Edible Gardens at St Mary’s School and Bridport Primary School.
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 and cook 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.
In 2021 we revived a derelict forest garden at Bridport Primary School (BPS). Since then we have raised a polytunnel, dug a pond and planted raised beds. The emphasis here is on wildlife friendly gardening.
Smoothy making
Soil Demo
Bridport Primary School. Unrolling the plastic for the polytunnel. Picture by Robert Golden.
Children are involved in several ways in both schools:
- Each year group has activities linked to their curriculum through workshops, growing the food, cooking, and experiencing new tastes and flavours.
- Throughout the year there is a fortnightly afternoon gardening club.
- We run events throughout the year involving children and their families, in the gardens, celebrating food together. This includes taking part in the Bridport Food Festival, Harvest festival and other celebrations in collaboration with the teachers and PTAs. At St Mary’s there is also a wood-burning oven to cook pizzas assembled by the children.
- One-to-one sessions supporting children with additional needs.
- At st Mary’s the garden is shared with ASCAPE (Autism Spectrum Community) which runs a parent /children gardening club in a safe and nurturing environment.
- At BPS a wild pond area is a wonderful resource for children to learn about the importance of wildlife in a garden.
- We have organised a trip from both schools to Tamarisk Farm in west Bexington to learn about organic farming
We are in need of new volunteers to help on a regular basis. The edible garden team meets every Tuesday (BPS) and Wednesday (St Marys) afternoon. If you are interested write to Sarah. We employ two part-time gardeners, but otherwise the project is run by volunteers.
The project is run as a partnership between Sustainable Bridport and Home In Bridport.
The Edible Garden Project could not work without the support of the Ernest Hecht Charitable Trust, Dorset Council , Kitson & Trotman, Bridport Town Council, Bridport Rotary Club, Awards for All, The Co-op Foundation, Wessex Water, and Mrs. Alexandra Whittall
However we are always short of funds – if you would like to contribute or volunteer please contact Sarah.
