Farm Fresh

I consider myself very lucky to live in Gainesville, and that I have so many great places to get my food. I try to get as much as I can from Ward's and our local farmers market. It's great to go to the farmers market and be able to see whats in season and grown locally. This week my fridge is packed with Publix foods, which is not ideal because often their veggies are not labeled with where they are from.

In the garden this week we got to plant cauliflower, cabbage, and beets! The plants are getting big and the garden is looking full! My leaves are getting munched on which is a bummer, but hopefully it won't be too rainy on Monday so I can spray so chemical deterrents.  My eggplant got its first flower, I'm so proud. More garden pics to come!

This week in class we talked about the nutrients that are vital for plants in the soil environment. Environmental, macro, and micronutrients all play a role in the growth of a plant. Environmental nutrients, such as oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon, are nutrients that the plant picks up from the atmosphere around it. Macronutrients are things plants need in large quantities, which are nitrogen, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, and sulfur. Micronutrients are just as important to plants, but just needed in small quantities. These nutrients are iron, zinc, chlorine, copper, boron, manganese, sodium, nickel, and molybdenum.  

In the garden: Apart from the weekly weeding, this week we planted lettuce! My peas that I planted last week have sprouted and are looking great! Its so fun to see these little sprouts get so big! We also re-raised our beds that have taken quite a beating from all the rain, and sprayed our plants with two different pesticides. 

My cilantro is getting some leaves! 

Can't wait to have some pretty flowers to take home.

Mine your own business!

So this week in the garden I was excited to see that my little seedlings have grown so much! But also, I saw some pests have invaded!

Though the entomologist in me thinks leaf miners are totally awesome, I don't want them on my peppers!

I've noticed quite a few ant piles since I've started, and I'm amazed at how fast they move locations. I was assured they wouldn't really have an effect on my plants, but their presence definitely makes me more cautious when working on my garden.

I was glad to see all my transplants have survived and are getting big!

Seeing my seedlings grow bigger was by far the best part of this week. My zucchini is getting huge, and my basil has sprouted!

So this week in the garden, we did our normal weeding and biweekly fertilizing. We also got to plant our peas, and had the opportunity to replace any of our plants that haven't yet sprouted with a new seed. I had one okra that didn't sprout, so I'm happy I got to replace it.

In class we talked about the things that plants need to grow, such as water and climate conditions. This was interesting for me as a botany major, because I know a lot about what plants need to grow, but I have not done any practical work in growing my own plants. We talked about frost time, and how gardens need to be started at different times depending on what climate you live in. 

I'm glad I finally got pictures up of my garden!

Looking forward to more next week!

Garden Check up!

This week in the garden we checked up on the seeds and transplants that we did last class. In my plot, much to my surprise, nothing has died yet! Quite the opposite actually, a lot of my seeds had sprouted! We spent the class time weeding our plots, and spraying our plants with organic pesticides. We're still waiting to plant our radishes, beets, cauliflower, lettuce, and peas, but everything else in the garden is growing and looks great! Next week I will remember to bring a camera to class and snap some photos of my plot!

In class we discussed GMO's and the role new farming technology plays in agriculture today. The GMO discussion was very interesting and I wish more people knew the facts about the subject. A majority of our food has been produced by geneticists and not a single incident has been reported about GMO's being harmful for human health. In order to meed the food needs of our growing population, we need to farm most efficiently, and that includes using genetics to get the best crop possible.

To transplant or not to transplant...

When it comes time to actually plant your planned garden, you'll need to decide if you want to use seeds or transplants. Both have advantages, and drawbacks. Transplanted plants are grown in a controlled environment, such as a greenhouse, for 4-6 weeks before transferring them into the ground. One great thing about transplanting is that you get a jump on the season, and therefore can harvest earlier! Transplants are more expensive than seeds though. Seeds take a bit longer than transplants to grow, but they are certified disease free, and you can buy them cheaply in bulk! Seeds can also be stored after buying them, and you can use them when convenient, whereas transplants can not be saved.

Some things I transplanted in my own garden this week were Juliette and New Girl tomatoes, red and orange bell pepper, and Orient Express eggplant. I used seeds for my Sunburst yellow squash, Plato zucchini, General Lee cucumber, Nelson orange carrots, multiple varieties of basal, cilantro, marigold, zannia, and sunflowers!

Lettuce plan!

Spacing and planning the garden will prove to be essential in your gardens success! In class we talked about how proper distance must be kept between certain plants to allow growth. For example, tomatoes need 2 feet of space between each plant, while carrots can be planted 12 in one square foot. Here is my garden plan, I can't wait to plant my seeds on Monday!