PUPILS at Puriton Primary School in Puriton have this month (June, 2010) been given some free seed potatoes for their Grow Your Own (GYO) project.

Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre at Monkton Heathfield near Bridgwater has donated some bags of spuds to the school for a vegetable garden it is planning.

Norma Moore, General Manager of the award-winning garden centre, explained: “The seed potatoes are mostly main crop varieties and it’s still alright, especially as the season is quite late due to the weather, to plant them in early June.

“Back in May we invited anyone who felt that their school deserved the seed potatoes to get in touch. We had a limited number of spuds and allocated them on a first come, first served basis.”

The school will use the seed potatoes to develop a vegetable garden on-site for all the children to benefit from.

Year Six Teacher, Jo Madge, whose class will be planting the potatoes, said: “We’re delighted with our donation from Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre and look forward to planting the potatoes and watching them grow.”

The garden centre gave away bags of around 50 potatoes containing one variety only to the first schools, including Puriton Primary School, which got in touch after it launched the giveaway in May.

To find out more, please visit Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre, which is located just off the A38 at Monkton Heathfield near Taunton, or call 01823 412381.

Photo caption: Puriton Primary School Year Six Teacher, Jo Madge with some of the children from the school collecting the seed potatoes from Tom Berry from Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre’s Grow Your Own Special Team and the garden centre’s General Manager, Norma Moore.