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Spire Infant School The school have created a fruit garden with a variety of fruit trees forming a boundary. Raspberries, strawberries, redcurrants etc. are planted in the middle beds. The storage shed and flower beds All the tools are kept securely in the shed. The children use ‘proper’ tools not ‘children’s’ tool which the school consider to be useless and don’t help the children to learn how to garden. Flowers in the cold frames ready to be planted out. Even the Reception children (4+ years) grow things. This year they’re growing three different coloured sunflowers and short sunflowers. The school took part in the Potato Growing Competition run by the Potato Council. The variety and number of plants was set by the council, the winners were the school with the biggest crop. Listening to instructions. The potato bag was then emptied into a large tray so that the children could all get their hands into the soil to find the potatoes.

The potatoes were gently rubbed cleanish and washed.

They were then weighed and photographed to send to the potato council as evidence. Valerie then steamed the potatoes for everyone to eat. At the time of writing the winners were unknown. The swedes being sown will be used in a cookery lesson in January/February when the children make winter soup. Valerie instructs the children how to sow the seeds and they get busy sowing. The children cover the seeds with leaf mould so that everyone can tell something has been planted there!

Picking and sharing strawberries, raspberries and redcurrants from the fruit garden

Many of the children were very limited about what they were prepared to eat before the gardening project started, but will now try new foods. Thanks to Liz one of Parkside Community School governors for providing the information and photographs. Visit Liz's blog here Thanks also to the headteacher of Spire Infants School for allowing me to publish this article First Project Potato Growing Competition: Examples of some of the activities carried out Sowing Swede Seeds: Picking and Sharing Fruit: