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!

It's probably about thyme we get to the root of this vegetable gardening business.

As a botany major, it's always been assumed that I have at least a cursory knowledge of gardening. This could not be further from the truth. Sadly I can hardly keep my windowsill cacti alive, and have yet to even attempt any form of outdoor gardening. I can recite the steps of photosynthesis backwards and forwards, but learning is less fun when you can't eat the fruits of your labor.

Much to my excitement, the one credit UF Vegetable Gardening class not only fit into my schedule this semester, but there was actually an available spot! Many of my friends have taken this class and had great things to say about it, so I signed up immediately.

So here is the first (inedible) product of the class so far, my weekly gardening blog. Look forward to weekly posts about vegetable gardening in Florida, tricks of the trade via my more than capable teacher, Libby, and plenty of cringe worthy vegetable puns.

In the words of Joe Dirt, Life's a garden-Dig it!