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booklet

Emmanuel Rolland,
Gardening at school

foreword

testimonies

diaporama PJE

System

Bottles

Layers

Mega-system

Watering bottle

Trap

3 runner beans

Planting out

Cuttings

Preserving fruits

Tree support

Reabsorbtion

Observing roots

Sade and protection

Medal

A watering bottle

Make some small holes in the screwtop of the plastic water bottle.

You can use a small nail to do this. The plastic needs to be supple so that you can squeeze the bottle for the water to come out.
NB For younger children use a 1/4 Litre bottle.
The seed only needs small amounts of water at first until it starts to grow. When the plant is large and it is hot then water everyday.
A good guide is to maintain water always in the bottom of the system.

The slug and snail trap

Cut an empty plastic bottle in the middle and insert the top opening of the bottle  into the bottom half.
Before doing so, place some pellets of metaldehyde into the bottom half of the bottle.
This will attract and kill slugs and snails.
The heat from the sun  will cause the trapped gastropods to be shrivelled up.

These traps need to be put a metre apart in the garden.
Cats and dogs are at no risk from being poisoned as the pellets cannot get out.
The soil will not be polluted by the pellets as they will not be damaged by the rain.

You can realise another type of trap with a bottle of 5 liters cutted in two with a little beer at the bottom. The handle will be useful to you with dé to place the trap more easily!

Are you impatient to try this system for tourself?
saw 3 runner beans

Place 3 runner bean seeds on top of the soil mixture in the plant container.
Cover them with 1 cm of fine gravel and water them until there is water in the overflow.
Place the planting system on a window sill.
In a few days you will see some young shoots and in a few weeks you will have some splendid plants.

A plant needs light, warmth and water so do not forget to water them.
You are now ready to try other seeds from vegetables or flowers.
Young shoots from flower seeds need to be put in the shade for them to continue to grow.
The heat from the sun will burn and kill them.

Do not worry if they wilt, they will regain strength when they get used to their new conditions in the shade.

Planting out grown plants planted out into the garden

When the seeds have grown into large plants and they are too big for the planting container, then it is time to plant them out into the garden.
Remember to use the gastropod traps so that your plants are not eaten.
Cut the planting container lengthways in two.
Keep all the soil mixture as this will protect the roots.

Dig a hole using a small trowel and place the plant and the soil mixture carefully into the newly dug hole.
Cover the dug soil around the new plant without to damaging it.

Finally water the newly planted plant.

Cuttings

This system can be used for cuttings from fruit trees, shrubs and trees such as poplars, willows and osier willow.
This is guaranteed to work if you take the cutting in Spring or at the end of autumn.
Cut a length of about 5 cm of new growth. Cut at 0.5 cm under a developing bud or shoot.
Keep the first and second shoots from the top and gently remove the others shoots or buds underneath, using your fingernail or a knife.

Place the cutting into the plastic planting system as far as the base of the first shoot/bud. (see diagram).

Cover the base of the cutting with 1 cm of fine gravel, to stop dehydration.
Do not forget to water the cutting which you can replant into the garden when it is strong.

Preserving fruit throughout winter

In autumn you can collect fruit and nuts. e.g. Chestnuts, acorns, hazelnuts, walnuts, peaches, apples and cherries.
It is necessary to store them in damp conditions because if stored dried they will die and not germinate next Spring.
There are 3 different techniques.
Use a large 5 Litre empty plastic water bottle or a large clay flower pot or the plant container system will work as well.

Wash the fruit and nuts in water then place in your storage container.

NB Do not dry them, leave them damp. Place a fine mesh over the opening to stop insects entering into the storage container.
Bury it in the garden.
Check that the stored fruits or nuts do not dry out.
Water them when conditions are dry.

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