Seeds sown for first tomato crop for 2025 at Centre of Excellence for glasshouse growing
The first seeds have been sown for what is hoped to be another bumper crop of tomatoes at the Thanet Earth Centre of Excellence @ Hadlow College in Kent.
At the end of February, horticulture students from the college planted the 2025 crop at the UK’s first Centre of Excellence for glasshouse growing, a pioneering education hub designed to inspire and train the next generation of UK salad and vegetable growers.
Students took part in all stages of planting from unloading the Danish trollies, selecting the plants and placing them onto the primed rock wool slabs in the dedicated glasshouse space which the students have helped to prepare ready for the big day.
As the crop becomes established on the rockwool system, students will be busy training the crop by removing the side shoots, twisting the crop as it grows and de-leafing, and eventually harvesting the fruit of their labour. Before that stage, the hybrid lighting system will be used to supply valuable light to overcome the dull days and top up the winter light levels.
It is hoped that the Centre of Excellence will replicate the success it had in its opening year in 2024, which saw a tonne of its produce donated to the national food charity FareShare.
Alan Harvey, Head of Curriculum for Horticulture and Floristry at Hadlow College, says: “I know the students are very excited to be working on the crop and have benefited already from the input from the staff at Thanet Earth helping to train them. This is just the first of many exciting things planned this season.”
The Thanet Earth Centre of Excellence @ Hadlow College was officially opened in June 2024.
It connects the higher education institute with the horticulture sector and promises to bring a new generation of greenhouse technical specialists to the industry, protecting the future of UK-grown fresh produce.
Based at Hadlow College’s state-of-the-art glasshouse, horticultural students will benefit from working directly with Thanet Earth, the UK’s largest glasshouse salad supplier, to develop their skills and grow tomatoes in a commercial crop environment.
Dr Nikki Harrison, Director for Growing Kent & Medway which is a partner in the initiative, said: “The Centre offers students the opportunity to get real-world experience of growing a commercial crop. Working with the plants from the start of their crop lifecycle and understanding the technical aspects to managing growing systems is a unique experience that will help to bring a new generation of talent to our sector.”
The facility plays an integral part in horticulture courses at the College and features cutting-edge technology, including:
- Suspended gutters running hydroponics for the tomatoes.
- LED and high-pressure sodium lighting.
- Vertical growing farm.
- Industry standard environmental control computers – PRIVA.
- Misting systems for plant propagation.
- Dedicated space for individual glasshouse research.
- Outdoor standing down beds for shrub and herbaceous plant production.
- New structures for seasonal bedding plant production.
The partnership also delivers a unique hands-on educational support programme, with direct access to leading employers across the fresh produce supply chain.
Growing Kent & Medway will be running mentoring circles with the students during the academic year, providing guidance on career paths and employment within the sector.
For more details about the Thanet Earth Centre of Excellence @ Hadlow College visit the projects page of Hadlow College website.