“It was as if it was meant to be,” Jacquelien says. In February, a large plot of 200 square metres next to the school became vacant after the person who gardened there passed away. The housing association, which owns the land, approached De Ontdekking to ask whether they wanted to do something with it. The idea of a school vegetable garden soon came up. And so it happened. The housing association prepared the land for use, some fruit bushes remained, and the school installed 6 raised garden beds. All of this was funded by the Tijd Voor Toekomst programme of the province of Groningen, which Jacquelien leads.
Raised garden beds and a bird grove
Jacquelien: “Once the school garden was completed, I started Googling and came across the Alliantie Schooltuinen website. There I read about the Golden Carrot Seed. Together with some children, we recorded a video and won the prize with it. Fantastic, because we didn’t have any tools for the school garden yet. We were able to buy everything: small shovels, small rakes, gloves, buckets and even a lawn mower.”
Through Jong Leren Eten, Jacquelien enlisted the help of a vegetable garden coach with an incredible amount of experience. She helped with the plan and now also supervises the lessons. In addition to the 6 raised garden beds, there are bushes bearing berries, blackberries and raspberries. Jacquelien: “We also created a bird grove to attract insects and birds. The first sparrows have already moved in!”
Everyone helps with the vegetable gardening
Meanwhile, the school has already got stuck into gardening. The first radishes, spinach and strawberries have been harvested and tasted. The beans are sprouting, and the kindergarten children are working very diligently to help them climb. From the youngest children through to group 8, everyone takes part in the vegetable gardening. Jacquelien: “Some children are so enthusiastic that they ask when the next lesson is or whether there is a spot available. It is a great success and an enormous luxury that we now have this school garden. We can use the garden not only for growing vegetables, but also for looking for bugs and for picnics.”
Plans for next year
Jacquelien concludes: “We have purchased a vegetable gardening lesson programme that we really want to start working with next year and make a permanent part of our curriculum. The children will learn, for example, how to set up an irrigation system themselves, how to cook and preserve food, and how to make plant labels. I think it is important for children to learn about nature and where food comes from. But not only that. In the school garden, they also learn to work together, be patient, deal with disappointments, take nature and others into account, and take responsibility. A vegetable garden is not only for eating from, but also for experiencing.”
Photo credit: Ronald Zijlstra. Source: Alliantie Schooltuinen.