The Garden: Part Two

As it was Autumn we found that, after placing the membrane, the ground was littered with leaves. Although we could have simply placed the fresh soil on top of the leaves, research found that this could have an adverse effect on the pH level of the soil. As such, we had to remove all leaves before placing the new soil in.

After finally removing all the excess greenery, we decided that in order to ensure the garden was suitable for the variety of plants we intended to grow in the garden, it was necessary to run a pH test on the soil. Unfortunately, this revealed that the soil was far too alkaline to ensure the plants would grow well. Because of this, it was necessary to remove eight inches of soil from each bed that would be used to grow flowers.

This process again involved the filling and emptying of rubble bags, this time with the unusable soil. Due to its sheer weight, this process took some time.

Our research indicated that it was a good idea to place a membrane between the old soil and new to ensure that weeds do not grow through and the soil retains its pH level.

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After the fresh soil was place, various plants and flowers were bought and planted.




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The group decided that the introduction of a bug hotel would help attract a large variety of insects and life to the garden. Using three separate wooden pallets, kindly donated by one of the team, the bug hotel was created by hand before being transported to the school to be filled with tree branches, rolled up bamboo with hay inside, clay pots for shelter and a host of other natural, creature attracting features.
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