Standing at the heart of Shaftesbury Millie College’s garden are three polytunnels. While the structures may look unassuming, they represent a significant step in the college’s garden development project, increasing growing capacity and expanding the outdoor learning space for students.
Funding was secured to renovate the polytunnels, providing outer covers and additional ventilation panels to ensure crops get plenty of air in the warmer months.
Annabelle Pearsall, Education Enterprise and Visitor Services Manager, said: “The introduction of polytunnels to the plant nursery area has more than doubled our undercover growing space and offers more possibilities for students to engage in horticulture activities throughout the autumn and winter months.
“The next stage is to furnish the space with tables and build additional beds of varying heights for greater student and participant access. Once created, the beds will be filled with compost which is made on site from a mixture of garden, cafe and animal waste.”
Expansion of the plant nursery supports the college’s enterprise work, giving students opportunities to gain vocational skills, and increasing capacity to grow salad crops and vegetables, as well as plug plants, bulbs and perennials for sale at the Courtyard Craft Centre at Lytchett Minster and to fulfil existing community contracts.
Thank you to Talbot Village Trust and D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust for their generosity in supporting this project.