Abbey National School was a hive of activity recently as the boys reaped a mighty harvest! They had sown the vegetable seed in March and April and maintained the garden before the school holidays in June. On their return at the end of August they were rewarded with an excellent crop of vegetables.
Earlier this year the school received a generous grant from the Environment Department of Roscommon County Council and they wisely invested in a raised bed, garden tools and an environmentally-friendly water harvester. The team at Ardcarne Garden Centre helped to build the raised bed and to plumb the water butt while Paul King gave a fine load of top soil for the raised bed. The turnips thrived best and gave a fantastic crop. There were also some beetroots, onions and carrots. Strawberries, blackcurrants and rhubarb were also successfully grown.
The ground is now fallow but plans are already forming as to what next year’s garden project will be. Bernadine Duignan and Sarah Scott of Roscommon County Council have been a great support to the School Garden and the boys are hopeful of taking advantage of the Local Agenda 21 Environmental Partnership 2016/17 Scheme to keep the green fingers active right through next year.
