Green-fingered students set for a fruitful future
Posted: 21 February 2022
Outdoor space at West Nottinghamshire College’s Derby Road campus is being prepared for bearing fruit and vegetables thanks to a burgeoning horticultural project.
Students Christian Winterbottom, Callum Hobbs, Kira Carrington and Jonathan Lewis planted the first saplings
Foundation studies learners will be getting dug-in during the spring term as they regenerate a patch of grassed land between the college’s Refined restaurant and the animal care unit, setting it with fruit, vegetables and herbs.
To welcome in the project, the students who are on the Introductory Pathways to Progression course, planted five fruit trees adjacent to the soon-to-be garden. The two-year-old saplings were a range of apple, pear and plum trees which will take a couple of years to bear fruit.
The group of 18 students will work on the planning and maintenance of the garden in the coming weeks as part of their practical work sessions, providing them with essential, new horticultural skills.
The area will be thoroughly dug over and beds will be designed and built to grow fruit, vegetables, salad and herbs. It is hoped that the range of herbs and salad being grown will go towards feeding the guinea pigs and rabbits which reside in the college’s animal care unit.
Foundation studies teacher Rachel Gardner said: “We’re very excited to be able to develop this piece of land for the garden. It will really assist the learners with their horticultural skills as well as mindfulness when connecting to nature.
“Any seeds which are easy to grow, gardening gloves, plant pots, tools and such would be greatly welcomed if anyone has any surplus in their sheds. This will help our students make a great start to this wonderful project once the weather gets warmer.”
If anyone has any donations of seeds or tools, please contact Rachel on Rachel.gardner@wnc.ac.uk