A newfound passion for gardening on the part of students at St Patrick’s School in Masterton now means they will have a thriving food forest on what used to be a bare area of land on the school’s grounds.
Last Friday, students seized the opportunity to get their hands dirty by digging up compost and planting various fruit trees and vegetables.
Fresh produce from the school’s food forest will be used in cooking lessons, helping pupils learn about the importance of food security through planting, growing, and cooking.
“It’s really about understanding where our food comes from because some of the kids will go into a supermarket and think that’s where their food comes from,” Garden to Table facilitator Paula Sala said.
“This way, they’re hands-on, in the earth, they know the whole process of how their food comes about.
“One of the things here is showing that it can be done, it’s showing that it’s an easy process, and there’s a sort of symbiotic relationship between all the plants and what’s going on – and that’s super important.”
