Nursery | pegbarbados

"The gardeners at PEG have been very successful at establishing an initial nursery for the project."

PURPOSE

The next steps for growing this aspect of PEG are to expand the variety of plants, and the scale of the nursery. For example, the orchards in the Farm Hub area alone will need more than 500 trees before they are fully planted. If you add in the eventual investment in wildlife corridors, agroforestry trips and larger orchard enterprises, this nursery is going to produce thousands of trees for the property in the coming years.

Expanding the nursery beyond the three current structures, is an important early investment for the PEG project because of the benefits it lends to multiple enterprises as well as the overall goal of restoring the health of PEG’s ecosystems. As discussed in the business model, the nursery not only functions as a key piece to the infrastructure of the PEG site, but also as its own profitable enterprise. The nursery provides a space to start and test annual and perennial varieties for the Kitchen and Production Gardens, trees and shrubs for the orchards, and additional plants for the purposes of commercial seedling sales. In addition to these enterprise needs, the nursery will be used to grow native plants for landscaping and beautification across the property as well as the plants needed for the eventual wildlife corridor that will run through the central valley of the property.

These functions are both distinct and overlapping, and thus the nursery space must be designed for multiple niches.

The current location of the nursery is ideal, as it is one of the higher maintenance activities currently onsite, and should be easily accessible.

"In the Bajan climate, heat and lack of water are two mitigating factors towards plant and nursery success."

The nursery is located close to the current water and compost sources, which is ideal.

Establishment

In the early stages of a cultivated plants life it is important to limit the stress it faces and provide it with optimal inputs. In PEG’s climate this means ensuring the plants have a nutrient dense and well structured planting medium and plenty of water, while not being overly exposed to sun and wind.

The suggested layout for the nursery expansion (beyond the three successful shade structures that are already there) is based on a 3 stage life cycle for a nursery plant that accounts for these inputs.

Layout

Tree Nursery 1

It is the most shady tree nursery.

This nursery is the farthest west of the three large nurseries. It is the most shady, and serves not only as a nursery, but also a valuable workspace. It could have a densely thatched roof or a tin roof. This structure has space for seeding and propagation supplies, a small tool shed, and planting tables.

On its western edge are small piles of ready to use planting medium ingredients: topsoil, fully mature compost, mineral amendments and sand.

Most plants do not stay here long as this structure does not receive much light. Instead the plants either go to the existing shade structures, reserved for smaller plants that are easily moved, and also more vulnerable to full sun.

Tree Nursery 2

This nursery is an intermediate step.

This nursery is an intermediate step between the shade of Nursery 1 and the existing nurseries and the full sun of Nursery 3. It could be a loosely thatched roof or a more coarse shade cloth than is used in the other structures.

The intermediate stage is beneficial for plants that require time to harden for windy and sunny conditions.

As discussed in detail in the USDA’s Tropical Nursery Manual, hardening is a crucial third step for outplanting in nurseries. After plants have established, and then gone through the “rapid growth” phase, hardening allows them to slowly adapt to controlled stress levels before they undergo high stress levels from transporting and transplanting into open fields.

Tree Nursery 3

This nursery has the most mature plants, or young plants that require full sun even in their early stages.

This nursery could be a structure with a high light emitting shade cloth or completely open to the air, a loosely delineated area that has gravel paths to support customers and employees circulating through it. As the nursery operation grows this area can spread its borders accordingly.

Until the Public Access Area shifts to the western side of the property , the nursery should be designed for accessibility by the public as well as people working on the farm.

Nursery 3 is closest to the road and where customers will be entering the nursery area, so it should have the most mature and impressive plants. Having the most mature trees close to the road also creates a windbreak for the younger plants, and a visual barrier between the work area by nursery 1 and the customer entrance.

For people working in the nursery, this extra level of separation from tours, visitors, and nursery customers makes for an easier workday.

Tree Nursery

Site Selection & Preparation

Expanding the nursery beyond the three current structures (above), is an important early investment for the PEG project because of the benefits it lends to multiple enterprises as well as the overall goal of restoring the health of PEG’s ecosystems.

As discussed in the business model discussion, the nursery not only functions as a key piece to the infrastructure of the PEG sit, but also as its own profitable enterprise. The nursery provides a space to start and test annual and perennial varieties for the Kitchen and Production Gardens, trees and shrubs for the orchards, and additional plants for the purposes of commercial seedling sales.

In addition to these enterprise needs, the nursery will be used to grow native plants for landscaping and beautification across the property as well as the plants needed for the eventual wildlife corridor that will run through the central valley of the property.