Get growing with Plant and Share this April

Whether you’re new to it or a green-fingered natural, Plant and Share’s free and easy-to-use resources are bursting with ideas and inspiration to get you growing in April. They include activities like how to grow bee-friendly herbs, growing microgreens on a windowsill and getting creative in nature – all brilliant ways to spend the spring holiday, whether at home, at a local club or community growing space.

The guiding principle of the campaign is making growing accessible for all, no matter how much space or experience someone has. So, this springtime, collect your old yoghurt pots, save some banana peels and get involved with the joy of growing and nurturing your own plants.

Food for Life reconnects with Jamie Oliver

With Plant and Share all about connecting through growing, Food for Life are delighted to be partnering with the team at Jamie Oliver Kitchen Garden Project to bring even more ideas and inspiration to the nation. Kitchen Garden Project is a Jamie’s Ministry of Food initiative for primary schools across the nation to get children growing and sowing from a young age. Pairing perfectly with Plant and Share, their All About Herbs resource will share inspiration on how to get the most out of those bee-friendly herbs, like making a delicious and fresh pesto.

Ruth Galpine, Associate Director of Healthy and Sustainable Diets at Soil Association says:

“Now in its fourth year, it’s inspiring to see how many people pick up a spade, repurpose an old pot or just get their hands dirty as part of Plant and Share each year. We’ve heard from schools growing potatoes in their gardens, families growing cress on the windowsill, and communities making connections through growing – there’s really no limits to how growing, sowing and sharing can connect us.”

Alison Corfield, Head of Social Impact and Sustainability at Jamie Oliver, says:

“We are so excited to be working with Food for Life again, their Plant and Share campaign aligns so brilliantly with our Kitchen Garden Project resources which are all about getting young people growing and cooking their own food, learning about the journey of seed to plate, making this a perfect partnership to encourage more cooking in communities.”

The campaign will celebrate the various joys of growing throughout April: Growing for All, Growing to Eat, Growing for Joy and Growing for Nature.

Growing for All week, which begins Monday 1st April, will be a celebration of everyone who can grow, whether they’re beginners or experts, older or younger.

How can people take part?

Anyone can take part by starting an event either with friends, family or within their local community and registering it for free, or by joining an existing event in their local area. Reach out to local community groups to see if there’s an event happening nearby, or to help arrange one with them.