A PEEBLES woman is harvesting the fruits of her labour as she nears the end of a 12-month horticulture placement in Eddleston.

After reading an article in the Peeblesshire News last year appealing for would-be gardeners, Gina Nutini applied through UK charity the Woman’s Farm and Garden Association (WFGA) and landed a trainee placement at Portmore House.

Gina, who has since moved to Penicuik, has looked back on the experience she has gained: "The role interested me because I like gardening and it gave me the chance to work in a garden while learning about all aspects of how to maintain one at the same time.

"Upon starting my training, I met with the head gardener at Portmore, Ken Kennedy, who gave me a tour of the wonderful gardens and talked me through what I would be doing.

"Working under his guidance, I gained experience in the range of skills that are needed to keep the garden looking wonderful and producing great vegetables and fruit.

"The most enjoyable part of the job has been the wide variety of tasks I undertake, such as strimming pathways, planting vegetables, pruning fruit trees and taking care of plants in the greenhouses.

"Some of the work is physically demanding – spreading compost, digging trenches for potatoes, etc. – leaving me happy but exhausted at the end of the day! 

"The first few months involved planting out vegetables (peas, broad beans, kale, cabbage, spinach, beetroot); putting tomatoes in the polytunnel; sowing carrot, parsnip, and turnip seeds and planting out flowers into the herbaceous borders.

"Over the months I’ve also learned how to take soft wood and hard wood cuttings, prune fruit trees; and about the care of soft fruit.”
As the seasons changed, the range of activities adapted to the weather. 

"The autumn brought different tasks such as cutting back herbaceous borders, raking leaves, planting bulbs for springtime and gathering seeds from plants around the garden to sow for next year.

"Winter is also a busy season at Portmore, cleaning out cold frames and greenhouses, re-potting indoor plants, more pruning and spreading compost around the water garden to name but a few. 

"There has also been plenty of opportunity to get used to using machinery and garden tools such as hedge trimmers, strimmers, using a chipping machine to clear branches from a fallen tree and also to drive a tractor-trailer.

"Being a trainee gardener at Portmore has been a super experience, both working with such knowledgeable people and carrying out day to day tasks in such a beautiful landscape. 

"Working alongside the garden team, Ken, Lynne and Andy, has meant that, while practising all these gardening skills I am also able to ask questions and benefit from their years of experience along the way. 

"It hasn’t been just a job but a great learning experience too. I would definitely recommend a WRAGS placement to anyone thinking of re-training in horticulture and thank WFGA for giving me such a wonderful year."

To find out more visit www.wfga.org.uk, or call Scotland WFGA Regional Manager, Annie Stewart, on 01667 453136.