for selling. Dried root is a Ginseng-like tonic of the Ayurvedics.

Astragalus Astragalus membranaceous
Herbaceous perennial. Direct seed in early spring, good cold soil germinator. Prefers full sun, average soil and good drainage. Chinese tonic herb, with immune enhancing qualities. Herb improves function of liver, lungs, and spleen.



Basil, Holy Ocimum sanctum
Sow directly or in greenhouse in Spring or Summer. Prefers full sun, rich soil, and plenty of water This variety is purple stemmed and highly aromatic.Adaptogenic, antifungal, antibacterial, immune enhancing, and of the Ayurvedic tradition.



Borage Borago officinalis
Annual, direct seed in mid-spring. Very easy to grow, and will self sow. Delightful blue/purple flowers for salads, teas and desserts. Put them in ice cube trays for winter surprises. Gladdens the heart.

Burdock Arctium lappa
Perennial or self seeding annuals. Direct seed in late spring, prefers slight shade with good drainage and sandy soil. Plant closely for best yield and proliferation. Harvest root during dormant period after the first year to make oil. Leaves make a lovely poultice for skin damage. It will grow in almost any soil, but the roots are formed best in a light well-drained soil. The seeds germinate readily and may be sown directly in the field, either in autumn or early spring, in drills 18 inches to 3 feet apart, sowing 1 inch deep in autumn, but less in spring. The young plants when well up are thinned out to 6 inches apart in the row.


Calendula Calendula officinalis
Annual and self seeding. Direct seed in warm soil and full sun. Will proliferate fast and easily. Harvest bright orange flowers throughout year. Premier healing agent in salves, tinctures or masticated and applied to external injuries. Seeds sown in April, in any soil, in sunny, or half-sunny places germinate freely. They require no other cultivation but to keep them clean from weeds and to thin out where too close, leaving them 9 to 10 inches apart, so that their branches may have room to spread. The plants will begin to flower in June, and continue flowering until the frost kills them. They will increase from year to year, if allowed to seed themselves. The seeds ripen in August and September, and if permitted to scatter will furnish a supply of young plants in the spring.



Catnip Nepeta cataria
Herbaceous perennial. Highly aromatic plant in the mint family. Direct seed or start in flats in mid-spring. Prefers warm soil and full/partial sun.Gentle sedative, aromatic and calming. Catmint is easily grown in any garden soil, and does not require moisture in the same way as the other Mints. It may be increased by dividing the plants in spring, or by sowing seeds at the same period. Sow in rows, about 20 inches apart, thinning out the seedlings to about the same distance apart as the plants attain a considerable size. Attracts bees....and of course cats!

Chamomile, German Certified Organic
Annual. Self seeding and extremely vigorous. Sow directly in Fall or mid-Winter. Prefers full sun, and most types of soil. This is the delightfully aromatic Chamomile of tea fame. Perfect for gentle bedtime sedation or for treating stomachache. 



Lifeline Medicinal Seeds Kit from Horizon Herbs (Certified Organic)
This beautifully packaged set of seeds is a great foundation primer for those wishing to start a medicinal herb garden. (Each packet of seeds is certified organic through OTCO.)
Each kit contains 1 packet of each: Astragulus (50 seeds) Holy Basil (100 seeds) Burdock (100 seeds) Calendula (100 seeds) German Chamomile (500 seeds) Echinacea purpurea (200 seeds) Elecampane (100 seeds) Evening primrose (200 seeds) Flax (200 seeds)Lemon Balm (200 seeds) Marshmallow (100 seeds) Motherwort (200 seeds) Nettles (400 seeds) Cayenne pepper (100 seeds) Sage (100 seeds) Valerian (100 seeds) Wood Betony (100 seeds) Yarrow (200 seeds)

We could get this pack





Thursday, February 24, 2011

Living Walll

Here are how the living wall looks its cool and takes less space mam said that it is also cheeper that my dad said that maybe he can sponsor it but he first has to get the price of it!!
Here are some pics





  This is a massive living wall on a side of a building somewhere it's quit cool!!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Medicinal vegetables/plants and their uses


These area few medicinal vegetables or plants i 

found off the internet.



Medicinal Uses of Amarnth:
The juice of amaranth leaves is effective in resolving cataract.
Boiled leaves taken regularly can cure night blindness.


Bitter Gourd (Karela)
Bitter gourd is a unique vegetable in the sense, that it is coveted by many because of its bitter taste.
It is a very nutritious vegetable, the smaller the size, the more nutrients it seems to contain. It is an excellent source of vitamin C and contains most of the B complex vitamins, and vitamin A (in the form of carotene) too. It also has calcium, phosphorus, potassium and iron in appreciable amounts.


 Medicinal Uses of Beetroot:
Beet juice is one of the most valuable juices for the liver and gall bladder.
The root is rich in iron and helps in the generation of red blood cells in anaemia.
Raw beetroot is prescribed in cancer as it has a tumour-inhibiting component.


Hope this info helps us for next Tuesday!



Fuzail






Here is a website that shows you all of the medicinal plants or herbs: http://www.familyherbalremedies.com/medicinal_plant_listtml#TOP

Tim

Uses of Comfrey

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) is just one of those plants that every organic garden must have growing. It also has great merit as a medicinal plant. This plant serves us so well. Propagation is by root division. But be careful with this plant as it will grow from the tiniest piece of root.
OK, on to some of it's best uses (and some lesser known ones)!
1. A valuable addition of bulk to the compost heap. It is an extremely good micro-nutrient accumulator - a complete fertilizer in a plant. The leaves are full of nitrogen, silica, calcium, potassium, iron and magnesium.
2. Comfrey is a great compost activator.
3. Use as a mulch around your veggies. You can harvest growth several times a year, from mid spring onwards. Make sure you put the leaves in the sun for a few hours to wilt so that it doesn't take root.
4. It can be used as a fertilizer, placed directly in trenches before planting potatoes, beans, peas etc. (again make sure you wilt the leaves).
5. The very deep root system of this plant makes it ideal for breaking up heavy clay soils. This will also bring up nutrients that have leached deep into the soil.
6. Create a nutrient rich liquid fertilizer. Place comfrey leaves in a small amount of water for a week or more, then dilute 10:1. This liquid feed is excellent for potassium hungry crops, such as tomatoes.
7. Grow comfrey as a grass barrier. Chop up pieces of root, place in a hollow in your mulch about every 40cm / 16inches and cover with compost or good soil. Over time this will create a thick barrier that even couch doesn't like to compete with. Comfrey dies down with the winter frost, but so does grass. Comfrey will start growing in spring before grasses do.
8. Use as a nutrient trap at the bottom of your garden (if you have a slope). It will grow lush and prevent nutrients escaping your garden by leaching out.
9. Expand your garden beds. Divide the roots to create a lot of new plants very quickly. Very useful as a ground cover.
10. Comfrey is sometimes known as "knit-bone" as it has been traditionally used as a poultice to heal broken bones. It is high in calcium which may be why it is used in this way.
Growing Conditions
Comfrey is a hardy herbaceous plant which thrives in most types of soil. It will survive frosts, but tends to loose most of its leaves through winter, then bounces back with the arrival of warmer weather. You will get the best yield of lush leaves if you provide it with a moist, fertile soil.
Comfrey is a great companion plant for most vegetable crops.
Wow, what an amazing plant. Now you see why Comfrey is a 'must have' in an organic gardening system. Buy your first comfrey plant only if you don't know anyone who has it already. I'm sure they'd give you a piece of the root to get you started. I hope this gives you more ideas for Comfrey in your organic garden.

Tim

Monday, February 21, 2011

Fundraising

For our fundraising the grade 6 enrichment boys have been washing teachers cars during break times for the past 2 weeks!!!
We charged R20 for an outside wash of the car. Some of the teachers felt sorry for us and gave us a tip!!!!!! This morning we made some open terrariums to compare to our close one.

We are now thinking of selling cakes to raise money for our vegetable garden.

If you are willing to donate gardening tools or seeds you are welcome to.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Jonny's Terrarium

I just went to the nursery to buy all of my things! I am getting really excited. Do we have to use charcoal, my mom doesn't think it is necessary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jonny 

Friday, February 18, 2011

Terrariums

Here's a pic of the terrarium diagram . You can check the site out on: How to make a coke bottle terrarium 


Fuzail 
diagram2.jpg

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Tyre Ideas

I asked my uncle is he can supply us with tyres and he said he wiil get back to me!!

I going to ask my dad if he can sponsor us with the boxes tonight

But here are some ideas for the tyres...





Wednesday, February 16, 2011

terrarium

I started my terrarium can't wait to bring it to school!And I;v got some cool idea's.


Rayaan
I've just cut my coke bottle ready for the terrerium. I started to put peach pips at the bottom because i don't have pebbles. Then I realised I would be growing peach trees instead of tomatoes. Have to get pebbles at the nursrey. 


Michael
I found a website on how to make a worm farm its   http://www.working-worms.com/content/view/40/62


Robert

Monday, February 14, 2011

Welcome

Dear Grade 6
This is were you can write notes to each other, etc!
Have fun
Ms Visagie and Mr Sparrow