After six months, the square in the schoolyard is still bare

In the square of the Dr. Nassau College in Assen grow strawberries in the bicycle shed. At least they should, if the gardener hadn’t hoeed just a little too fanatically last week. Fortunately, Heidy Hastrich (57), technical education assistant in physics, chemistry and biology, knows that the remaining strawberry plants will multiply again next year.

Six years ago, the school applied for a subsidy from Jantje Beton to turn the stone schoolyard into a healthy garden with fruit trees, fruit bushes, a vegetable garden and some climbing equipment. Instead of loitering aimlessly, students would now be able to pick fruits during recess, or climb and learn about nature. Jantje Beton set one condition: the healthy garden also had to be available to the neighbourhood.

low shrubs

The iron fence around the schoolyard was replaced by low shrubs and lime trees. Excavators dug up the ground and refilled it with fresh garden soil. A gardener planted fruit trees, including ancient native apple varieties. The climbing equipment was screwed into the ground and after a few months the healthy garden for the school and the neighborhood was finished.

Just before the summer holidays, the schoolyard is deserted. Heidy points to a bare patch of earth on the north side of the schoolyard, only a row of half-grown radishes and two potato plants reminding us that this is the vegetable garden. The May holiday came too early this year, so IJsheiligen just fell in, with the result that almost all crops went to waste. Heidy looks at the remaining row of radishes. New round next year, new opportunities, she says.

The fruit trees are grouped in the middle of the square. The cherry tree may be empty – Heidy suspects it was the birds – but some apple trees still have some apples hanging from them. Some apples have already been picked by students, although they have probably been thrown away. Eating sour apples is also part of learning about nature, says Heidy.

bees

Then, on the south side of the school, just around the corner, was a wildflower garden, Heidy’s pride, until recently. Because wild flowers provide bees and bees pollinate the fruit trees. Now there is mainly sand. The sea of ​​flowers had to be cleared for a new panna cage, in which students can play football. Exercise is also important, Heidy says. The wild flowers will probably get a new place.

The piece of square meter that Heidy has freed up is right on the waterfront, the east side of the garden. She cleared the area of ​​grass in the winter so that the native species that grow along the water can also settle here. The idea was to follow the naturalization process with students, but after six months the earth is still a bit bare. In the middle of the square is a plastic bag and some plantain growing here and there. No, it’s not quite what Heidy expected and the students are not really enthusiastic either, but here too the following applies: next year, new opportunities.