For the last 5 years our schools’ Gardening Club has taken part in the British Potato Council (BPC) Grow Your Own Potatoes Competition which involves (over a 3 month period) planting, growing and harvesting 2 varieties of seed potatoes (Rocket and Maris Piers) provided free by the BPC. See www.schools.potato.org.uk for more information. For the first time this year, the BPC are working with the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association (RNAA) at the Norfolk Showground to provide a fun and educational environment through which our children can learn more about potatoes and help bring the ‘Grow Your Own Potato Challenge’ to life. The RNAA invited our Year 2 Gardening Club Members to visit the Norfolk Showground on 17th March (to plant our ‘Grow Your Own Potatoes’ and take part in learning sessions) and again on 25th June (to harvest our crop during the Royal Norfolk Show).
All of the current Year 2 Gardeners spent an amazing afternoon taking part in the following activities: ‘Farm to Shelf’ with Matt and William from Heygate Farms, ‘Do you know your potatoes?’ with Moya from FACE, Planting with Felicity and Pam and finally Potato Farmng/Machinery with Farmer Tim from Buxton Potatoes. The weather was lovely and sunny and we are all looking forward to our next visit in June. Go to www.mustardtv.co.uk and click on browse videos until you find ‘Not just small fries: School children plant potatoes at the Showground’ to see what we got up to!
The weather was sunny and dry for Gardening Club which meant that we could get lots of jobs done in the School Garden. Year 2 Mentors chose a Year 1 partner then we split into 3 groups which rotated during the session so that everyone had a go at everything. One group were shown, and had a go at, how to use secateurs safely to prune the Raspberry canes, another group cleared the Strawberry bed, dug in some new compost and planted old and new Strawberry plants and the last group planted up some hanging baskets with Narcissi and Primulas. A very productive session as you can see
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Sadly, the weather was far too wet to venture out into the School Garden so we made good use of the time by creating some beautiful new signs. These signs will appear in the beds once our seedlings have been transplanted from the Greenhouse – then everyone who visits the garden will be able to see what we are growing.
Another busy session for the School Gardening Club – 16 Year 1 and 2 Members planted Mixed Salad Leaves and Tomato Seeds in modular trays to start off in the Greenhouse before planting their own Salad leaves to grow at home. There was a little bit of time left at the end so everyone got busy with tidying up jobs.
It was great to be out in the School Garden again and we welcomed Mrs Penny Donmall to our Team of Adult Gardeners. It was a very busy session which started with the planting of Sweet Peas in Modular Trays to grow for the 2014 Miracle Grow Chelsea Flower Show Competition – go to the Schools Section at www.lovethegarden.com for all the details. The next job was to plant Beetroot seeds in Modular Trays for School and in individual pots to take home to grow. Finally, while some of the Year 2 Members scattered Corn Poppy seeds in the Reflective Area (in remembrance of the fallen, wounded and those who lost their lives in WW1 – a Norfolk County Council initiative) the rest of the Gardening Team got busy sweeping, raking and tidying up the School Garden.
Gardening Club welcomed 15 out of the 19 new Year 1 Members today as well as the older Year 2 Members. Although cold, it was dry and light enough to work outside. Whilst the Year 2’s were planting some Daffodil Bulbs on the field (adding to the Spiral which they started last year), the Year 1’s enjoyed playing a Tool Safety Game before making a Mr Cresshead to take home and grow (with an instruction sheet) .
