Children grow food at Manorfield Primary in Poplar to sell down Borough Market

Children have transformed a disused space in the school’s playground at Poplar’s Manorfield Primary into an urban market garden growing food to raise cash for charity.

Young 'farmers'... produce children grew.themsleves in school garden at Manorfield Primary in Poplar. Picture source: Manorfield School - Credit: Manorfield Primary

They prepared a harvest to sell the produce on their own market stall in Borough Market, near London Bridge.

Funds raised go to FareShare charity which tackles food waste by sending surplus produce to community cafés, homeless hostels and children’s breakfast clubs.

A large part of the school’s outdoors education programme has been developing the playground garden, where pupils have learnt to cook the food they’ve grown from seeds.

Two Year-5 pupils went to a traders’ training at Borough Market in May to learn how to manage the stall the school has been running during July. They were let in on all the tricks of the trade, to help their classmates raise money from their sales.

Produce grown in the school garden in Wyvis Street include blackcurrants, redcurrants, berries, cherries plums, spinach, runner beans, radishes, lettuces, onions and some kitchen herbs.