Edible Gardens Bridport
In 2014 St Mary’s School in Bridport launched its edible garden, and since then children at the school have learnt about organic gardening of food plants, and how to prepare them. There are two polytunnels and outdoor vegetable beds and soft fruits, a foraging hedge and an orchard. The emphasis is on regenerative gardening through a no-dig approach, where the children learn about the magic of soil and the pleasure of cooking.. The project is run as a partnership between Sustainable Bridport and Home In Bridport.
Smoothy making
Soil Demo
Bridport Primary School. Unrolling the plastic for the polytunnel. Picture by Robert Golden.
In 2021 we revived a derelict forest garden at Bridport Primary School. Since then we have raised a polytunnel, dug a pond and planted raised beds. The emphasis here is on wildlife friendly gardening.
We are currently working towards supporting an edible garden at Colfox School
Children are involved in several ways
- Each year group has activities linked to their curriculum through workshops, growing the food, cooking, and experiencing new tastes and flavours. For instance, we milled some wheat grains with a hand-operated quern and made bread from it as part of a project on the Stone Age.
- During the warmer months there is a weekly after school gardening club.
- We run events throughout the year involving children and their families, in the garden, celebrating food together. This includes taking part in the Bridport Food Festival, Harvest festival and other food fairs in collaboration with the teachers and PTA. There is also a cobb oven to cook pizzas assembled by the children
- One-to-one sessions supporting children with additional needs.
- Sharing the garden with ASCAPE (Autism Spectrum Community) who run a parent /children gardening club in a safe and nurturing environment.
- Family cooking workshops teaching how to cook economically from scratch
The produce is served in a salad bar at school, or donated to the Glut stall.
The edible garden team meets every Wednesday (St Marys) and Thursday (BPS) afternoon. We are in need of new volunteers to help on a regular basis. If you are interested write to Sarah. We employ two part-time gardeners, but otherwise the project is run by volunteers.
The Edible Garden Project could not work without the support of the Ernest Hecht Charitable Trust, Dorset Council , Bridport Town Council, Bridport Rotary Club, Awards for All, The Co-op Foundation, Wessex Water, Mrs. Alexandra Whittall, Kitson & Trotman and Groves.
However we are always short of funds – if you would like to contribute or volunteer please contact Sarah.
