Grow Your Own Potatoes – Pembrokeshire Prize-Winners!

A local Pembrokeshire school has grown the heaviest amount of Rudolph potatoes within Wales to win the AHDB Potatoes ‘Grow Your Own Potatoes’ (GYOP) regional competition for the second time.

Milford Haven Junior School achieved a total weight of 2.5kg of Rudolph potatoes, grown from seed provided by Blas y Tir to win the Wales prize.

In March 2015 over 250 kilograms of Rudolph potato seed was provided by Puffin Produce to 760 schools throughout Wales for the competition, which enables young children to learn where their food comes from and understand the importance of Welsh produce. After 14 weeks in the ground, harvesting takes place in the beginning of June with the weight of the harvest being recorded on the GYOP website by the schools.

The annual challenge set by AHDB Potatoes sees schools competing in growing the heaviest yield of national and regional potatoes from seed provided by local suppliers within a 14 week period. Launched in 2005, the UK based Grow Your Own Potatoes (GYOP) project has seen over 2 million school children take part to learn where their food comes from. “We think that it is important that everyone learns how great potatoes are and how to enjoy them as part of a healthy balanced diet.” AHDB go on the explain that “all you have to do is register your school (in Feb) to receive a FREE potato growing kit, use the supporting lesson plans and worksheets and for a chance to win fabulous prizes for your school, enter the competition once you have harvested.”

If you would like to find out further information or register your school to be involved in the 2016 project, visit http://gyop.potato.org.uk/