If you can't stand the heat get out in the garden

This week at WESC we planted the last of our strawberries into baskets.

They have been so popular with students and staff that we decided to plant more!

We started off combining perlite Multi purpose compost.

Making sure to break up any lumps!

Then we half filled the baskets.

Picked our strawberry plants, three per basket.

Planted the plants around the outside edge of the basket, gently firming in and watered well.

We hung them in the second polytunnel. Just in time for the sun.

Finally, the WESC wildflower meadow is really starting to establish and attracting lots of wildlife. 

Thank you to all who helped.

Exeter College Volunteers

During last weeks half term period at WESC, students from Exeter College dedicated a day to supporting Learners at WESC.

The project we chose to do was revamping and repurposing a old raised bed which once had a water feature and turn it into a ornamental vegetable bed also known as a potager garden.

The beauty of this project is the location of the raised bed, it is near adult day services and is easily accessible for our learners to maintain, learn and enjoy.

The first step involves removing the weeds.

And (due to the amount of bind weed) the contaminated soil approx a spit and half down.

We removed the pond liner and pump. The filter and pipes will need cleaning and unblocking.

The last stages will involve putting in new landscape fabric and filling with compost (Gratefully donated by West Hill )

Our learners will clean the pebbles ready to be reused in the water feature. Then we will plant it out with a combination of Runner beans, Courgettes, Sweetcorn,Tomatoes, Nasturtiums, Marigolds and Cosmos that we have grown from seed. 

Watch this space....