Our young gardeners have a huge list of things they want to grow… and we were running out of room! Every time we grow something new, there’s another suggestion of what we should try next, so having another polytunnel is going to open up a whole new world of growing opportunities for them.
Constructing the polytunnel during the Easter holidays was just the start! There has been plenty to do behind the scenes to get everything ready for growing.
But now it’s ready… and we couldn’t be more excited about what’s to come!
Following the success of our purple sprouting broccoli last year, we’re already looking forward to growing plenty more and making the most of our new polytunnel throughout the winter months. Seeing broccoli grown in our own school garden encouraged children who had never tried it before to give it a taste - and some even discovered they liked it and asked if we could grow more for our school dinners!
So this year, we’re growing a plentiful supply of broccoli to overwinter, giving us the opportunity to provide an even larger crop for our school kitchen next spring.
There’s already plenty happening in the new polytunnel too. Another batch of tomatoes is now ripening for late summer and early autumn, while beetroot, chard, radishes, spring onions, spinach and lots of different varieties of lettuce are all growing nicely. We also have a full bed of carrots coming along well for an early winter harvest – and, as if we didn’t already have enough growing, we’ve even managed to squeeze in an unusual Pink Banana Pumpkin!
And this is just the beginning! Having this additional growing space will give us so many more opportunities. We’re already looking forward to planning our next growing season and filling the polytunnel with even more exciting crops for our children to grow, harvest, taste and learn from. The possibilities really are endless, and we can’t wait to see what our young gardeners choose to grow next!
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has helped us bring this project to life.
* First Tunnels, for providing a polytunnel strong enough to withstand the incredibly strong winds that blow across our school field.
* Kirk Scaffolding, for kindly donating the scaffold boards used to create our new raised beds.
* Trawden Parish Council and the Parish Clerk, for their incredible support and contribution towards the project.
* Morrisons Nelson, for kindly donating the refreshments that helped make our fundraising stall at the Christmas Tree Light Switch-On possible.
* Our wonderful community, who supported us at the Christmas Tree Light Switch-On by donating to our refreshment stall.
* Tracey Finnerty, for her very generous donation to the Gardening Club from the proceeds of her plant stall.
* Councillors Sarah and David Cockburn Price, who played a huge part in helping to make this project possible through their incredible support and belief in what we are doing. We are incredibly grateful for their continued backing of our children and school garden.
* And to everyone who has supported us by buying our school-grown produce. Every purchase has helped us take another step towards creating something really special for our children.
This has truly been a community effort, and we are incredibly grateful for all the support, generosity, help and kind words of encouragement we have received along the way. Thank you for helping us to Grow!
And now… we’re ready to grow even more!