In 2010 the pupils and staff at Opua School decided to design and create a vegetable garden. It was a somewhat tricky brief as here at Opua School we have a very small area of spare land. It was finally decided to turn a small patch of an unused grassy area into three raised beds with paths in between. We are very lucky to have a fantastic Caretaker, who helped the children design the area and then went on to build our new vege patch on a very tight budget.
Our PTA was very supportive and arranged for us to take delivery of a GreenCone compost system. This system is what the manufacturers call a “solar-powered” digester. If situated in a sunny part of your garden the Green Cone system will work 365 days of the year. Using heat from the sun it creates a trap of circulating air that increases the bacteria growth – thereby digesting your food quickly and turning it into a rich soil conditioner. By using this system in combination with the ‘worm juice’ from our 5 worm farms and the chook-poo from the chickens we keep at Opua School we have the most gorgeous, nutrient rich soil anyone could hope for! (With the help of TUI products of course!!)
We have recently purchased a seed propagator and we are all amazed at the speed at which we can get strong healthy seedlings, ready to plant!
This year the pupils of Room 4 will act as the kaitiaki of the school vegetable patch. They have been busy collaborating with the caretaker, designing the spring/summer planting layout and coming up with new ideas for other parts of the school grounds to be used, for example a pumpkin patch over the bank and peas and beans running up the school boundary fences. This and more to come!
We are excited to be sharing our journey with you all and we look forward to posting new photos over the coming weeks!
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