by Ciara Barry
Spring has sprung in the SSP garden! The minute the sun started warming Maastricht in mid-February, the garden team were rearing to get to work on the SSP urban garden. Over the winter, the garden had been hidden under a blue tarpaulin. While it may have looked nondescript, there was important work going on: a mixture of compost, cardboard and manure (sourced from our equine neighbours) was breaking down to fertilise the soil. When the tarpaulin was rolled away, it revealed the weed-free, nutrient-rich soil, with no need for chemical fertilisers or herbicides.
Our first task of 2019 was to assemble our latest investment: a 2-metre tall greenhouse, where seedlings can sprout protected from cold and wind before being transplanted into the ground. Despite some of the world’s most obtuse instructions, the greenhouse was up in no time. We then pruned back the bushes to ensure that the greenhouse will be able to get the maximum amount of light. With the strong Dutch wind in mind, we made sure to secure the greenhouse firmly to the ground.
Finally, it was time for the moment we’d all been waiting for: planting! As the night-time temperatures are still close to freezing, we decided to only plant the seeds that will be able to stand the cold. Three trays of broccoli and rucola are now safely installed in the new greenhouse, so the garden should soon see its first green shoots of 2019.
ASAP: the Study Association of MSc Sustainability, Science, Policy and Society 