I Can Grow the food on my plate
Create your campaign around growing your own produce
Growing your own produce is rewarding and it’s sustainable, as food doesn’t need to be transported, stored or packaged. When young people grow their own food organically, they can start to understand where our meals come from and can be sure that they are pesticide-free.
What can you do?
If your class or group is interested in growing food as part of their campaign, here are a few suggestions of what they could do:
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Learn about reducing their food footprint by growing produce for specific meals and planning recipes
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Grow in any space they have using pots, raised beds, wooden pallets, old sinks, fruit crates, large cooking oil or food tins – a great way to let their imagination run wild!
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Grow plants that have multiple uses, such as radishes, which can be grown for the root crop or for the leaves
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Learn about crop rotation and how it can help to maintain nutrients in the soil and reduce pests and diseases
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Compost organic waste so that it can be put back on to the garden to improve the soil
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Grow green manures to increase soil nutrition, provide food for wildlife, reduce soil erosion, prevent leaching of nutrients, improve soil structure and keep weeds down
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Make a planting plan to ensure they can eat home grown food all year round and include vegetables like cabbage, chard and parsnips for winter harvesting
Group discussion
Use these discussion points to get your group thinking about growing food:
Beginner questions
More advanced questions
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Nowadays we have the opportunity to buy a substantial range of food grown in countries all over the world, so why should we eat locally cultivated produce?
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Should supermarkets give away food that is past its sell by date? How can organic food waste be recycled in the garden?
Got your theme? Now plan your campaign...