Scotts has donated a range of its best-selling products to the schools, including Miracle-Gro® composts and plant food, Levington® Tomorite® plant food and planters plus lawncare products and grass seed. These will be used in the schools’ teaching gardens, so that the children can increase their knowledge and understanding of plants and gardening. At the same time, they can learn about the importance of plants, lawns and gardens to the environment and other wide-reaching topics.
Included are some of the extensive Miracle-Gro® Gro Your Own products, which will help the children grow, cook and eat fresh, tasty and healthy produce. Not only will they learn about growing their own, but also important 21st-century issues, such as eating five portions of fruit and veg a day, the implications of food miles and locally produced food plus numerous important life skills and national curriculum subjects.
Jane Hartley, Trade Marketing Manager at Scotts, said: “Children have great fun growing plants and Scotts understands the benefits that this provides. It is a great learning experience, especially when used as part of the school curriculum. Plants and gardening can be used as part of science, maths, language, art, environmental and several other lessons.
“Supporting communities and helping others is important to Scotts. Our community outreach activities focus on, among other things, educational opportunities. We help to offer gardening to audiences that can truly enjoy, learn and benefit from a deeper involvement in gardening and horticulture.”
Louise Shapley, teacher at Heatherside Junior School, Fleet, who runs the school’s Gardening Club, said: “We have built a brand new school garden. Thanks to a generous donation from Scotts, children have been planting potatoes, shallots and onions in our raised vegetable beds and sowing seeds for bedding plants. All the children have the opportunity to join our two gardening clubs and our garden has been a great success – we have won two gardening competitions in Fleet. We used Scotts compost for both competitions.”
The schools are posting details of their growing successes and photographs of their displays onto the forum area of the Scotts’ website – lovethegarden.com, where they can also get inspiration and pick up hints, tips and ideas on growing.
Scotts will be running a competition between the schools in 2011 to see who can produce the best display in a container. The display will be based on a popular play or book of the school’s choice and there will be some fantastic prizes for the winners.
The schools taking part are in Derbyshire, Essex, Hampshire, Perth and Kinross, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Surrey and Sussex.
