How school gardeners work around the summer holidays

Summer holidays coinciding with harvest time is a challenge that many schools face. We asked our school gardening community for their top tips on overcoming this. Have a read through for some inspiration on how you can plan for the next growing year.

20 June 2024

"A bit of trial, error and experimenting!"

"I let the holiday volunteer watering squad go crazy... they have harvested courgettes, tomatoes and sunflowers. We have a rota of parents and their children and they really enjoy watching the garden change. I also leave everything outside, rather than in the polytunnel, to save on watering and leave things as low maintenance as possible." - Tara
"We put a table outside school with an honest box then publicise in the village and to the school community. This week we did jam jars of flowers, tomatoes, beetroot, carrots, courgettes and beans." - Felicity
"Using a heated greenhouse or a hotbed can also lengthen the growing season for other produce. If the school focuses on indoor planting and preparation when the frost has passed earlier in the year, there's lots to grow early in the season also." - Growing for Goodness
"We try and only grow what the children are in to harvest so onions, garlic, early potatoes, salad crops, strawberries, rhubarb and cherries before the holidays. After the holidays its main crop potatoes, carrots, chard, more salad, leeks, autumn raspberries, French and runner beans, pears, plums and apples etc. Next year the children have asked to grow melons - wish me luck! We are fortunate to have a large garden." - Sue
"We have early potatoes, broad beans, strawberries and plant garlic in October for pulling in July just before we finish. Then try to plant things later to push into September, sweetcorn, tomatoes and beans. The carrots, parsnips, later potatoes, pumpkins, squash, raspberries are all planted and fingers crossed will be ready for an autumn harvest." - Emma
"We donate our produce to the community fridge." - Paula
"We grow early and speedy crops and start them off early in modules where appropriate.... cut and come again lettuce, early spuds, mangetout, globe carrots, radish, strawberries etc. Our new garden area in the playground has been locked all summer so I am not sure what I will be returning too but expect that everything will have shot and run to seed so will be doing a bit of seed harvesting and saving." - Chris & Brenda
"We hold two family gardening days over the summer." - Carla
"I’ve been harvesting and selling to friends and family and the money has been going back into our ‘school gardening pot’. Things like cabbage, sweetcorn, kale, onions, beans and cucumbers will be ready when we return back to school. We have tried to plant so that we will be able to harvest in September. A bit of trial, error and experimenting!" - Joanne
"We do potatoes early. We didn’t as much this year but did get lettuce and radish for July last year. We’ve left the rest in over summer and will see what has grown whilst we have been away." - Michelle
"Being home schooled, our garden is keeping our neighbours stocked up with fresh veg and fruit and flowers." - Alison
"Getting them to grow in school and then take home over summer to care for." - Katie
"We have a whole bed of pumpkins which means harvest festival always has home grown pumpkins on display. Early potatoes are a good idea just be careful of frosts." - Natalie
"We harvested plums and blackberries this week during school holiday club pick up and the chefs will be making crumble to freeze for next term and preserving the fruit as jam." - Pippa