Completed January 2022
Wilmot Primary School in Wilmot, Tasmania was implemented in the first quarter of 2022 in a small regional community about 4hrs North-West of Hobart. Wilmot Public School caters for students from Kindergarten to year 6, with 23 students, 26% of which are Indigenous Australians. This project saw the students taking an active role in all areas of construction of the greenhouse and hydroponic growing system.
The Food Ladder School Greenhouse System creates early employment pathways for students as well as educating students about food production, healthy eating, and social enterprise, engraining healthy eating habits in Primary School.
Progress since completion
The greenhouse is supported by their pre-existing paddock to plate kitchen program, with an orchid, vegetable garden, chicken shed and classes in small animal husbandry and food production. The whole school prepares, cooks and eats a healthy lunch together once a week with the fresh produce from the greenhouse and school farm.
They are currently growing basil, pak choi, cos lettuce and spinach.
Since the greenhouse’s completion in January 2021, Wilmot Primary School have had 3 successful harvests. The students have taken on the primary responsibility for the greenhouse, its maintenance, harvesting and cooking of the produce, with weekly class visits.
The students have focused on growing leafy greens, specifically lettuces, rocket, spinach, basil and choy. Wilmot held their first harvest lunch earlier this year with 27 students, including 4 from Sprent Primary School. The students harvested 11 rocket plants and cooked their shared lunch.
Each term the harvested produce is eaten by students and used in cooking classes as well frozen in preparation for winter healthy lunches. Produced was also offered to the community or a gold coin donation to the school.
We look forward to another successful term ahead for Wilmot Primary School.
Food Ladder acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which this greenhouse is built, the Palawa peoples. We celebrate the diversity of Aboriginal peoples and their ongoing cultures and connections to the lands and waters of Tasmania. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging and acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that contributed to the development of this resource.