Potatoes in bags

This week Nathan did a great job getting hands on. And I can announce the winner of the WESC sunflower growing competition.... wait for it...

This year nathan planted main crop potatoes in a bag. To start with we chitted seed potatoes in cool light place to encourage the tuber to sprout.

Then we planted a third deep in the bag. The reason for planting in a bag is to make it easier for us to lift at waist height. Also you reduce the potential damage to the potato when lifting as you can use your hands.

This year was a bit of an experiment that we can safely say was a success so I think next year Nathan will be doing a couple more bags.

Also, we lifted the last of our onions which Nathan also planted.

Finally a big congratulations to Tim who won the Sunflower growing competition.

His prize is to deliver a masterclass on giant sunflower growing and share with the students his secrets to propagation and how best to sow seed to ensure success!!

Sunny Mornings

It has been a surprisingly sunny week at WESC making it possible to crack on with lots of jobs. 

Nicola's group got hands on harvesting the last of the vegetables. 

Starting off at the raised beds.

Louie did a great job doing some much needed weeding and checked the progress of our sweetcorn

and squashes.

Then we moved inside picking Chillies, Tomatoes

Squashes or gourds, courgettes and what is more accurately described as a marrow.

Then we moved on to smelling and tasting some of what we had picked.

What was left we delivered to the kitchen.

Great Job everyone!

Harvesting

This week has been really busy harvesting the last of the vegetables grown.

Penny's group did a great job picking the chillies 

Runner beans, 

Onions, 

And some of the herbs.

The new path has proved a real hit with everybody. making it possible for people to come and go as they please!

Introducing...

This has been a really interesting couple of weeks at WESC meeting new staff, volunteers and students. I have been really enthused by the skills and new ideas people are sharing. 

I would like to introduce our new volunteers...

Matthew, who is considering working within horticulture. 

Helen, a keen gardener.

And Ed, an experienced gardener at Knightshayes.

They are all dedicating half a day, once Week to help develop our WESC gardening project. I am really looking forward to getting their ideas and input on  future plans.

To start with Matthew got stuck in weeding the polytunnel.

Next we collected the last of the apples from the school site. 

The plan is to take them to a community juicing event this weekend for our students to enjoy.

Helen did a great job clearing through the pots labelling, organising and storing bulbs. We reuse the old compost as soil conditioner in the raised beds. All the pots are stored by size for washing (sterilising) at a later date.

Potted on some Buddleia Davidii seedlings, to be planted out in our woodland garden in the spring.

Ed, focused on clearing back the brambles around the apple trees. 

The plan is to give them a formative prune this year (to improve cropping and start to create the correct goblet shape). When the leaves have dropped we will lift a couple of the young ones and replant in a more accessible and sunny spot.

The Bees are settling in fine. Geoff has been to visit, they have re-orientated and are coming and going as expected.

New Path

More good news... The path into the Wesc gardening area has been successfully completed! 

This has been a big project starting with our sponsor Open Work Foundation who put forward our gardening project for funding for the first phase of development.

We started off by clearing the area. 

Lifted the slabs from the old path.

Marked out and dug the path lines, added layers of hardcore, compacted and leveled it.

Then a landscape fabric is laid and finally the rubberised material is poured. 

We have run the path from the vegetable raised beds through the wild flower meadow in to the centre of the polytunnel area, accessing the greenhouse both polytunnels, raised bed and sheds.

Finally, John finished it off by opening up the railings.

The material we have chosen is made out of recycled tyres which is shredded to look like bark chippings, coloured then mixed a with a bonding agent.

The benefits are, you do not have to do extensive groundwork so there is minimal root disturbance, the material is flexible and will move if necessary, it is easy to maintain, minimal weeding is required and it is a smooth surface for people who use wheelchairs. They also provide a 15 year guarantee, value for money!

I would like to say a big thank you to Darren and his team from Rhino Play Limited they went beyond the call of duty and did an amazing job!