Florida Farms Blog

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 ...

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 ...