Why seed-sowing? Children of all ages have a natural curiosity about nature and their outdoor surroundings. By sowing seeds in their very own Breathing Place, children can watch them develop into seedlings and then into fully grown plants. They can experience the thrill of watching their nurturing and hard work grow before their very eyes. Sowing these Breathing Places Schools seeds into your school grounds will not only benefit the school and wildlife around it, but will also benefit your students - helping them to develop an interest in nature which we hope will last. We look forward to helping your school s Breathing Place grow into the future! What do I do first? It s simple. In this pack you will find a packet of five kinds of seeds. These seeds should be easy to grow and, once in full bloom, will attract minibeasts and birds to your school grounds. Don t worry if you don t have any ground to sow seeds in you can grow these seeds in pots and containers as well. Just follow this simple five-step guide and start you school on it s Breathing Places journey. Step 1 When to sow your seeds The best time to plant your seeds varies slightly for each type of plant. Have a look at our chart below to see the best months to sow your seeds. Step 2 Preparing the soil/pots and containers If you are sowing your seeds straight into the ground: Ask the children to give the soil a good dig using a spade, taking out any weeds or stones they find. Rake the soil over to break up any large clumps of earth. Level the soil after raking it the children can do this by treading on the soil lightly. If you want to grow the plants next to each other, use lines of pebbles or sand to mark out borders of each sowing area. If you are sowing your seeds into pots/containers: Make sure you choose pots that will be big enough for the plants when they are fully grown. This is especially important for the sunflowers (see the top tips). Make sure the pots or containers have drainage holes in the bottom so that excess water has somewhere to escape. Place broken pieces of old pot or tiles in the bottom of the pot to stop the holes getting blocked and the soil waterlogged. Use peat-free compost in your pots and containers (this is available at all garden centres). March April May June Sunflower Corn Poppy Borage Pot Marigold Cornflower 2
Step 3 How to sow If you are sowing your seeds into the ground you will need to: Scatter the seeds thinly over the allotted area. Lightly cover with finely raked soil. Water the area lightly with a watering can. Remember that corn poppies, borage and pot marigolds all like to be in a sunny position. Allow more room for sunflowers. Sow these seeds 5cm deep (you can make a hole with your finger) and space them 40cm apart. If you are sowing your seeds into pots or containers, you will need to: Make a hole in the soil with your finger about 1.5cm deep. Put a few seeds of one variety in the hole but only one sunflower seed as these need more space. Cover lightly with soil. Water with a watering can. For sunflowers, make sure you pick a large, heavy pot or container that will be able to take the weight of the sunflower when it is fully grown. Step 4 Looking after your seeds /plants Once your seeds are sown, they will need a bit of love and attention. You do not need to water your seeds often. Once you see the plants appear and they are looking a bit droopy, give them a light watering. The pot marigold and cornflower should produce shoots very quickly - within one to two weeks. Get the children to deadhead* the pot marigold flowers regularly - this will prolong the flowering. The best time to do this is when the flowers are drooping. Step 5 Flowering and beyond The chart below lets you know when to expect your seeds to flower. June July August Sunflower Corn Poppy You can collect seeds from all of the plants after they have flowered and died and sow the seeds next year. The corn poppy, borage and pot marigold should all self-seed for the following year, if left, so you don t need to collect the seeds if you prefer not to. You will need to keep seeds in a cool, dry place over winter. You could also leave the seeds for the birds to eat either directly off the plant or on a bird table once you have harvested them. Just a note about how to keep safe when sowing your seeds: Wash hands thoroughly after handling soil. Don t eat the seeds. Borage Pot Marigold Make sure children wear appropriate clothing and footwear for working outside. Loose clothing that is warm, depending on the time of year, is most appropriate. Clothes may get muddy! Follow safety guidelines when using any gardening equipment. Cornflower *Deadhead means to nip the flower between finger and thumb, so the flower comes off. 3
Top tips and interesting facts Here are a few top tips and interesting facts about your seeds: Sunflowers The Latin name is helianthus annuus. This tall variety may need staking when the flower head develops to keep it upright, especially in the wind. Originating in North America, the sunflower as we know it today was first domesticated by Native American Indians. This seed then made its way across to Europe with Spanish explorers in the 1500s. Corn Poppy The Latin name is papaver rhoeas. The beautiful red blooms do not last long so make the most of them when you see them! It is noted for attracting wildlife. Corn poppies have been associated with agriculture since early times and are most commonly associated with remembrance in the 20th century. Poppies have become a symbol of military veterans due to the prolific nature of them in the battlefields of the First World War. Borage The Latin name is borago officinalis. Cornflower The Latin name is centaurea cyanus. These are easy plants to grow. They may need some staking for support. Formerly this flower was used in the preparation of perfumes, as a spice and to make a blue dye. The cornflower has its basis in Greek mythology. Coming from the group of flowers called Centaura, Chiron who was a Centaur (a warlike group who were half-man/halfhorse) is said to have used the flower to heal wounds after battle. The most peaceful of Centaurs, he is credited with teaching all of mankind about herbs healing properties. Pot Marigold The Latin name is calendula officinalis. Marigolds are very good for first-time gardeners as they are quite hardy and will withstand heat and longish periods of no rain. If you forget to water them for a day or two, they will pick up again once you give them a drink. This plant has been widely used as a cosmetic, food colorant and medicine. Commonly called pot marigold because it was used as a seasoning in the cooking pots of the poor, this plant is also a herb. Calendula derives from the Latin word Calendae the first day of the month and is translated as little calendar or little clock. Open flowers forecast a fine day ahead. A hardy plant, it should last until the first major frost appears in your area. Originating in the Mediterranean, this herb has now spread to North America and northern Europe. History states that it was given to Roman soldiers for courage and comfort. 4
More activity ideas Growing a Garden is so easy you might want to try some extra activities with your students. Here are some suggestions. We ve also included some questions to encourage your pupils to find out more. 1. Keep a logbook to remember what you ve done, and to chart the progress you have made. Before and after pictures can be a useful record to show how your Breathing Place has developed. 2. Keep a weekly seed growth diary to chart the progress of the seedlings and record data. Encourage the students to think about things that they should record. They could include: How did they plant the seeds? How much did the seedlings grow each week? What do the seedlings look like? How many leaves do the seedlings have? How old was the plant when it needed a stick to support it? When did the flowers appear? 3. Which plants attract which wildlife? Keep a chart of regular visitors from butterflies, minibeasts, and bees to people. Find out how the minibeast visitors and the seedlings fit in with the food chain in your Breathing Place. Are the minibeasts good for the seedlings or harmful? 4. Get creative and make a collage of the Breathing Place. Create a story around the picture or poster and present it to the rest of the group or the school assembly. 5. Get up close and explore one of the flowers. Pick a flower and take it inside. Look at it under a magnifying glass or microscope and see if you can find the different parts of the flower and see the way it is structured. Find the pollen. Are there any minibeasts on the flower which cannot be seen with the naked eye? (This will work well with the poppy and borage plant. The three other flowers belong to the daisy family and daisy flowers are composite flowers and the head is made up of hundreds of small flowers.) 6. Encourage the children to write a poem about one of the seedlings and its visitors. 7. When your plants have flowered, some could be used for art and craft activities such as flower pressing. 8. Make a flower out of clay and paint it after it has dried/been fired. 9. Harvest some of the seeds and put outside somewhere birds can see them. Do any birds visit your school grounds to eat the seeds? Alternatively, if you leave the seedheads on the plants, you may see birds landing on them to eat them as a nutritious snack while they are still actually on the plant. 10. When the plants have seeded, take a seed head apart and count how many seeds there are. Look closely at the seed heads for patterns. Using a magnifying glass or microscope could be useful. When fully grown, the sunflower seed head is particularly good for looking at in this way because it is so large and the seeds are easy to view. Children can recreate the patterns that they see in painting, drawing, collage etc. This could lead on to children creating their own mosaic-type patterns. They could use one of the actual flower heads to see if they will print onto paper when painted. Don t do this if you wish to use the seeds in the flower head at a later date though! 5
Question time Here are a few key questions which you may find useful when working with the children in your group. These questions are a great motivation for researching and finding out more about the plants you are growing from seed: What does our seedling need in order to grow? How long will our plant take to grow and why will it take this long? Where does the plant originate from? How far has it travelled? What can we find out about links to this plant in art, literature and poetry? Has this plant ever been used in farming? What uses (if any) does this plant have in cooking? How do the roots hold the plant in the soil? Which minibeasts, birds and animals visit our plants? Can we keep a record of visitors? What can these seeds and the plant be used for? Does our plant have any medicinal use? Does our plant have any cosmetic value? Do our plants belong to a bigger family of plants e.g. is there only one type of poppy or are there many types of poppy? 6