Florida Farms Weeks 3-4


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 our team members found the pest responsible and documented photos of it from various angles. After sending out photos to Dr. Zhao she had it identified as the Yellowmargined Leaf Beetle and informed us that the farm staff will use an organic-friendly pesticide to help us remove them from the farm.

Image 4: Sunflowers as trap crops planted


As we work to proactively protect our newly planted crops from any further pest issues, we have begun setting up trap crops and natural pest repellent crops. In the image above, we surrounded the border of our farm with sunflowers, a common trap crop. This strategy aims to intercept Yellowmargined Leaf Beetles and other potential pests, diverting them away from our primary cash crops before they can cause economic damage.
Image 5: Kale growing large 

Despite our lettuce being eaten by pests in a nearby row, our kale was doing very well! We had no presence of pests or herbivory on our kale or broccoli, meaning that this particular pest was likely being attracted by our lettuce. Some of our kale plants were growing very quickly, while others were still growing well but at a slower pace. The plant in the image below is one of our largest kale plants currently.

Image 6: Direct seeding beans

This image shows us direct seeding some Dragon's Tongue Beans. This shows the second row in our farm, where the beans are intercropped with lettuce transplants that were also planted in the field during this period. The beans are planted in a checkered pattern alongside the lettuce. We have also intercropped beans into our third row with our kale and broccoli, as we hope they will provide additional nutrients to the soil.





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