Digging for Victory!
Last week the Juniors of Withington Girls’ School in Manchester joined in with National Growing for Wellbeing Week by getting their hands dirty and planting radishes, spring onions, lettuce and rocket. This tasty selection of vegetables joins the budding garden bed, which started back in February with the humble potato…
As part of their Word War II topic this term, pupils in Years 5 and 6 have been planting and tending a crop of potatoes to bring to life the WWII ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign.
Way back in the cold winter months, the pupils began by chitting the potatoes, which encouraged them to sprout before they were planted. Ten days later the potatoes were planted in potato bags in the Junior School playground, and pupils embraced the dirt and enjoyed using their hands to fill the bags and bury the two varieties of potatoes.
In Year 6, a rota of ‘potato prefects’ have been checking the potatoes each day. If any potatoes have emerged from the soil, more compost is added on top.
The children hope to harvest their crop at the end of June and, as that day approaches, they will research delicious potato-based recipes that can be cooked using their carefully tended potatoes.
