The Cone Garden Project, funded by Octopus Energy, is turning school gardens and home gardens into thriving green spaces full of learning and harvests. For the past one month, students have been busy watering, weeding, and managing pests using organic methods. Brian, a pupil at Mbaikini Primary School and member of the Amani Eco Club, said with a smile, “I love how cool the organic pesticide smells! It’s not toxic but still works really well. People should use this instead. You don’t even have to wait for long after spaying before you harvest.”
Mueni, another student, added, “I didn’t know planting coriander with vegetables can help keep away pests like aphids. That’s something new I have learned!”
At Mbaikini PS and Wamunyu Special School, students and teachers have already started harvesting spinach and coriander, adding fresh greens to their daily meals. Teacher Mercy couldn’t hide her excitement, “What variety of spinach is this? It’s growing so well in the cone garden! I had to take a video to share on social media.”
At Kilaatu Primary, vegetables are doing great and will be ready for harvest soon. At Sofia Primary, birds had been a problem, but the students got creative. They planted crops like coriander and spinach that birds don’t like and even used old metal sheets and cassette tapes to make noise and scare the birds away. It’s not perfect yet, but their creativity is inspiring.
It’s amazing to see how students are not just learning about farming but also enjoying it, discovering that technology can make agriculture smart, fun, and easy. During the coming holiday we shall have the teachers in charge of the project and ensure the project thrives with occasional help of students neighbouring the schools.
In the community, Annastacia, a LitMom and cone garden beneficiary, couldn’t hide her joy. “I no longer buy vegetables from the market. I just pick them fresh from my garden every day. It’s saving me money and time! This project has been a real game changer and I plan to keep planting even more.”
Her cone garden, set right in the middle of her homestead, is thriving. She even makes her own organic fertilizer using banana peels and eggshells.
Her only challenge has been water, though she shared that 20 liters a day is enough when watering in the morning and evening.
Jeneffer, another beneficiary, shared,“I’ve done kitchen gardening before, but this cone garden makes everything easier, less bending, less water, less weeding, and I can’t wait for my first harvest!”
All the beneficiaries are full of positive feedback, and the whole community is impressed. The cone gardens are not just growing vegetables, they are growing hope, creativity, learning and a sustainable future.
