Week 14 - The Last Week

For the last week, class was at the same time as an event in the Teaching Garden (I think it was called the Fall Festival?). There were a lot of plant related organizations there as well as plenty to do. Some notable ones were the you pick sunflowers, sweet potato harvest, and cassava harvest (as shown in the pic below with Kevin)

I forgot to take a photo of the garden this week, honestly it looks very similar to last week. With the cold weather, the plants aren't growing much anymore, and they're pretty much fully grown too.

Here is a photo on my way out, I always like the clear skies and sunsets in the fall.

And I just wanted to say thank you for teaching this awesome class! Your vegetable gardening class is one of the best and definitely the most memorable course I have taken at UF. What a great way to learn about gardening, by doing hands on work literally in the field. Thank you for providing me with this experience, and also thank you for introducing me to Connor and the Horticultural Science club where I will continue learning about plants and everything related!

Comments

Week 3 - Plants + Plant Anatomy Presentation

The seeds are no longer just seeds! All the seeds have sprouted which is great to see. They will be left in the greenhouse until next week. Key takeaways of the presentation on Plant Anatomy & Plant Families: Shoot = Above ground growth Root = below ground growth Vegetative organs = roots, stems, leaves Reproductive organs = flowers, fruits, seeds Easily & quickly produced = leaves, stems May take longer = roots

Week 2 - Intro to Class and the Teaching Garden

On the first day of class we were given the syllabus, a tour of the teaching garden and greenhouse, as well as seeds and a seed starting tray. The greenhouse was really interesting because of the temperature regulation system and the various plants and hydroponics. I chose to plant watermelon, cucumbers, corn, pumpkins, and kohlrabi. I chose watermelon because I have never grown it before but it is one of my favorite fruits. Cucumbers and pumpkins were chosen because I like them and was interested in trying to grow some for the first time. Kohhlrabi I found interesting but I am actually not very familiar with it. After the seeds were put away in the greenhouse, we were allowed to take some sunflowers so here is a photo of them!

Week 13 - Cucumber & Bean harvest + Protected Ag Presentation

I started off the day by harvesting cucumbers and beans from the garden. They did really well and look perfect! Now for the bad news, the cucumber plants' leaves are still slowly dying from whatever disease they got. But the cucumbers are still growing. Key takeaways from the Protected Ag presentation: Lack of bacterial contamination by herbivores = greater food safety Types of hydroponic systems = Nutrient film technique, deep water culture, wick system, ebb and flow, drip system, aeroponics Pros of hydroponics = up to 90% less water used, no chemicals, consumers get it fresher, reduces damage/spoilage/waste due to not having to be transported as far, more can be grown quickly Cons of hydroponics = time consuming, requires expertise, requires 24/7 on site supervision/maintenance, needs constant electricity

Aiden's HOS1014 Garden Blog

Search This Blog