Tag Archives: Floristry & Horticultural Business

Our first week at the West Dean Gardens

Learning Diaries,

Our first week went well. We worked from Monday to Thursday because we had a course of how to grow cut flowers on Saturday so Friday was free.

Hanna

– Planting and replanting
– Weeding
– Pot washing
– Burned old hay on field
– Raking
– Removing planted plants
– Cutting apple and pear trees

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Tinja

– Checking temperature at glass houses
– Taking plant cuttings
– Pot washing
– Removing bad leafs
– Cutting apple and pear trees
– Planting plants

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Janita
– Cutting apple and pear trees
– Planting salads
– Sowing seeds
– Pricking out basil
– Putting support canes for cucumber
– Cutting Gooseberry

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– Hanna, Tinja & Janita –

Hello from the other side

Learning Diaries, Training Places,

Hello,

We are three horticultural students from Jämsä college. We arrived to England, Heathrow airport last sunday. We are staying here six weeks in total, five weeks remaining. Our work experience place is in West Dean Gardens at Chichester.

Our flight went well and our journey to Chichester from London was a bit difficult but we made it! Our flight left Helsinki-Vantaa airport on sunday (3.4.2016) morning 7.45. We were at the Westgate Halls of residents around three o’clock. We all had separate rooms with own bathrooms and showers. We share a kitchen with three other students and it was pretty dirty… But after we cleaned it, it’s okay, but not what we expected.

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West Dean Gardens is at West Dean and we have to take a bus to get there. It takes about 20 minutes by bus. Gardens is big and beautiful. It’s more like a show garden, everything must to be clean and good quality.

There is working ~10 permanent workers and every week around 15 volunteers to help to keep the gardens looking good. There is high expectation of our skills, language and knowledge. It is bit difficult to understand some words about gardening because we haven’t had any studies in profession english.

Workers are really nice and helpful. That was a relief that work atmosphere is nice, makes it easier to fit in.

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On our first week in West Dean Gardens went fast. On first days we get to know to the place, we had car ride with Jim to explore Gardens’ lands more closely. There were lots of sheep.

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We are looking forward to what the next 5 weeks will bring to us.

Best regards,

Hanna, Tinja & Janita, JTP14.

 

 

Terveisiä Alankomaista

Learning Diaries,

Terveisiä Alankomaista, meillä on aurinko!

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Uutena kotikaupunkinani toimii Westlandissa sijaitseva Honselersdijk, ja asun työpaikkani omistamassa talossa, jonka alakerrassa minulla on oma huone. Muuten jaan talon kuuden puolalaisen kanssa. Paikka on kaunis ja ihmiset kivoja, mikäs täällä on ollessa!

Honselersdijkn katukuvan muodostavat pääasiassa kasvihuoneet ja sellaisessa työskentelen itsekin kuusiviikkoisen työssäoppimisjaksoni ajan. Yrityksen nimi on MDK Flowers & Greens (http://www.mdk.nl) ja se sijaistee aivan “kotini” vieressä.  Päivät ovat alkavat aina seitsemältä ja kestävät kolmeen tai puoli viiteen saakka. Työntekijät (kuten yleisestikin hollantilaiset) ovat mukavia, ystävällisiä ja puhuvat hyvää englantia.

Tällä viikolla olen lähinnä käynyt töissä ja totutellut uuteen ympäristöön (opettelin käyttämään kaasuliettä!). Kauppareitin osaan jo ongelmitta ja tarkoitus olisi lähteä tutkimaan lähiseutua tarkemmin ensi viikolla.

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Muualla sen sijaan on seikkailtu enemmän kuin tarpeeksi… Saan pitää vapaata koko viikonlopun ja eilen otin siitä hyödyn irti lähtemällä Amsterdamiin. Tunnin bussikorttisähläyksen jälkeen pääsin lopulta aloittamaan matkani. Täältä Damiin kestää noin kaksi tuntia (vaihtaa pitää bussin, ratikan ja junan välillä 3-4 kertaa) ja perille pääsin ennen kahtatoista. Vuorossa oli yleistä hortoilua (eksymistä), muutama kauppa (eksymistä) ja Anne Frankin talo (tätäkin edelsi eksyminen). Vähän ennen kahdeksaa pääsin junaan jonka oli tarkoitus viedä minut Den Haagin keskusasemalle. Sen sijaan päädyin Den Haag Laan van NOI -nimiselle asemalle. Tämän selvittämiseen minulta meni yli tunti… Loppu hyvin, kaikki hyvin, pääsin lopulta takaisin Honselersdijkiin 🙂

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Hyvää sunnuntain jatkoa ja ensi viikkoa!

Jutta

 

//Greetings from the Netherlands, we have the sun!

My new home city is a little place called Honselersdijk that is located in Westland. I live in separate house that is owned by the company that I’m working for. I share the house with six Polish people although i have a room of my own. Place is beautiful and people are nice, what a life!

There are plenty of greenhouses in Honselersdijk and I’m working at one of them for my six weeks training. Company I’m working at is called MDK Flowers and Greens (http://www.mdk.nl) and it’s located just next to my “home”. The working days start always at seven o’clock and last ’till three or half past four.  Coworkers (and other Dutch too) are friendly,  kind and they speak good English.

During the last week I have mainly been working and just trying getting used to new environment (I learned how to use the gas cooker!). I already know my way to local supermarket and my plan is to experience the surrounding area a bit more next week.

Otherwise I have been exploring  more than enough. I got weekend off and yesterday I took the benefit of it and went to Amsterdam. After an hour-long problem solving about my ov chipkaart I finally got to start my trip. It takes about two hours from here to Dam using public transport and I got there before twelve o’clock. After that it was time for meaningless wandering around (getting lost), little shopping (getting lost) and Anne Frank’s house (I got lost before that also). A little before eight pm I got to train that was supposed to get me to Den Haag’s Central Station. Well, I ended up to Den Haag Laan van NOI and it took me over an hour to figure out that. Eventually, I got back to Honselersdijk, so my little trip got a happy ending 🙂

Have a happy Sunday evening and lovely next week!

Jutta