Community Fund – Batley Girls’ High School – February Update
During February we have enjoyed a reasonable period of fine weather, although bitterly cold, allowing us to start clearing the allotments in readiness for the new season. This activity has provided opportunity, with students looking on during break times and asking all sorts of questions, to recruit several student wanting to be involved in the various farm support activities.
We have found it necessary to remove three of our cockerels from the farm due to our close proximity to housing and the noise they were making. We did however take several of what we hope will be fertile eggs and place them into our new incubator. The chicks should arrive about the 16th March.
Several rhubarb crowns have been lifted and split thus creating additional plants some of which will be available for sale and with seed propagation well underway in our greenhouse with hundreds of tomato, bean, pea and lettuce plants available our shop should soon be opening with a green haze!
The chickens look to be producing more eggs with the daylight hours on the increase. We have changed their roosting habit by allowing them a more free range access to the coupe instead of putting them away as we leave the school at the end of the day. So far things are looking good and Mr. Fox has not paid a visit.
Interest from one of our students grandparents has provided us with several stock geranium show plants and cuttings have been taken that should allow for a reasonable increase in plants this season for all to enjoy.
Several areas of land are to be planted with our chitting potatoes to assist with both the clearing and clean up of the land so in time we should all benefit from the hard work during this early season.
The school was represented at the local centre for the blind in Batley that hosted the radio recording of “Gardeners Question Time” and with the edited version doing out on Radio4 next Friday and Sunday at 3pm things are progressing well both in and around the school.