We recently donated seed to the Bridgewater Primary School in the Adelaide Hills, who have implemented a program with a fresh take on students producing food for the home.
Under their Grow for Home program, each student is given their own small plot next to the school kitchen garden where they are responsible for sowing, growing and harvesting their chosen vegetables and herbs for their own household, learning about growing and gardening as they go, with the support of a Garden Specialist.
The Grow For Home program arose after the school noticed a number of enthusiastic gardening students who loved growing plants but did not have the facilities to do so at home. This observation, plus an acute awareness of the strain the increasing cost of living was placing on the community, resulted in the birth of the Grow For Home Project.
Growth and well-being alongside sustainability are some of the key messages sown into this initiative. Bridgewater aim to teach the students how growing food for home can be both fun and cost very little. Garden plots are constructed from materials such as used pallets, tyres or are edged with rocks and branches found on the school grounds.
In the current world climate, programs such as these are essential. They not only promote beneficial educational growth, but also contribute to social and emotional wellbeing, with the benefit of also providing fresh produce for families of the school community.
Happy gardening Bridgwater PS!
