Growing it all at Polam Hall

From September 2010 Polam Hall Senior School will be establishing its own organic allotment in the school grounds.

Growing our own fruit and vegetables will hopefully be a fun and rewarding way to spend our lunchtimes. New research commissioned by the Royal Horticultural Society gives the thumbs up to gardening as a way of boosting children’s development and well-being. Young people can learn much from the whole process of gardening, not just about the plants that are so vital to the environment but about responsibility and about resilience, both of which will add immeasurably to their own personal growth.
As we all know, you can’t beat the taste of fruit and vegetables picked straight from the garden. This is because they are grown without the pressure to perform beyond their natural means, and they are usually consumed a very short time after they have been harvested. The physical activity of digging, caring for and harvesting our own food will also make us fitter and healthier.

Growing your own fruit and vegetables dramatically reduces your food’s carbon footprint. Not only will your food have no food miles, but also it will not be responsible for releasing harmful emissions into the atmosphere via exhaust fumes from cars, ships and planes.
Growing your own fruit and vegetables also increases the types of fruit and vegetables you eat. Only a few varieties of fruit and vegetable are available to buy in the supermarkets and they are usually chosen because of their shelf life rather than how good they taste. There are many varieties of strawberries, apples, potatoes, courgettes and tomatoes, to name but a few. Each one has a distinct flavour and balance of nutrients, so by growing a few different varieties you will be eating a more varied diet.
So…………, where is all of this information leading we hear you ask? We cannot ‘grow our own’ without gardening equipment like forks, spades, hoes etc. and of course fruit and vegetable seeds to plant. We would be most grateful for any donations of any kind to get us up and running. The idea is that the fresh produce we grow will be sold to generate profit which will then be ‘ploughed’ back into the allotment. If you feel that you could help please get in touch with either Mrs Breckon or Mrs Gowland via the main school office.