Glengad kids grow giant spud plant

A group of green-fingered Glengad pupils have reached new heights with their recent project. The third and fourth classes of St Cholmcille’s National School have watched in amazement as the stem of a potato plant they placed in their classroom in April last has surpassed the height of them all and grown to 67 inches or 5ft 7ins! And that’s not all, a second one they also planted is quickly catching up and now stands at 62 inches or 5ft 2ins. The stunned and delighted pupils were helped in no small part by their school caretaker John Houghton who is no stranger to growing “super spuds.” In fact, in August last year, Mr Houghton featured in the Inish Times after potato seeds he planted in his greenhouse at home sprouted to four feet. Speaking to the Inish Times he told how he was ecstatic with the latest project. He said: “We planted them in pots which were then placed in the classroom here at the school. They are completely organic and grown without any feed or fertiliser or anything like that. We only planted them a couple of weeks ago and never expected them to grow this tall in such a short space of time. The only thing that touched them was water. “We’re delighted with how they’ve grown. The pupils think it’s a great job and are really excited about it all. It’s good for them to see how things grow as well.” The pupils are set to leave the plants in John’s expert hands while they embark on their summer holidays over the next few months. They return to school in September and are looking forward to finding out just how tall their plants have grown in their absence. Then, when the time comes, John will tip out the pot in which the plant is growing and the children will pick out the potatoes lying underneath.