The pupils at Askern Spa Junior School thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the Grow Your Own Potatoes project, not least because they managed to grow the heaviest crop of potatoes – a staggering 4.988kg of the Rocket potato variety! That’s the same as 5 bags of sugar, the weight of a small dog such as a Jack Russell.
As well as winning a brand new eco-friendly picnic bench, they also learnt about where potatoes come from and the whole ‘field to fork’ journey in the process.
For class teacher Yvonne Fermin, Grow Your Own Potatoes was a brilliant way to focus the pupils. She says: “The project is very hands on; looking after the plants for four months meant the children really got to care about them and understand what they needed to grow – from light, water and food to the correct climate.
“It was exciting to see the plants come to life under their care and at harvest time they were delighted to see what they had achieved – nearly 5kg of potatoes. We were also all extremely proud to win the prize for the heaviest yield!
“This is a really enjoyable project for all and a great way to get children concentrating and working together to learn about plants, food and healthy eating.”