News
First harvest for APTC/NUS garden project
First crops from the joint venture vegetable and herb garden project at the APTC Samoa campus are ready to harvest. The garden project is the result of discussions held late last year between Country Manager Karl Evans and National University of Samoa Deputy Vice Chancellor, Letuimanu'asina Dr Emma Kruse Vaai. Since then, Commercial Cookery trainer Steve Johnston and Tropical Horticulture lecturer Lineta Tamanikaiyaroi have worked together, creating a vegetable and herb garden that is to be used by both the Hospitality & Tourism department of the Institute of Technology, National University of Samoa (IOT-NUS), and APTC School of Tourism & Hospitality. The long-term aim is to have sufficient supplies of vegetables for Visions restaurant and daily practical classes in the near future, as well as an ongoing supply for the coming years. Compatible planting techniques are employed to eradicate or minimise the use of herbicides, and where practical, natural fertilisers and compost are used in the growing of the vegetables, as the plan is to produce organic vegetables and herbs. Seeds are propagated in a shade house before being transferred to the open garden beds. Once herbs are flourishing, they will be moved to a purpose-built herb garden, close to the kitchen for easy access in the cookery classes.
