Parents dig school's effort to get kids growing own food (From This Is Wiltshire)

Parents dig school's effort to get kids growing own food

5:20pm Wednesday 2nd December 2009

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Parents went back to school in Warminster on Saturday to lend a hand with the creation of a vegetable garden which pupils will use to grow their own food.

A Let’s Dig Working Party was held at Kingdown Community School in Woodcock Road, to which parents were invited to lend a hand with the heavy work.

Staff and pupils have been working hard to create beds, in preparation for planting vegetables in the spring, as part of a bid to become a more sustainable school.

Science teacher Bernie Garforth said: “The idea is that we will create a vegetable garden for the school to use so that we can get kids to learn how to grow vegetables.

“We have a big area of land, which we are hoping to develop into 20 plots. In July we got a group of students together for a week to start digging.

“We will plant potatoes, soft fruits like raspberries, carrots, salads and maybe even courgettes and we’ll hopefully turn it into a small business enterprise eventually.”

There were three planting beds dug during July and another one was dug at the working party on Saturday.

Pupils have also made two compost bins from pallets and a large shed out of recycled materials. They are also looking to dig another planting bed in January.

Mr Garforth said: “Over the last few years we have been recycling and recently started recycling plastic. We do try as a school to raise students’ awareness about a more sustainable lifestyle.

“This is something we can promote through the vegetable garden as we will be bringing the produce into the school kitchen and using the waste produce to recycle as compost on the plots.”

He said numerous parents had volunteered to help during their spare time and have provided tools for the work.

He predicts the gardening club, due to be set up next year, will be a big hit with students.

“This land will not only be used by the gardening club, but also for science and other lessons where we can come down during classes to teach the students about the plants,” he said.

He added that Morrisons Let’s Grow vouchers have been a huge help to the school, with more than 4,400 being collected by families, equating to several spades and forks and other smaller pieces of gardening equipment.

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