MacDuff Primary School

Boat shaped base

Colourful fish

Labels made from rocks

Every garden has a story to tell about the people who helped make it, the challenges faced, solutions found, lessons learned and the unexpected pleasures along the way.  Here is Macduff Primary School's Pocket Garden Story in their own words.

Every garden should make happy memories and our garden is creating lasting memories for all pupils in P4a.

They are so very proud of all their design work, planting and construction that they are all going to attend Gardening Scotland. Macduff has a rich coastal history of fishing which is celebrated in ‘Picnic at Sea’.

The community got behind us to support us with old fishing supplies that could be used for the garden. Split buoys have been made into planters and old lobster creel became a cage to protect the strawberries from the birds.

Our original boat was too big for the pallet so a local joiner came to the rescue and made a boat shape from old fish boxes which the children have sanded down and filled with soil for our plants. 

The children enjoyed painting our pallet using VOC free paint. Pupils planted most of the seeds in March, indoors, using toilet roll tubes and recycled pots. Our peat free compost and soil was sourced locally.

We have successfully grown salad vegetables which will be ready before summer holidays for our One Planet Picnic at sea. Our beans and peas are beginning to flower and will be clambering up the fishing net. Our strawberry plants are thriving and protected by the creel.

Spring onions, carrots and beetroot are hardening off outside. We strangely had a little trouble with our radishes this year! The lovely blue forget-me-nots are just beginning to flower which make a lovely sea of blue colour. We are happy to represent the Goal 14: Life Below Water.

Caring for plants

Painting the base

Arranging the plants