Get to know: Louise Canfield from Aylett Nurseries – Sunday Mirror

In an age of technology and convenience, we have become somewhat disconnected with where our food come from. This is particularly true of younger generations. School and community gardens are working hard to educate young people on how their food is produced and show them how easy it is to grow crops themselves. Teachers and community group volunteers up and down the country are reporting this reconnection as having a positive impact on children’s food choices and giving them the confidence to try new fruits and vegetables.

Louise Canflield, Events team Member from Aylett Nurseries, Hertfordshire is passionate about growing vegetables and works hard to share this passion with schools and community gardens in their local area. By advising them on how fun and rewarding growing your own vegetables can be Louise is helping to inspire the next generation of green fingered growers.

Louise said; “We usually suggest starting off with crops that will provide quite quick results with ease, such as cress, spouting seeds, radishes, runner/broad beans, this gets children engaged. Crops such as purple carrots and yellow runner beans are great fun and colourful additions to the vegetable patch. Herbs are great for sensory learning and cooking so we encourage schools to give these a try too.“

The fun does stop with just growing the vegetables, you can encourage children to experiment with their produce too! “Once they have grown their vegetables get them to think about what they can do with their produce, can they make a meal for all the family to enjoy? Can they take it to school in their packed lunch box? This will make them feel proud of their achievements and want them to continue growing.”

The Cultivation Street competition sponsored by Calliope® rewards schools and community gardens who are making a difference in their local area. For more information visit cultivationstreet.com