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Decorated and Planted Pots 2022 ‘Grow your own Food’
Since 2017 six local primary schools , Millfields Primary, Highfields Academy, St Anne’s Catholic Primary, Weaver Primary, Nantwich Academy and Pear Tree Primary have taken part in a project to decorate a large plant pot and then plant it up with summer plants or vegetables, either grown from seed or bought, which then need looking after and cultivating. Nantwich in Bloom donates the pot , compost and the appropriate seeds.
In 2017 the schools were invited to decorate and plant up the pot with whatever theme they chose. All the schools were very enthusiastic and loved taking part.
In 2018 we suggested the theme to commemorate the centenary of the end of The First World War, and the children produced imaginative and thoughtful pots.
And in 2019 the children produced some beautiful pots decorated and planted to provide a nectar bar of flowers to encourage bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
There was no ‘Planted Pot Project’ in 2020 due to the pandemic.
In 2021 the theme was ‘ growing your own food’, such as salad, vegetables and maybe some fruit. The schools were very pleased to take part this year with them growing a variety of salads and vegetables, including cucumber, chilies, radish carrots, parsley, sweet corn, beans and squash. An impressive list!
Pear Tree Primary embraced the theme by adopting the native North American tradition of ‘the three sisters’ , growing sweetcorn,beans and squash together to support each other. Nantwich Primary Academy successfully grew several salad plants, and had a lesson dissecting and tasting the cucumbers.
Pre-pandemic the pots were displayed in front of St Mary’s Church, and children and staff from some of the participating schools also met the judges from North West in Bloom and talked to them about the project. No doubt their enthusiasm helps towards Nantwich being awarded a gold medal every year. Hopefully we will be able to invite them to meet the judges again next year.
To show our appreciation for their participation Sue Sherwood and Penny Rowlinson from Nantwich in Bloom have attended school assemblies to show the Nantwich in Bloom gold award to the keen young gardeners. We also thank the staff and pupils and present the Greenfingers certificates along with some spring bulbs to plant in the pots to provide a colourful display in the early spring.
This year we have given the schools their certificates and spring bulbs to award at their own assemblies, and hope to be able to attend again next year.
The project will continue in 2022; the theme will celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
If any other local schools or nurseries would like to decorate and plant a pot next year, please contact Penny pennyrow123@outlook.com or Sue suevsherwood@btinternet.com. We will supply the pots and compost.
We are also inviting other community groups to join in a ‘Memories of times gone by’ decorated and planted pot project to support the Dementia Friendly Nantwich campaign. If your community group or elderly people’s home would like to be involved, please contact Sue Hughes suemarigold@btinternet.com
