Gardeners get growing – an invitation from Gardening Club

Poorna, Imogen and Bianca invite you to get gardening, with a little help from the Biodiversity team.

Not only is it beneficial for the environment, but studies have shown that gardening is one of the best ways to wind down after a hard day. So why not engage in some green-fingered activism?

Gardening Club’s main aim is to inspire students whilst benefiting the biodiversity of the school. So far, we have planted various plants such as sunflowers, cosmos, marigolds and peas, as well as a load of strawberries on raised bed by the new canteen!

If you are considering joining but want to try out growing your own plants first, we have an opportunity for you to grow your own sunflowers. The seeds have been prepared for you by members of the Eco-Committee’s Biodiversity team, for you to take home and sow.

If you would like to place a free order for a couple of seeds – please fill in the form here.

They will then be dropped in your form pigeonhole (by the staff room) for you to collect. You will be notified when they are in the pigeonhole via email.

Here are Imogen’s instructions for planting your sunflowers.

1. If you are sowing your seed in a pot, push the seed 1.5cm into the soil. Only plant one seed per pot. If you are sowing multiple seeds in a seed bed, sow them roughly 6 inches apart.
2. Keep your seed or seeds either indoors or covered and water them every day until you see a seedling appear. If you have planted your seeds in a seed bed, thin them out to roughly 2 feet apart.
3. Water your seedlings whenever the soil looks dry – around every 3 days depending on the weather.
4. After 17-26 weeks, your sunflowers will bloom!

Top Tips

• Ensure that your sunflowers are kept in a sunny spot that receives around 6-8 hours of direct sunlight every day!
• If possible – place it in well-drained soil (soil which drains at a medium rate) in order to preserve water and keep the sunflowers healthy!
• Make sure to sow your seeds before the end of May!

Collecting seeds

Your flowers will last for a few months before they fade. When this happens, you can pick the flower and allow it to dry out. Then gently rub the flower head until the seeds have all fallen out. You can plant these seeds for more sunflowers or toast them and eat them!