2023T2W3 - News from the Garden

In year 9 Horticulture this Semester, students have successfully grown a wide variety of heirloom tomatoes, beans, sweet corn and the broccoli is coming along nicely. Some students have also had a good harvest in their own gardens at home.

Additionally, students have enjoyed the fruits of the 2022 class plantings. We’ve harvested some enormous potatoes, broad beans, elephant garlic, Australian purple garlic and admired the blooms of the sunflowers around the mud brick hut. After some heavy pruning last year, the raspberry patch and red currents responded with an abundant flush of fruit over the Summer holidays.

The introduction of two new closed compost bins have been a happy success. The red wrigglers have found their way in, and the worms are a great indication that the compost is healthy. The closed system also means our previous compost tenants (the rodents) have relocated and are no longer damaging our crops. The compost is collected regularly from the staff room, closing the loop on a waste stream while replenishing the nutrients in the soil of our raised beds.

In class students have been learning about plant anatomy and propagation and are about to plant some native seed they’ve collected from around the college grounds. I’m thrilled to report that 19 gum trees planted on National Tree Day are now peaking above their tree guards and the 25 blackwood seedlings that were grown from seed, are thriving and sprouting their mature leaves.

Kayla Robson

Science & Horticulture Teacher