Ag Studies 

On the 6th November Ag Studies students worked together to complete our major Spring planting event in the school garden. Prior to our planting, beds needed careful attention in order to get them ready. They were weeded and turned over several times. Compost from the rotating compost bins was added and organic fertiliser applied. We  checked the beds for soil moisture and soil PH and applied remedial action where required.

Our seedlings were ‘potted out’ at the end of term 3. Students took trays of tiny Roma tomatoes and planted them into individual pots. These were then sent to the greenhouse where they grew rapidly. We also prepared capsicum in a similar way. Watermelon and cantaloupe were raised from seed, also using the greenhouse.  We maintained the Victorian tradition of not planting frost-sensitive crops until after the Melbourne Cup! 

With all 14 beds now containing crops, we will continue to weed, mulch and water until the end of the school year when the automatic watering system takes over. When we return, next year’s semester 1 Ag Studies students will begin the harvesting and processing of our crops. Hopefully, our harvest will include Roma tomatoes, Dutch Cream potatoes, Kent pumpkin, capsicum, watermelon, cantaloupe, onions, lettuce and cucumber.  We should also have an abundance of black muscat and sultana grapes.

All of our produce is consumed on the school site. Some tomatoes are consumed fresh in the canteen but most of them are used to make passata. Last season we made 54 bottles that were shared between the canteen and Home Ec. We are hoping for at least 50 kg of potatoes this season. Dutch Creams are a great roasting potato but a good all-rounder as well. These will be used in Home Ec. The melons will be cut and shared as they ripen and the remaining produce will be used in both the canteen and the Home Ec room.

Ag Studies students have learned about soil and the nutrient requirements of plants. They have developed plant propagation techniques and looked at concepts such as seasonal and succession planting. They have learned to prune and train vines, that cockatoos are curious, intelligent and destructive and that being outside in the garden on a nice day is not too bad!

Andrew Allen