Hadlow College Level 3 and Higher Education Horticulture students had the amazing opportunity to visit the Pepper Glasshouse at Thanet Earth as part of their studies.
Thanet Earth is a large industrial agriculture and plant factory consortium on the Isle of Thanet, Kent. It is the largest greenhouse complex in the UK covering 90 hectares (over 220 acres of land!). A large proportion of the peppers grown at Thanet Earth are now classed as ‘specialty peppers.’
Thanet Earth grow around 24 million peppers each year in a greenhouse space that would fit more than 12 football pitchers. Thanet Earth glasshouses are heated by CHP AND C)2 enrichment to encourage crops to grow.
The annual trip allows students to see a real-life commercial pepper grower and to experience large scale production and network within the industry. Whilst attending students saw firsthand aspects of the course that they have covered in the classroom including crop production, disease, and sustainability. Students were lucky enough to also visit the packing facilities where they were treated to an escorted tour of crops being prepared for supermarket sale.
Students were split into groups to enable them to visit the production area, the irrigation plant, packing facilities and the combined heat and power unit. Students were amazed by the size and facilities of the glasshouse.
The College is grateful that Thanet Earth are willing to support our students with these informative visits and demonstrate best practice.
Caroline Parr FdSC Horticulture Level 4 said, “The tour of the packing unit was incredibly informative. Learning about the technology required for rapid production the robotic packing facility was really eye opening and impressive”.
She continued, “the innovative biocontrol systems for aphids and parasitic wasps were intriguing. The use of host crops to encourage parasitic wasps to lay their eggs and continue their life cycle was enlighten.”
