Originally published March 26, 2025 on Alberta Farmer Express, By Greg Price
A school program that is “growing” across Western Canada has firmly taken root in Alberta.
In its second year of existence in Alberta, Spuds in Tubs Farm to School took the lead from British Columbia and has seen keen interest in incorporating potato growing in the provincial school curriculum.
The Spuds In Tubs Program began in British Columbia several years ago by a potato producer, Bill Zylman, now chair of the Canadian Potato Council. He came up with the idea to teach kids in schools about agriculture and give them an opportunity to grow potatoes in tubs.
Zylman reached out to B.C. Ag In The Classroom, and they worked out the details to run the program.
“B.C. has been doing this for 15 years or more. It started there. It would be the second year (in Alberta),” said Deb Brewin, communications and promotions director at Potato Growers of Alberta.
“We doubled our numbers this year. We have 87 kits that have gone out across the province. That equals about 4,000 students who have been involved.”
Potato Growers of Alberta is in charge of the greenhouses for the program in the province, including Edmonton, Red Deer, Calgary, Lethbridge, Taber and Medicine Hat. The association also sources the local potatoes for the kits.
Ag For Life has a website that handles registrations and manages communication with teachers who take advantage of the program.
Students learn about plant biology, soil health and sustainable food production while growing potatoes. It allows them to observe and nurture the process in the tubs, making it easier to protect the potatoes from pests, weeds and Mother Nature. It can also be used as a teaching tool for a variety of school subjects.
“It gives them a hands-on experience to grow their own food. We built it around the Alberta curriculum, so this program can fall into social studies, math, science, a ton of subjects for kids Grade 3-9. That is where the focus is,” said Brewin.
“Students have already planted. We chose an early-variety potato that will be harvested for when kids are out of school in June. At that time, they’ll have their harvest party and reap the benefits of potatoes in their pots and hopefully cook them up.”
While growing sustenance for the body, the program also grows students’ appreciation for the time and care that is required in agriculture, from planting to harvesting and delivering it to the dinner table.
Brewin recalled a story where a teacher had a special needs student who was so into the project that they wanted to forgo recess to tend to the potato project because it brought them more joy.
“Hearing those types of stories really fills my heart. Teachers are supposed ot fill out a post-project report, and we get a lot of information on what they learned and things maybe we can improve on,” said Brewin.
“Ag For Life is a pretty big deal. They supply tons of ag-related resources to teachers, they go to schools with talks on programs as well. We have a very good partnership with them.”
Russet sponsors for the project include Alberta Potato Industry Associates, Cavendish, Edmonton Potato Growers, FW Seed Potatoes, Independent Crop Inputs, Lamb Weston, Miyanaga Farms Ltd., Old Dutch Foods, Simplot, SLM Spud Farms and Woordman Farms.
Tuber sponsors are Grassy Lake Potato Company and Jakeco Holdings.