About me
Hello, my name is Katie Tyler, and I started as a gardening intern at The Bay Trust in September 2018 to work on a gardening project. Originally, I studied English Literature at Sheffield Hallam University, but in the past, I have done bar work and had a position teaching English as well as travelling to Mexico, Thailand and Australia.
My food growing internship
In my Bay Trust internship, I am mostly focused on food growing and getting a hands-on learning experience in the garden. At the moment, I’m growing lots of salad. When it gets to summer, my focal point is going to be on tomatoes. I will also be growing other greens, beans, more salad and squash.
I love being outside. With this work, you can really see the difference you have made. It is easy to see what you have achieved. I have a passion for food, so I love to see how it is produced. I thought I would be able to target flowers along with food growing, and I also wanted to renovate the pond and the museum garden, but I’ve come to realise how much time and effort goes into plant care.
Where my internship will lead
After finishing up this project, I am hoping to undertake my Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) level 2 course. It is basically the equivalent to an A level in Horticulture. It is a part-time course, and I plan to use it to enable me to apply for a part-time job in the industry. After that, I want to focus on food growing, perhaps doing a specialist course like Kew Gardens offers, which will allow me to pursue my passion in the long run. I would love to grow food for a cafe or pub, or some sort of small business.
