April sees a lot of busy students both at the nursery and out and about.
With a few more rain-free days, the teams are starting with grass cutting on our off-site jobs. The first cut this year has been tougher than usual with the warm, wet weather, and a later start than usual, meaning lots of lush green grass needing several goes to get it down to a manageable level. The teams have been pleased with the performance of our move over to battery-powered equipment, particularly how quiet and clean they are to use. This gives more of our students the confidence to get involved with these tasks. Not only the grass cutting but also the strimming and hedge cutting.
On site is equally as frantic, with the start of the season meaning a massive amount of activity. The greenhouses have been rapidly filling up with bedding plants, skilfully pricked out by our talented team of students, along with a range of vegetable plants.
Other teams have been just as busy potting up, potting on, tidying and labelling perennials and shrubs ready for sale.
Work is also starting on preparing our vegetable growing areas ready for planting up, with a range of peas, beans, tomatoes and lettuces, to mention just a few that will be utilised by Hopkins’ cafe.
Beds are being weeded, cultivated and manure added, cloches prepared and the small greenhouse cleaned down ready for tomatoes.
