Around 4,000 schools harvested their potato plants recently, as the culmination of the BPC’s ‘Grow Your Own Potatoes’ initiative.
Pupils at Velmead Junior School in Hampshire grew the heaviest crop of rocket potatoes this year, weighing in at a hefty 6,230g.
They received a National Champion prize of a digital camera and a framed BPC certificate.
The BPC stressed that the contribution of UK potato growers was instrumental in making the project a success: they helped by visiting schools, giving talks to children, arranging farm visits and encouraging schools to sign up to participate. There was also practical help on offer and many provided a second variety of seed potato for schools to grow.
“The contribution made by the farming community has been an essential element in ensuring the success of this campaign and I would like to thank them all for their efforts,” said Tracy Coult, Grow Your Own Potatoes project manager at the BPC.
“This year’s project was the most successful ever, generating four times the level of participation among primary schools compared with last year. The project has now been running for three years and every time it has grown in popularity, which is really encouraging for the future.”
Motivation for the project was borne out of research that revealed six out of ten children believed potatoes grew on trees and one in seven thought they made you fat. These attitudes have now changed dramatically, according to the BPC, with the latest research showing that more than nine out of 10 children now understand how potatoes are grown.
The organisation is now urging growers to get involved in Grow Your Own Potatoes 2008.
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