Applecross Primary School

This Pocket Garden was built by pupils at Applecross Primary School. A Shieling is an area of summer pasture on high ground.  Applecross Primary School has its very own outdoor classroom, the Applecross Sheiling.  The nursery children in Applecross use the Shieling as an outdoor nursery, and share the space with school children.  The Pocket Garden is now part of a newly planted area with potatoes and vegetables in containers that the nursery children are growing.

Welly boot planters

Watering can to collect water

Willow weaving

Pupils worked on their Pocket Garden every Friday for 5 weeks.  It was challenging with a cold slow start to spring but everyone thoroughly enjoyed the process.  Once they found out they were to be entered into the online showcase, pupils had a planting session before the Easter holidays.  A member of the community donated a big box of seeds so the children chose seeds to plant and took them home to grow them over the holidays.  These included, calendula, salad, carrot, rocket, peas and nasturtiums .

Pupils were assisted in building their design by Robert who is working on the Appleseed Project.  He sourced and helped to cut pallets for the children.  The children chose the site for the garden close to the polycrub in the school and nursery Shieling.  The school has an incredible outdoor space which is constantly evolving and the Pocket Garden has brought a new focus to a previously little used area.

A special feature of this Pocket Garden is that everything apart from the welly boots will rot down eventually. No plastic has been used.  The children brought in natural materials for the pallet at the back including sheep’s wool, cotton and jute.

The children have been learning about composting with teacher Marion Gilroy as part of her role in the Appleseed Project.  They used the contents of their rot pots to fill the garden along with the first batch of compost from the tumbler which takes all food waste from the school kitchen.  Compost was also taken from a raised bed which was being moved to accommodate a bigger hen run for the school chickens.

Pupils spent time learning about no dig gardening too, and tidied up the edges of the Pocket Garden with no-dig gardening.

The garden was decorated with woven willow fish and scallop shells.

Pupils are very grateful to local photographer Annie MacDonald who generously donated her time and skill to photograph the Pocket Garden at sunrise and sunset.

Filling the pallet with soil

Planning where plants go

Watering plants in

In this short video clip, pupils are putting the finishing touches on their Pocket Garden.