At Farnham Community Farm we really enjoy having school groups coming to visit us and help out with whatever tasks need doing. Our dapper young helpers get stuck in (sometimes almost literally!) and are not daunted by the tasks/jobs that they are asked to help out with/given.

Nowadays many schools have created a garden, so pupils can find out first-hand about growing flowers or vegetables.

Having said that, space is often at a premium and the school plots can’t always accommodate larger groups. And at FCF things are definitely done on a slightly larger scale!

Edgeborough pupils chitting potatoes and potting fennel seedlings at Farnham Community Farm
Edgeborough pupils chitting potatoes and potting fennel seedlings at Farnham Community Farm (FCF)

This gives young people an opportunity to find out what is involved in growing vegetables that will end up on people’s plates, from sowing seeds to digging up old crops and getting the beds ready for the next crop. 

Recently, we were lucky enough to have pupils for three different schools (Edgeborough School, Abbey School and Farnborough Tech) come up to the farm. They helped with harvesting carrots, digging out cabbage roots and adding them to the compost heap.

This is great as the section in which the cabbages had grown can now be prepared for potatoes. And while one of the growers, Cris, put the finishing touches to the new compost bays, one group helped to move the manure from the old bays to the new ones. No mean feat!

Students from Farnborough Tech getting their hands mucky at Farnham Community Farm
Students from Farnborough Tech getting their hands mucky at Farnham Community Farm (FCF)

We are very grateful for their hard work and help, and especially their enthusiasm. It is a joy to work with them all.

Meanwhile, time is marching on (no pun intended!). The seed tunnel has been filled up in record time this year, thanks to the support of all volunteers, young and not so young. Some of the plants will be transferred to the field once they are big and strong enough.

And some have been grown specially to be sold at the Sustainability Festival in Gostrey Meadows on May 19. 

If you are curious about what we do and how we do it, you are always welcome to attend one of our Volunteer Walkarounds. The next one is on Tuesday, April 2. Just drop us an email at [email protected]. Hopefully see you soon!

Marlies van den Hurk

Farnham Community Farm