Closing a Successful Year in the School Garden

Where has the time gone in Term 4? It’s our busiest season in the school garden, and as the school year draws to a close, we’ve been working hard to finish everything up.

We’ve been discovering some of the last winter vegetables like cabbages and broad beans. The tamariki love peeling broad beans—it’s such a calming activity. They enjoy exploring the size of the beans, counting them, and packing them into zip-lock bags for future cooking in the staff kitchen

We’ve also had an abundance of calendula flowers in a variety of vibrant colours. The tamariki have been picking bunches to take home, and we’ve saved plenty of seeds for next year. It’s such a valuable lesson for the kids to learn that once we grow something in the garden, we can let it go to seed, harvest it, and plant it again—continuing the never-ending cycle of giving and receiving from the garden.

With our orchard grove now in place, we’ve been learning about the importance of bees and their role in pollinating our fruit trees. We were fortunate to have a visit from Natalie of Seaside Bees, a beekeeper who shared her expertise with us. The tamariki were fascinated by her equipment and her stories. Some even got to try on a beekeeper suit, touch and smell beeswax, and learn about the many jobs bees do. Afterward, we went out to the sensory garden to observe the bees in action, busy among the lavender plants.

A lot of attention has gone into our orchard grove, especially with this dry spring. Young trees need plenty of water, so it’s been a big task for the tamariki to carry watering cans and buckets to ensure each tree gets enough moisture. They’ve quickly learned that water is heavy! To support our fruit trees, we’ve also planted seeds of flowers and herbs around their bases. Most of the trees are looking healthy, although a few have minor fungal diseases that we’ll treat in winter. Thankfully, none of the trees have failed, which is a promising sign.

To prepare the orchard grove for the long summer holidays, we added an extra layer of mulch around each tree to help keep the roots cool and moist. We’re excited to be receiving rainwater tanks, generously sponsored by Tauranga City Council. This new project, set to begin in Term 1 of 2025, will see the tanks installed off the caretaker’s shed. It’s a wonderful opportunity for the tamariki to learn about collecting rainwater—a free and natural resource—especially when I explain that tap water comes at a cost to the school.

Of course, hard-working gardeners deserve a treat! On my last gardening day with the Year 6 students, who are moving on to their next adventure, we worked together to mulch the trees, finishing the job in no time. We celebrated with a refreshing ice block, a well-earned reward.

Finally, I want to express my gratitude to the Suzanne Aubert Catholic School team for always welcoming me so warmly. Thank you to Jenny, my liaison teacher, for organizing our gardening tasks, Maria, the office administrator, for helping with project logistics, and Les, the caretaker, for assisting with the tough jobs. And, of course, thank you to the tamariki, who bring so much joy to the garden.

Merry Christmas, and I look forward to seeing you all in 2025!