As part of the crop production project that the College has established with Swanley-based Provender Nurseries.
Our Level 2 Horticulture Operative apprenticeship students were recently given the opportunity to support Nursery Manager Stuart Tickner and his team in potting up 1,500 lavender plants for them to grow at college and then transport to Provender's main site to be sold to the industry.
The project supplements the practical skills the apprentices are gaining in their respective workplaces and the wide range of skills they are learning during their one day a week at college, such as pruning, garden design, border maintenance and tree planting, to name a few.
The students were shown around the glasshouse by Stuart and the Provender team, learning about how to run a commercial nursery, what is expected of them (linking to the apprenticeship behaviors set out by government) and how to undertake the potting on of the plants.
The students then began the process, working efficiently as a team and giving instructions to each other about the cultivars that needed doing and encouraging each other to pick up the pace. A good production run was organised, with half the students standing down the plants on benches while the other half potted, swapping halfway through. Industry standard for the potting-on process is about 6-8 seconds a plant - and our students achieved around 10-12 seconds per plant: a respectable time for their first attempt! This efficiency enabled the students to pot the plants within an admirable two-and-a-half hours.
The nine varieties of British-grown lavender were potted in peat-free compost and kerbside recyclable pots. The plants will be ready for despatch to the cash and carry facility at Provender in February / March and will be placed into stock for sale.
Stuart Tickner said: “Having the students working with myself and my team potting the lavender was a great help, and I think they all have great potential in the industry in the future. Their involvement in managing our crops is a great experience, not only for them, but also for our company, seeing potential new staff in development. They get to work for a commercial nursery and see the full cycle, from growing and caring for the crops to the end point that is our customers.
Gareth Batts, Course Manager for Horticultural Apprenticeships at Hadlow, said “It was great to see the students support Stuart and his team with this task. With the new standards qualification they are undertaking, this practical supports them with their end point assessment in a year and half's time. Watching the students building on the behaviours required for the apprenticeship, such as team-working, communication and efficiency, is encouraging, and it ensures they are an asset to the companies they work for, as well as the college.”
This project is one of our many industry links which serve to enhance study for our horticulture students. They benefit from a wide range of links with commercial nurseries, research institutes, organic producers, public and privately owned gardens, as well as exposure to the retail world through our onsite garden centre.