Why self-watering planters are a great choice for a school garden

At Amberol we are great believers in educating and encouraging the next generation to discover the rewards of horticulture. Many schools across the UK use our self-watering planters as a way of introducing their students to creating school gardens in concrete areas. This is particularly important in urban areas where children may not have access to their own green space.

As a result, we are very happy to highlight the campaign run by the RHS to promote school gardening. Any educational establishment looking to start up their own container garden will find it a useful source of information on a range of topics, from composting to managing pests and diseases. In addition to offering information sheets and advice, the RHS also runs its own School Gardening Awards, provides training and offers free pre-booked visits to its gardens for schools. Click here to find out more about the support that the RHS offers.

Why container gardening?

• Planters can be placed almost anywhere, so are suitable for small spaces, corners and the kind of asphalt surfaces often found in schools. Amberol’s range of self-watering planters come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, from large floor standing planters big enough for small trees, to barrier baskets suitable for salad leaves and other edible plants, as well as flowers and shrubs.
• It's easier to allocate containers to specific classes or groups of children, and the height and smaller size of planters make them easily accessible to young people, including those who may have mobility issues.
• Conditions are easier to control including choosing the kind of compost used and reducing the damage caused by pests. Planters can also be moved to suitable sites and relocated if necessary.
• Containers brighten up areas of grey and maximise spaces which might otherwise be neglected or unused.

Why self-watering planters?

Self-watering planters can be a real boon when setting up a container garden, reducing the maintenance that site managers have to carry out when schools are on holiday.

Containers can be more difficult to grow plants in as they dry out easily and often need more maintenance, which isn’t always possible in schools juggling a packed timetable. However, because most of Amberol’s self-watering planters only need watering once a week, they require less maintenance. They also create ideal growing conditions as plants are able to access moisture and nutrients as and when required.

Amberol self-watering planters have a water reservoir under the compost and a large space to enable healthy root growth. Each planter has matting with a series of high capacity capillaries which ‘suck’ water up from the reservoir. Because each planter has overflow holes above the matting base, they can’t be over-watered. They are also an important way to ensure water is conserved where possible.

What can you grow in self-watering planters?

Almost anything! Edible plants are often grown in schools as way of teaching the National Curriculum Science Programme of Study which focuses on plants and living things. Most children also find it both exciting and rewarding to grow edible plants such as carrots, salad leaves, green beans, spring onions and tomatoes, all of which grow well in containers. Fruits such as apples, strawberries and raspberries also work well in containers. And of course, flowers such as petunias and geraniums can brighten up a dull environment as well as attracting insects and pollinators for a study of habitats and living things.

We make bins too!

In addition to our self-watering planters, our educational bins are popular with schools. The novelty animal bins encourage children to deposit their litter responsibly – and can even be made to talk with the optional voice box!

To find out more about any of the products that are suitable for schools and colleges, contact Amberol on 01773 830 930 or email sales@amberol.co.uk.