Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre at Monkton Heathfield near Taunton has donated bags of spuds to the school for its fruit and vegetable garden.

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 now.

“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.”

Last year the school successfully grew and sold its own carrots, potatoes, salad leaves, sweet peas and courgettes. This year the pupils and staff have extended the garden and are hoping for a good crop of strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb and tomatoes.

Melanie Potter, Year Two Rowan Class Teacher at Staplegrove C of E Primary School, said: “Our school began growing fruit and vegetables in the garden last year as a result of staff, parents and the community helping to clear and landscape an area of wasteland.

“Many children and myself were keen to put the land to good use and decided we should try our hand at growing some vegetables.

“Since then the children have been actively involved on a weekly basis in our Gardening Club and with a kind donation of money from the catering company Sodexo, we have built three large wooden planters to grow our plants in.

“We are hoping to sell our produce at our school BBQ this year, but also we would like to use some of these ingredients in cooking projects…potatoes being a favourite! Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre’s kind offer of these seed potatoes will help us to do this and we’re very grateful for the donation.”

The garden centre gave away bags of around 50 potatoes containing one variety only to the first schools, including Staplegrove C of E 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: Staplegrove C of E Primary Year Two Rowan Class Teacher, Miss Melanie Potter 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.