You need very little space or expertise to get started. Experiment with different containers. Anything can be used as a growing container so long as it allows excess water to drain out and you have enough space for the depth of compost needed for your crop – for example, potatoes need a lot, radishes very little! These suggestions from The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) and East Ayrshire Green Gym will help you find creative and low cost options for containers for growing Make Your Own Planters.
Crop Suggestions
Grow potatoes in large pots or bags. Our Grow a Bag of Potatoes shows you how.
Possible MNU activities – keep a ‘potato diary’ marking significant dates on the calendar; weigh the seed potatoes and compare with the weight of the final crop; keep a record of the amount of water used; measure the height of plants at intervals.
Possible Literacy activities – procedural writing; sensory based descriptions of the potatoes and the process of planting; a poem in praise of potatoes!
Herbs grown in pots or tyres can form the basis of a herb garden in a sunny corner of your school grounds. Buy herbs in pots from supermarket and divide them to increase your crop. Watch our video Divide a Pot of Herbs and Make New Plants or use the How to Divide Potted Herbs sequence card from the RHS.
Possible MNU activities – knowing how much the original plant cost to buy, calculate how much each new plant created cost.
Possible Literacy activities include – have a herb tasting session and pupils to identify herbs solely from each others descriptions.
Nasturtiums are colourful fast growing flowers that can be added and eaten in a salad. Nasturtium seeds are widely available and are easy to handle The Grow Nasturtiums from Seed video provides a demonstration.
Possible MNU activities – calculate the amount of compost required for each pot; put seeds into size order; measure, record and track progress of the plants as they grow.
Possible Literacy activities include – write sowing and planting instructions for younger pupils; design a seed packet (front will need to be eye catching, the back will need to provide planting and care instructions).
A wide range of salad crops can be grown and tasted. The RHS Salad Leaf Crop Sheet is in the form of an Activity Sheet providing full instructions.
What to Do with Food you Grow
- Tasting sessions – invite the wider school community
- Donate to a food bank
- Class or school events like the Big Soup Share
