Bealtaine in the garden

 

Today is the first day of summer and the garden is really springing back to life. We talked about the Ancient Fire festivals at the changing of the seasons and noticed all the signs of summer around us already.

Junior and Senior Infants heard the story of Sionnan and how the Shannon got it's name and we added lots of sounds and movement. 

Many flowers are starting to reappear. We spotted an Orange-tip butterfly and were delighted to see its food plant, the Cuckoo Flower, has appeared in our wildflower meadow at the front of the school.

The tadpoles have also grown a lot in the last few weeks and the pond plants have reappeared and are doing their job well, keeping the water clean.

A year after sowing the seeds the Purple Sprouting Broccoli is finally ready to harvest. Radishes, Chives and Fennel were also ready for tasting. The Broadbeans are flowering and the Garlic, Onions and Potatoes are growing well too. Some of the seeds we sowed recently in the greenhouse have also sprouted and the beds are now ready for planting up. The water harvesting system has been set up and we will soon have rainwater for watering our plants.

We also got lots more mulch and compost spread on the spiral beds and around the sensory plants and fruit bushes near the pond. We are all looking forward to seeing how everything continues to grow for the rest of the summer.