Posts

Florida Farms Weeks 9-10

Image
 Weeks 9-10 Image 1: Team Harvesting Our group was really excited this week because we were able to harvest some of our crops and get a yield. As seen in the image above, we were able to harvest some squash. In addition, we harvested some strawberries and bok choy. This is great timing because the spring festival is tonight, so we are excited to offer some of our crops to guests. We also made sure to weigh everything we harvested to ensure that next week we can properly evaluate the economic status of our farm. We are excited to continue harvesting next week as our crops continue to grow. Image 2: Strawberries update Following the successful transplanting of the sunflowers that were previously shading our patch, the strawberries have flourished with the increased access to direct sunlight. Those large green berries from 2 weeks ago have officially ripened into a vibrant, deep red, and are finally ready for our first harvest. We were initially concerned that the loss of the plastic ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Florida Farms Weeks 7-8

Image
Weeks 7-8 Image 1:  This week, our largest obstacle was weed management. Although our cash crops seem to be growing very well, the weeds surrounding them also seem to be thriving. Thankfully, during our class on Monday, all five of our group members were able to successfully remove a lot of the weeds by hand-picking and tilling the area, as seen in the above photo. Specifically, we followed a strategy from Dr. Zhao and other leaders to weed as much as possible near the plants. Although we did not have time to weed the edges or in between the beds as much, we all agreed that it was more important to weed near our cash crops. Our team thought it was a great idea to allot our efforts to the cash crops, and we hope to see the benefits of our actions next week.  Image 2: We also had struggles with pest management; however, it does seem that this week the pest management is decreasing and the sunflowers are working as trap crops. During our field day this week, we were able to ident...
Post a Comment
Read more

Florida Farms Weeks 5-6

Image
  We had a lot of progress this week as we were able to plant everything on our plot. We are really excited to watch our plants grow, and hopefully be able to harvest shortly after spring break! Image 1:  For our first image, we have an image of the low tunnel bed where we planted our watermelons and squash this week. Low tunnels are a great tool to protect warm season crops, such as watermelons and squash, by trapping the heat and creating a warmer climate around the crops. In addition, another benefit of the low tunnel that we think will be helpful is its ability to minimize the effects of any wind, pest, and rain. We are hopeful that the low tunnel along with the upcoming warmer temperatures will allow the watermelons and squash to prosper. Images 2:  This week, we also were able to plant our potatoes which our group is particularly excited about. After running into problems with our spacing, we creatively came up with the idea to intercrop our marigolds, cabbage, and ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Florida Farms Weeks 3-4

Image
Weeks 3-4 Image 1: Strawberries suffered freeze damage Unfortunately, our farm project faced a sudden late February freeze that we weren't expecting. When we checked our crops in the morning, the majority handled the freeze comfortably, however the strawberries showed signs of frost damage. Their flowers turned black; luckily, the rest of the plant seemed to be in a stable condition, and we believe it will still provide a healthy harvest. Image 2: Eaten lettuce As March began and temperatures warmed up, we proceeded with our planting schedule and put more of our crops into the ground. As our crops began growing, we noticed a serious problem. Our lettuce crops were being decimated by pests that were leaving through the leaves. Once we discover the type of pest we are dealing with and remove them from the farm, it is likely we will have to replant several of the hardest hit lettuce plants. Image 3: Insect identification A few days after discovering the initial pest problem, one of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Florida Farms Weeks 1-2

Image
a) Name: Florida Farms b) Group Photo: From left to right, our farm group photo features Alysa, Clayton, Lucy, Beckett, and Santiago. c) SMART Holistic Management Goals:      a) Crop yield and quality: Specific : We specifically hope to produce a high number of crops that are healthy and organic, so that all of our group can demonstrate the ability to apply our learning outside the classroom and in the field. Measurable : We hope to achieve greater than 90% marketable yield across as many crops as possible, and also have enough crops for each of our five group members to take home a reasonable amount at the end of the semester.  Achievable : We plan to utilize the proper spacing, organic and integrated pest management practices (such as planting sunflowers and marigolds), and drip irrigation systems to water the crops as efficiently as possible to ensure they are the highest yield and quality possible. Relevant : High yield and quality is extremely important to our ...
Post a Comment
Read more