"Last year we took a small piece of the football pitch and make it into a school garden," says Peter Walsh, Principal at St. Michael's NS. "We have received a lot of help from Acorn CDP and also from past pupils, for which we are very grateful."

One former pupil, local builder Frank McKiernan built a glass greenhouse for the budding gardeners.

"Parents are also coming in to help; digging and raking. Soon we will be planting when the weather improves," says Mr. Walsh.

According to the Principal, who is himself an avid gardener, the school will plant onions, lettuce, cabbage and herbs. They will also plant roses along the sides and sunflowers at the back.

"We would like to do apple trees but that might not be appropriate for our boys!" laughs Mr Walsh.

The community garden at St. Michael's NS provides the pupils with an understanding of the food that they eat and with pride they carry the grown produce home to their parents.

"It's good for the children to see how things arrive on their table and to know how something like an onion is grown, from tilling to planting to nurturing and harvesting," says Mr. Walsh.

It's not only the pupils at St. Michael's NS who are becoming involved in community gardens in Longford. There are two other community gardens at St. Michael's Road and McKeon's Terrace, Farnagh.

"What's happening at St. Michael's NS is what we are trying to do on a community-wide basis," says Peter Masterson of Acorn CDP.

"There are 17 different cultures in the school who are coming together to grow and harvest food. The whole process of gardening brings people together to produce quality food and decrease the carbon food print."

Such is the interest in self-grown produce that there is work afoot to develop an allotment scheme in Longford town. Longford Community Resources Ltd (LCRL), Longford Town Council and Acorn Community Development Project (CDP) have joined forces to research the possibility of setting up the Longford Allotment Association.

So what is the difference between an allotment and a community garden? The latter is a project where a community group comes together to grow produce. This produce is then shared out amongst the members. With an allotment, this is one's own personal space known as a plot that is rented for a nominal amount.

Allotments have long been part of life in Dublin and Belfast where currently there are long waiting lists to secure a plot in either city.

If the Longford Allotment Association receives strong interest then it will organise a more public meeting to firm up various aspects of the project, including the location of the allotment.

"We will need land in the town to make this project happen," says Peter. "In terms of renting plots, this would be open to anybody living in Longford town.