Project: Sheltering the Edible Garden

Sponsor: Coles

Summary

Northcote Primary School in Melbourne, applied for a Coles Junior Landcare School Garden Grant in 2009 to create a sheltered edible garden. They used the funding to purchase raised garden beds, a 5m trellis and drip irrigation.

The ‘edible classroom’ allows for food production, the environment and healthy eating to be integrated into the full spectrum of the school curriculum, such as science (weather, climate, ecosystems, biology, botany), arts (decoration, scarecrows, mosaics), mathematics (market – weighing, measuring, selling, profits, water usage), culture (plant origins, cuisines) and health/nutrition.

Now that the gardens are sheltered, the school can sustain summer plantings of vegetables. The crops can now survive the hot, dry months due to the better growing conditions provided by the new garden bets and trellis shelter from wind and sun. Improved shelter also reduces the loss of soil moisture and need to water so frequently.

“Thanks to Coles and Landcare Australia for giving our plans a big boost and really getting the momentum going,” said a teacher. “There’s no stopping us now!”