Grown in Kent is an exciting new project for schools in Kent. The Kent County Agricultural Society has a competition for school groups to not only learn about growing fruit and vegetables that are grown commercially in our County but also have the chance to win tickets for the Kent County Show in July.

This initiative is to encourage children to engage in growing plants and to gain an awareness of the processes involved in growing fruit and vegetables. Schools may be able to raise money by selling the produce. For a list of educational outcomes click the link on the left.

Growing Fruit and Vegetables

All you need to participate in this exciting project is available on this website.

Download the resources pack - this has all the information you will need to help your class to start growing produce that they can harvest at school. The emphasis will be on plants grown commercially in Kent and harvested at the end of June/early July.
The children will harvest and weigh the produce grown and determine its monetary value using the table included in the pack. This information will be recorded and then the produce can be cooked at school, sent home or sold as part of fundraising events at the school.
Classes or groups within the school can compete with each other to grow produce and create the most value. The most successful group within the school will be put forward to a countywide competition.

How it Works

The Kent County Agricultural Society will provide a teachers resource pack with growing guides, a list of suitable suppliers, a value table for Kent grown fruit and vegetables and the form to complete the weight and value for each crop harvested.

The produce value grown by each group needs to be verified by the Headteacher and a School Governor or member of the PTA and submitted by fax or email to the Kent Showground office on 01622 630978 or [email protected] by Monday the 2nd of July. Winners will be notified by Friday the 6th of July.

For 2012, the winning school will be provided with free tickets to the Kent County Show on Saturday 14th July for the pupils and their family where they will be presented with a trophy by TV presenter, Adam Henson in the Why Farming Matters in Kent area. There will also be a garden area at the Kent County Show dedicated to the Grown in Kent Award. This will be located with the Vegucate stand in the Eco Village.

Please click here to download the Competition Terms & Conditions PDF

Additional information and resources

Download the Resource Pack

The Pack Contains

Competition details
Sources of additional information
Instructions on how to grow your own crops
Financial value of harvested produce
Record sheets

Adam Henson

Presenting the 2012 Grown in Kent award

Farmer & TV Presenter

Adam is a regular presenter on BBC1’s much-loved Countryfile and recently co-presented the second series of BBC2’s Lambing Live alongside Kate Humble.

He also presented on BBC2's Coast, Inside Out and has worked for Sky TV, Central News and Top Gear.

Drawing on a wealth of farming knowledge, Adam presents weekly for Radio Gloucestershire and is a regular contributor to Radio 4’s On Your Farm and Farming Today. He also writes for the monthly Countryfile magazine in his capacity as resident farmer.

Running the Cotswold Farm Park, which pioneers rare breed conservation and is part of the 650-hectare Benborough Farm, has given Adam an in depth knowledge of British farming, and led to his expertise being highly sought after for TV, radio and public speaking.

Adam also appeared at Gardener's World Live in 2011.

Skills Development

Pupils who take part in the project are likely to show improvements in their cognitive skills. These will include the ability to use new horticultural terms in context, an understanding of cause and effect (governing crop successes and failures) and the skills to logically implement the processes required to grow plants effectively. Practice with the more detailed horticultural tasks such as seed sowing will have an impact on pupilsÕ physical skills. Pupils will need to show improved patience and concentration as they became familiar with the tasks. Pupils will also show a willingness to taste new fruits and vegetables that they have grown.

Personal Progress

The breadth of skills acquired in the Grown in Kent project will enable some pupils to achieve targets set for their personal progress. After a period of familiarisation, many pupils will develope a sense of ownership and responsibility for growing fruit and vegetables, and consequently better ownership of their personal progress. Gains in confidence and self esteem will make pupils more resilient and willing to persevere with challenging tasks. Children who did not communicate with one another previously will form new friendships by working outside.

Why Gardening is a Vital Tool in Schools

The practical, hands-on and process orientated nature of gardening has been proved to be particularly appropriate to visual and kinaesthetic learning styles.
Children of all ages will learn:

An appreciation of the need to plan and care for living things.
To develop skills in gardening and horticulture.
To experience and enjoy new food.
Awareness and purpose of food and eating.
To understand the source of food groups.
To understand the nutrient cycle.
To understand food chains.

The 2011 winners of the Grown in Kent Competition

1st Place – All Saints CEP School, Chatham

www.allsaints.medway.sch.uk

2nd Place – Mereworth Primary School

www.mereworth.kent.sch.uk

3rd Place Teynham Primary School

www.teynham.kent.sch.uk

Click here to read details on the winning school.