WLPS has a tree nursery!

March 2023

In late February, we held a ‘big dig day’ at WLPS and invited our parents, carers, and community members to help us prepare for the next growing season. One of the main tasks was to create a tree nursery so we can grow trees from seeds and tiny saplings until they are big and healthy enough to plant in Roamers.

Why do we need a tree nursery?
Roamers now has over 5000 trees planted in it! These are mostly tiny trees – less than an A4 page in height – so they won’t all survive. Also, deer are likely to find tiny trees quite tasty! Our tree nursery will look after trees until they reach the hight of a P7 pupil, which means they will have a better chance of surviving being eaten when moved to Roamers. We are growing each tree in its own deep pot. This should ensure they develop a healthy root system that will give them a great start in Roamers.

What trees do we have so far?
Our mini oak trees, that we started looking after last autumn, have been joined by more than 100 sweet chestnut trees. Hopefully, we will be collecting their nuts in 40 years time! We also have holly, rowan, hazel, and beech. We have named many of the trees. Please feel free to visit and see which names you can spot – you might recognise some of our teachers’ names! Soon, we will have a sign for our tree nursery.

What is next?
We have filled 3 of the 4 raised beds in the tree nursery so far. Which has used up some of the 11 (!) bulk bags of soil and compost in our playground. Part of our outdoor learning will include looking after the trees and watering them, and we expect we can plant them in Roamers in 2-3 years.
Our 4th raised bed is going to be dedicated to growing berry bushes for Roamers. There is an area of Roamers with power lines which means it is not suitable for tall trees, so this will be full of berry bushes that we can harvest as well as providing food for wildlife.

How to get involved?
Anyone and everyone is welcome to visit and enjoy Roamers already. You can find access points at the top of the Loan and via Medwyn Road.
Like more info? See SustainableWLD.co.uk