Come rain or shine, frost or dew, every Thursday afternoon a group of green-fingered ESMS Junior School students don their gardening gloves and set to work tending their patch of garden, in the Rutherford Playground at Queensferry Road.
Miss Greig and Miss Davis set up Gardening Club after completing their training with the Royal Horticultural Society, so both teachers are well placed to share their knowledge with our students.
“We really started with absolutely nothing. Initially we got lots of support and donations from parents, and much of the equipment we got in those early days we still use. We were fortunate enough to get a grant from The Melville Trust, and our wonderful ESMS Estates team built us the garden in the Rutherford Playground.”
It is here that our Junior School students put their talents to great use. The children spend time planning their patch, thinking carefully about what will grow well in our hardy Scottish weather, and understanding the wider eco-system plants and vegetables require to thrive.
For our students, the club is a true oasis. Hania (P6) loves the teamwork and sense of calm the club brings:
"I feel really calm when I’m gardening. I like how we come together as a group to plant things, nurture them and keep them alive, it’s great working together.”
They don’t just focus on what they can do outdoors either. On rainy days, even though the group are always keen to get stuck into the mud, they sometimes do garden related crafts such as making bird feeders, or make artwork using things they can forage from the garden. Innes (P6), explains why it’s different to other clubs:
“Gardening Club isn’t like other clubs, it’s different to doing something sporty or dance because it’s calmer and you get to connect with nature.”
Throughout the year, there is a lot of experimentation with different varieties of produce. The club were able to showcase their hard work earlier this year at our annual Open Day, where families lined up to pick some fresh produce. Miss Davis and the team were thrilled with their first harvest:
“We were amazed at how much we got back, the carrots and potatoes were much better than we expected. The children have researched what to grow next and decided to try out garlic, as we know that should grow well in our Scottish conditions.”
At the moment, the club is for Primary 6 and 7 students, with the goal to expand it to include younger years so the children can reap the benefits of seeing the garden grow and change over the years. If you’re interested in joining, or have any green-fingered friends, contact Miss Greig or Miss Davis.
