Hartley Botanic have teamed up with Waitrose to support the retailer’s Get Your Grown-ups Growing competition – part of the RHS Campaign for School Gardening – by making a Hartley Tradition 6 greenhouse the first prize in the contest, for the most inspiring event staged as part of the scheme.
We’re thrilled to be supporting the initiative, which gets children involved in gardening, teaching them practical skills and the theory behind plant nutrition – as well as giving them the chance to grow their own tasty fruit and veg while at school.
Waitrose’s commitment to the environment
Supporting schools is just one part of Waitrose’s far-reaching commitment to young people and to the environment.
Waitrose Education is the retailer’s initiative to help raise awareness of food and ingredients from an early age through to adulthood – children are taught about the importance of healthy eating, and young adults are helped into scholarships if they show promise as aspiring chefs.
Meanwhile, long-time customers will already be aware of the supermarket’s support for organic and GM-free farming methods in the produce it sells.
In the case of organic farming, that does not just mean avoiding pesticides – Waitrose uses a broad definition of the term based on its early definition as a ‘renewable’ method of growing food crops.
The retailer looks to farmers to minimise their negative impact on the land they use for growing – including cutting down on pesticides as much as possible, but also maintaining the health of the soil year upon year.
Knock-on advantages of this can be seen throughout the food chain, from the crops grown to the wildlife who make the fields their home.
Helping children to learn
The Get Your Grown-ups Growing campaign itself is a great way to help children to learn, as well as making sure they share their newfound skills with their parents.
Waitrose are passionate about letting children know where food comes from – right down to the individual fruits and vegetables that go into their meals. At Hartley Botanic greenhouse company, we’re equally passionate about hands-on gardening all year round, whether that means growing decorative shrubs and flowers or seasonal foods.
However, it’s more than just a hobby – growing your own food has a broad range of benefits.
You can pick fruits and vegetables as you need them, enjoying them at their natural ripeness and cutting down on food waste. Home-grown produce also means no packaging waste, which is kinder to the environment
For youngsters, growing veg can cut out non-organic farming methods (such as the use of harmful pesticides), processed foods and unwanted ingredients like excess salt, sugar and flavour enhancers.
Of course, there are more physical benefits to gardening, as any keen hobbyist will tell you – it’s a great, non-competitive outdoor activity that can be enjoyed alone or with friends and family, it involves plenty of exercise (but needn’t over-exert anyone) and, in schemes like Get Your Grown-ups Growing, it helps to build community spirit.
We can’t wait to see teachers, pupils, parents and guardians get stuck into a bit of gardening – and see what inspirational events and activities they can come up with to win Waitrose’s competition and secure a Hartley Tradition 6 greenhouse for their school.
