Children from Hinchely Wood Primary School have been getting stuck into the soil and growing their own potatoes this spring, thanks to Squire’s Garden Centres’ popular Grow Your Own Chips initiative.
The children visited Squire’s Long Ditton where each pupil was provided with their very own pot, compost and chitted seed potatoes. Guided by Squire’s Plant Experts, pupils learned how to plant and care for their potatoes over the coming months.
The fun doesn’t stop there – pupils will return to Squire’s Long Ditton in June for the big potato weigh-in, where they’ll find out who’s grown the heaviest crop! The potatoes will then be transformed into delicious, freshly cooked chips by the Squire’s Café Bar team, giving children the ultimate taste of their own efforts – from pot to plate in under an hour. The child who grows the heaviest crop will win a special Squire’s goody bag.
Sarah Squire, Chairman of Squire’s Garden Centres, comments:“Our Grow Your Own Chips initiative is a brilliant way to inspire children to get growing and to show them just how rewarding it can be. We love welcoming schools to our centres and sharing our passion for gardening. It’s all about planting a seed of curiosity. We hope that the sense of fun and learning they experience will grow into a lifelong interest in nature, food and gardening.”
Part of Squire’s ongoing programme to support schools and community groups, Grow Your Own Chips 2025 has welcomed over 150 children from local primary schools this spring to get involved in a fun, hands-on learning experience that connects them to where food comes from and encourages sustainable habits from a young age.
TOP TIPS FOR POTATO GROWING:
- Keep your potato pots in a sunny spot
- Water regularly – potatoes don’t like to dry out
- Add more compost as the plants grow to cover new shoots
- Be patient – the real treasure is underground!