The Ancient Walled Garden
Gardening is a core part of the of the Steiner Waldorf curriculumOur 2 ½ acre walled garden unites many activities. Within the garden, we grow about a hundred varieties of vegetables, herbs, flowers, and top fruit, all to Demeter standards. Compost is important to biodynamic gardening and we maintain a variety of compost heaps around the garden. We have two old fashioned wooden greenhouses, three polytunnels, and the original Victorian propagation houses. We have just recently installed a new flow form which is used to improve the irrigation water for the seedlings, and to make nettle, comfrey and compost teas. Outside the garden wall, there is an additional plot, fenced for protection from deer, in which we grow vegetables on a field scale and in a different soil. Part of the garden is entirely set aside for gardening teaching. There is a gardening classroom, the children’s propagation house, a bread baking oven, and tools for garden and woodland crafts. Children have their garden beds there and it is where their gardening lessons take place. In winter, they roam beyond the garden into the rest of the Michael Hall estate to learn about woodland management.
The nine year olds have a year of regular farming lessons, some of which are spent in the garden. Activities include sowing, harvesting, threshing and milling wheat, before finally baking it into bread. Between the ages of 11 and 14, pupils have gardening lessons every week, planning and growing their gardens, culminating in the landscape garden, which the students design, plan and landscape in their 3rd year of gardening. Whilst serving as a classroom for all ages, from Kindergarten to Class 1 to Upper School OCN and ecology lessons, the large remainder of the garden is a thriving productive market garden. We have our own Garden Shop which sells seasonal vegetables and fruit all year round, as well as supplying the local community with fresh produce. The aim is to combine beauty in the garden with growing an abundance of good biodynamic vegetables for the school canteen, the garden shop and the local community. We also train apprentices, students and practicants and offer guided walks, workshops and the opportunity to volunteer and learn in the garden.
We were given a Gold Award by S.E. in Bloom for 2011.
