Our friends from “School Hive” organized excursions for students to two farms to introduce them to the specifics of plant care.

Veteran of the ATO and current Ukrainian Armed Forces serviceman Yuriy Huley, who grows white asparagus in Semypolky, told the children about the peculiarities of plant cutting. Together with him, the students cut cuttings from different varieties of thuja and juniper, which were then planted into special trays for further rooting. Additionally, the children visited Yuriy’s underground laboratory and saw the process of sprouting new plant varieties. By the way, the man chose Semypolky for this purpose not by chance, as, according to him, this area has the lowest radiation background and the highest oxygen level in Kyiv region.

After this, the students visited another farm in Semypolky, which specializes in growing flowers, particularly tulips. Its owner, Andriy Polatovsky, shared insights on flower care, showing the greenhouse where they grow both in soil and hydroponics in cold conditions. Our students couldn’t resist the pleasure of taking some bright pictures in front of the charming multi-colored tulip plantations. Andriy also gifted some flowers and bulbs for propagation on the school’s beekeeping area.

After the excursions and the knowledge gained, the students are planning to plant a series of flowers and shrubs on the school’s beekeeping grounds in Zavorychi village, Kyiv region, Ukraine.

The plant planting activities are being implemented in cooperation with the NGO “Nova Kalita” as part of the “Bee Lives Matter” project, which won the environmental project competition organized by the Ecological Initiatives Center Ekodiya within the “EkoNet” project with the support of Austausch e.V. and Bread for the World.

Photo Pavlo Dubovy