Blog posted by Dominic Murphy

Last year, I built four more raised beds, doubling the number we had at gardening club. The idea was that the new beds could be adopted by the four classes that make up our small school, one each. I hoped that this would involve teachers and more students in growing, and that it would help to bring gardening and the outdoors into curriculum time — rather than treating it as a bolt-on to the normal school day.

I had some success, and all the beds were planted by the middle of the summer term, after the distraction of Sats tests was over. I did, however, get the impression it was another burden on willing, yet busy, teachers. So
a year on, with the controversial Sats preoccupying many of the staff, I am not surprised that only the bed belonging to the Year 1 and Reception class has been planted again.

This is not going to turn into a moan about Sats (I’ll leave the arguments to the experts) or a whinge about the staff (they have enough on their plates). The truth is that I’m quite relieved there are three beds going
begging. Once again, we have got carried away with our seed sowing in the polytunnel, and there are too many baby plants coming through for the space we have at gardening club. Plus, we have just received a delivery of dozens of young ‘plug’ plants from our old friends at Rocket Gardens, who specialise in ready-made veg gardens by post.

So sorry Class 2, 3 and 4, we’re requisitioning your plots. Needs must. You probably won’t notice until Sats are over. And, with your beds now full of promising young vegetable plants instead of a rag tag of weeds, I suspect
you might be relieved.

Dominic Murphy’s book The Playground Potting Shed: A Foolproof Guide to Gardening with Children, is published by Guardian Books, priced £12.99. To order a copy, visit guardianbooks.co.uk or call 0870 606 4232.