The planting, growth and maintenance of the CB garden coffee trees have been a long and rigorous project. Having started last school year, me and the old Agric class began the process by germinating all the coffee seeds provided by our very own Dr.Waliszewski. We selected the best of the seeds, about 200. We placed the selected seeds in water overnight to re-hydrate them and get them ready for germination.  

We moved our children down to the garden area where they were planted for the first time. We placed the soaked seeds in a shallow bed of sand and covered them with another thin layer of sand and some plantain leaves to protect them and keep them moist.  

Once the stems grew to a respectable height we transplanted the seedlings into their second home, a small plastic bag container filled with nutrient-rich soil, which were filled by ourselves and volunteers during our Bolivar Garden sessions. Hugo, our assistant from the maintenance department showed us how to transplant the seeds from the sand bed to the plastic bags. There they stayed for roughly three months growing in strength and height.

 

 

While waiting for this process to complete the group spent hours digging out over a hundred (115)  (40 cm x 40cm x40cm) holes 1.5(m) apart from each other. We first had to peg out and organize the location of the holes, this was done by checking the slope and ensuring that the lines of the holes were horizontal to the slope – this was done using A-frames. Holes were staked out, and then dug out.   

 

In June 2018 we started transplanting the baby trees in their respected holes along with a special mix of multiple soils and a chemical named cal agricola which made the soils pH level ideal for coffee growth. Once complete we sat back and watched them grow.

 

When the new school year came around the students and teachers who worked so hard the previous year we’re proud to see coffee trees growing. Basic maintenance was done to each tree to ensure its health and security, including, watering, adding nutrients by placing rotted compost by the base of the trees.