There is no set number required. You receive planting packs in Spring, Summer and Autumn. These contain vegetable plug plants and seeds, companion flower seeds, herb plants and a fruit bush.
The herbs and fruit are perennial/permanent so will not need moving and you will be able to harvest from them year after year. These do best a sunny position with not too much competition from other plants.
The only vegetable that would need its own space are the potatoes as they will need digging up when they are ready in the Autumn. Alternatively, potatoes do really well in sacks, old compost bags, or you can buy special potato growing bags from garden centres and online. This a great way for small children to get involved in harvesting potatoes without the effort of digging them up. And it saves space in your planting area.
For the remaining plants and seeds in your Early Years growing packs we have not been prescriptive about where to plant each type of vegetable, enabling you to be flexible to suit the space you have. Remember to read your growing guides and planting cards so you know how much space each one needs and what they will look like when they’re fully grown.
If you’re looking to set up new beds, four beds each with a minimum area of 1m x 1m, plus some space for herbs and fruit will provide enough room for your Growbag planting packs.
It’s important not to combine existing nonedible plants where you are growing food. If, for example, you have daffodil bulbs or wildflowers growing keep your vegetable planting separate. This may mean a bit of re jigging and replanting of bulbs and plants. It’s very important that the whole school know which areas are being used for food – vegetables, flowers, fruit and herbs. The Growbag Early Years Toolkit comes with a vegetable garden bed sign which helps with marking out the food growing areas.
