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In 2003 Whitesmore School, a Secondary school in Birmingham, set up a horticultural centre at the school funded by an Enterprise Pathways grant. The horticultural project now has an indoor teaching area, 19 raised beds growing flowers and vegetables, two glasshouses, a composting area, ornamental and wildflower borders, and a nursery area.
Groups of students are taught horticulture as part of citizenship and the school recently won a trophy for the best stall at the Adcocks Green carnival. Students are also able to sample the vegetables produced. They even grow a cucumber called ‘burpless cucumber’- can you guess why it has this name?
The glasshouses are made out of twin-celled polycarbonate, which is safer for children and is vandal proof.
A selection of tools that the students use. Don’t forget when you set up your school garden you need a safe place to keep your tools.
David Worthington shows students the nitrogen-fixing nodules on the root of a bean plant. Beans and peas are legumes and are able to fix nitrogen in this way.
Narrow raised beds are easier to use as children can reach plants in the centre without treading on the soil. Keep beds to a maximum of 1.2m wide.