Children become potato farmers with Kids Country

More than 100 children from Peterborough schools harvested their potato crops last month – thanks to a school project they started in April.

Supported by Burgess Farms, Co-op Central England and Kids Country, the East of England Agricultural Society’s education outreach team helped the children plant potatoes in the spring and look after them during the following weeks.

As well as the all-important harvest, the children also had the opportunity to taste some potato products – including potato salad – completing the field-to-fork journey before taking their potatoes home to eat with their families.

Melissa Goodman, from Burgess Farms, said: “It is great to help support the education of young children to provide the experience of growing their own potatoes and understand the positive health benefits.

“Showing how much fun it is to grow your own produce with the hands-on activity and the excitement from the children to see their very own potatoes they had grown was wonderful to see. This event is an essential initiative.”

Teacher Laura Tompson-Wright, of William Law CE Primary School, said: “It was great to link the activity to our science curriculum objectives, observing closely the key features of plants to identify the plant correctly and describe how to care for it.”

As well as the potato harvesting, Kids Country also delivered a school talk on growing wheat, with local farmer Peter Sharpley helping children learn about how grain is used to make cereal and bread.