Green children?

I visited Avondale Infants, one of the three primary schools near the Patch. I wanted to see their raised beds, which were put in by our volunteers three years ago.
They had used the beds and still had beans and beetroot growing.
The children had just harvested and cooked a crop of potatoes and by chance were eating them in the classroom when I arrived!
The school has also added an impressive mini-orchard with three sorts of fruit tree and four sorts of berries. The children are very enthusiastic.

Explorers

I have a photo of the spindle tree, not very impressive now but great in Autumn.
The planters look good, and the raised beds are full(watch this space.)

A group of young people, the Green Patch Explorers, are helping a lot with the poultry etc. on Saturdays.

Bee city and the spindle tree

The beehives stand in the north-east corner of the Patch in their own enclosure. After a hard time last year when they had to be given sugar to keep them going we hope that there are four colonies there now.

The tree which the botanist found in our hedgerow is the spindle tree(Euonymus europaeus) which is a native evergreen. People used to make spindles with it.At present it has symmetrical white flowers on it but later it will be a mass of red capsules and leaves.

It has been horribly hot this last week and anyone who has been on their allotment deserves a pat on the back!