Date posted: 01 March 2017
We're just under two weeks away from the year's first Little Sprouts Kitchen Garden Learning Program sessions so everyone's understandably excited to hit the ground running! Let's take a look at what's been happening in the Garden of late.
Our expert gardener, Pip, is busy preparing the soil and working on the Autumn/Winter crop plantings for the year. A large shade structure has been erected, drinking fountains and hand-washing stations have also been installed.
Have you brought your children to the Little Sprouts Kitchen Garden Learning Program before? This year we are introducing some new STEM activity stations into our sessions so watch this space!
Volunteers are a really important part of the program and we had a volunteers Little Sprouts induction morning last week. We have a lovely mix of volunteers this year from diverse backgrounds. Some are new to the program with some old familiar faces returning too.
We look forward to working with them all in the Garden as they have a rich knowledge of plants, a passion for healthy eating and, most importantly, enjoy working with the children.
Our "hero" plant that's attracting a lot of comments at the moment is Amaranth. Amaranth, originating from Central America and Mexico, was once a favourite food crop for the Mayans and Aztecs.
Known as an "ancient grain", Amaranth seeds can be ground up and made in to flour, breakfast cereals can be made from it and it even makes great budgie food!
It's extremely good for your health too - high in protein, amino acids and vitamins as well as being gluten and wheat free. Oh, and did we mention that it adds a spectacular element to your garden?
One of our coordinators, Aaron, is always quick with a dad joke in the Garden. Here's this month's cracker (or fizzer, depending on how you look at it)
Q: Why did the bee get married?
A: Because he found his honey.
18 July 2023
Have you ever driven past the beautiful heritage-listed Goodman Building when passing the Garden on Hackney Road? Did you know this building was formerly the base for the Municipal Tramways Trust but now serves as the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium administration building.
07 June 2023
World Ocean Day is an annual celebration held on 8 June which unites and rallies the world to protect and restore our blue planet. In our latest blog, State Herbarium's Jem Barratt takes a deep dive into how its scientific work focusing on seagrasses and seaweed helps with the restoration and preservation of our ocean ecosystems.
