I AM just about to embark on a fabulous project. A primary school has asked if I can design and build an interactive playground where the children are surrounded by food in its natural form.

It would be an outdoor supermarket that would give them the opportunity to learn not just where food comes from, but also what effects and benefits that different foodstuffs can have on the body.

I am starting with a blank canvas, as the playground behind the school is an empty, but secure field. I am hoping to begin with a sensory garden, biased towards herbs. Herbs come with an abundance of smells, textures and tastes. This is because they are packed full of natural chemicals. Simple herbs such as mint or parsley can provide a lesson's worth of information.

Mint has a strong but pleasant taste and has been cultivated since before the Romans marched across our land. It was used as a strewing herb in the Middle Ages (sweet scented plants thrown onto flooring and bedding to hide foul smells and deter bugs). It has also been used for centuries to calm upset stomachs and relieve headaches. Parsley also came to our shores with the early AD Latin invasions and has been used both as a food flavouring and a medicinal tonic (it stimulates appetite, helps with kidney problems and reduces swellings).

As well as being a quiet, out-of-the-way corner, the sensory sector will infuse the children with historical knowledge, lessons in taste and a brief encounter with the workings of the human body.

Next will come the soft fruit garden, where such bounties as raspberries, plums, blackcurrants and strawberries will tumble out in all their juicy glory. As yet, I don't know which fruit we will be growing as I am going to poll the children and find out what they would like to grow. As they will be the ones who are going to be eating the produce, then really they should be the ones who get to choose what goes in. The school has already subscribed to the 'five a day' fruit and veg programme, so they do know about the more common ones. However, I shall be conducting a tasting session with some of the more unfamiliar varieties.

The same goes for the vegetables, which will be grown in raised beds. I am not going to get them growing cabbages if no-one is willing to eat them. I think I must have been the only person at school who actually enjoyed cabbage (and gravy) at dinner time.

For me, though, the most exciting part will be the outdoor classroom. This will be an almost secluded area, surrounded by trees. The trees will be those which provide us with nuts, berries and seeds. It should also attract birds and wildlife. I am looking forward to plunging the first spade into the ground.

A long time ago, we all instinctively used to know the useful properties of every plant and where to locate them. However, the more civilised we have become, the more we have forgotten about our natural surroundings. I relish the chance to try to restore even just a little bit of this knowledge.

JOBS THIS WEEK

* The camellia buds will be budding up now. It is crucial that the plant doesn't go short of water between now and flowering time, or the buds may drop off or not form properly.

* Place grease bands around the trunks of fruit trees to prevent next year's crops suffering from the effects of the codling moth.

* Prune rambling and climbing roses now. Bush, tea and floribunda should be left till after the worst of the winter has passed.

READER'S QUESTION

MR Thompson wrote asking if there was anything that he could do to rid his lawn of worm casts, which are unsightly and muddy up his garden.

LUCKILY there are no (legally bought) chemicals that you put on the lawn to control worms, because you really don't want to get rid of these beneficial creatures. Worms maintain the structure of the soil and assist in incorporating organic matter into the soil. I know that the casts can be a nuisance, but they can be removed by brushing the lawn regularly with a birch besom, spring tine or soft brush. They tend to be worse at this time of year in the wetter weather. However, it is best to avoid treading on the lawn when it is damp, as this compacts the soil and squashes any casts beyond the removal stage.

POSTSCRIPT

For further horticultural information, tune into 'Ask about Gardening', every Sunday on BBC Radio Cleveland 95FM from 12-2pm.