Sensory Gardens
A sensory garden is a designed outdoor space that gently stimulates sight, sound, touch, smell and movement, turning planting, texture and colour into a calming place to explore.
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Planters & Growing Areas
Outdoor Planters & Growing Areas
Outdoor planters and growing areas are raised beds and growing zones where children sow, tend and harvest their own plants, turning the playground into a hands-on outdoor classroom.
What it is
Outdoor Planters & Growing Areas
A growing area is a set of raised beds, planters and cultivation zones set aside for children to grow things: sowing seeds, watering and weeding through the season, then harvesting what they have raised. It gives pupils a living, changing patch to look after over weeks and months.
For schools this connects the curriculum to real life. Growing food and flowers brings science lessons to life, encourages healthy eating and a connection with nature, and teaches responsibility and patience as children care for something that depends on them.
- Raised beds & planters
- Sow, tend & harvest
- Supports the science curriculum
- Encourages healthy eating
- Wheelchair-accessible heights
- Builds care & responsibility
Pair growing areas with a sensory garden, or explore the full sensory play range and our inclusive and SEN play.
Good to know
Setting up a school growing area
Choose sturdy raised beds or planters in a sunny, reachable spot with easy access to water. Raised heights save young backs, keep planting away from footballs, and set the soil at a comfortable reach; include beds at wheelchair height so every child can dig in. Start simple with quick, rewarding crops like salad leaves, beans or strawberries that fit the school year.
Plan for who tends the beds during holidays, and consider hardy perennials and herbs that largely look after themselves. A growing area is a natural companion to a sensory garden, adding scent, taste and seasonal change, and it links neatly to sand and water play for messy, hands-on outdoor learning.
Why Commercial Play
The benefits at a glance
Grow and harvest
Children sow, tend and pick their own crops, watching plants change across the seasons.
Healthy habits
Growing and tasting fresh food makes healthy eating real and encourages children to try more.
Reachable raised beds
Beds at standing and wheelchair height let every child plant, water and harvest comfortably.
Curriculum outdoors
Real growing brings science, seasons and life cycles to life beyond the classroom.
FAQs
Planters & Growing Areas: common questions
Why should a school have a growing area?
Because it turns the curriculum into hands-on learning: children see science, life cycles and the seasons at first hand. Growing and eating their own produce also supports healthy eating, wellbeing and a lasting connection with nature, all in the school grounds.
Are the raised beds accessible for wheelchair users?
Yes. We can supply beds at heights that suit wheelchair users and standing children alike, with clear space to pull up close. This means every pupil can sow, water and harvest hands-on rather than watching from the side.
Who looks after the plants in the school holidays?
It is worth planning holiday care from the outset, and we can help with hardy, low-maintenance planting that copes with a break. Many schools set up a simple rota, involve gardening clubs, or choose robust perennials and herbs that largely fend for themselves.
What can children realistically grow at school?
Plenty that fits the school year, such as salad leaves, beans, peas, strawberries, herbs and easy flowers, all quick and rewarding to grow. We help you match crops to your space, sunlight and term dates so pupils see satisfying results before the holidays.
The rest of the range
More sensory play options
Part of our full sensory play range — explore the other surfaces below.
Sand & Water Play
Outdoor sand and water play lets children pour, dam, dig and channel at height-adjustable stations, turning simple materials into hands-on early science, language and cooperative play.
View sand & water play
Musical Play
Outdoor musical play equipment is robust tuned instruments for the playground, from chimes and drums to tubular bells, letting any child make music that sounds good with no skill needed.
View musical playThinking about planters & growing areas?
Book a free site visit and we'll measure up, recommend the right surface and send a clear, fixed quote.