Alex Hope students learn by planting Spuds in Tubs

Students at Alex Hope Elementary recently had the chance to plant their very own potatoes at school, thanks to the Spuds in Tubs program.

Run by The BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation (BCAITC), the program provides classrooms with the tools and instructions to grow their own potatoes.

Classes start by planting the seed potatoes in tubs of soil and tend them until they are ready to be harvested.

Now in 293 schools, Spuds in Tubs is introducing teachers and students to the concept of growing their own food. More than 7,000 students and their teachers across the province have planted potatoes this spring.

The week before spring break, the excited class of Grade 5 students at Alex Hope Elementary gathered on the school grounds to plant seed potatoes in 10 tubs they received from BCAITC.

“This program is a great starting point to interest students in gardening,” said Grade 5 teacher Char Ward. “Students are now taking what they’ve learned from the program and bringing the idea of growing in tubs to their parents. They’re really excited about growing their own food.”

Over the next few months students will tend their potato plants carefully until they are ready to harvest in June, before school is out for the summer.

Teachers and students participating in Spuds in Tubs will have a harvest party in which the whole class harvests the potatoes and then enjoys eating the fresh spuds.

Spuds in Tubs is sponsored by the BC Potato and Vegetable Growers Association and W&A Farms Inc. and supported by local garden centres. The program is managed by the BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation, a registered non-profit dedicated to “working to bring BC’s agriculture to our students.”

For more information, visit www.aitc.ca/bc.