Annotated Sources

"Seed Propagation : Landscaping : Home & Garden Television." HGTV - Decorating, Home Improvement, Landscaping Ideas, Kitchen and Bathroom Design : Home & Garden Television. 9 Oct. 2009 .
This website focuses on how seeds are more efficient than starters. One reason being, they are a lot more cost effective, and they have a higher potential to grow plants that are larger in size. They have stronger roots, and are most likely live longer.

"PLANT PROPAGATION." HCS. 9 Oct. 2009 . .
This website talked about bringing plants and seeds from foreign country to another. This is how many serious insect and disease pests are introduced into different countries. A nonnative plant may become a noxious weed, and might effect the growth and reproduction of other plants.

"Saving Heirloom Seeds | Suite101.com." Vegetable Gardens: Heirloom vegetables, farmers markets, container, raised bed and community gardening, reviews of gardening tools, tips on fertilizers, irrigation, pest control and more. | Suite101.com. 12 Oct. 2009 .
Time isolation is where you time your plantings so that different varieties of the same plant don't flower at the same time, and won't pollinate each other.To keep your heirloom seeds pure, you should carefully plan your garden design and plant your vegetable garden with pollination needs in mind.

Socratic Seminar

In Class, we had a Socratic Seminar regarding the text, Farmer in Chief, a letter written to the president elect from Michael Pollan. I thought this article was interesting, informational, a tad repetitive but overall a successful article. I really enjoyed how the author stated the problem, gave factual and his opinions, and proposed a probable solution. In articles similar to this, I have found there is a lot of blame, and solutions that don't always fix the full problem. I found this article to be easy to read and comprehend, but also containted enough statisics to be credible.

In our discussion, we talked about a lot of things. We started talking about the economic crisis, and ended up talking about health care, and how the problem starts in the classroom. That was my point that I tried to make. If we want to effect our future, we need to educate our youth at an early stage, before it is to late. Some of our families have taught us about eating organic, and the benefits of doing so. Not everyone has that oppertunity putting them at a disadvantage.

The question that I brought to the table was, " What would happen if we give the food industrial a specific, limited amount of fossil fuels there are allowed to use?" If we gaven them a limited amount, they would have to plan out what they wanted to use it on. It's like monopoly, the childhood game.Your given a specific amount of money, and you can't buy everything you see, but sometimes it's in your best investment to do so. Some things cannot be grown in the United States. Does that mean we have to elliminate the item, or limit or consumption of it and get it imported? Things like fruit, vegetables, and meat is easily producd anywhere. Certain spices can only be grown in South America and other places. Instead of importing fruits, vegetables and meat from South America, we should import what we don't have.

Trevitt- Speaker Reflection

We had a guest today that came into class to talk about his experiences and the work that he does relating to Environmental Science. He talked a lot about Biofuels, which was really handy for me because I'm hoping to do my senior project on Algal Biofuels, a type of biofuels. He focused mainly on glycerin, and vegetable oil as a fuel. He inspired me to look more into algal biofuels, and see what I can use it for, like he used the vegebus ran on vegetable oil.

Best Practices- Propagation

The propagation group, Madisson, Margaux, Nicole and me, believe that it is very important to propagate before planting. Propagating involves many aspects, but the one we think is most beneficial is planting the seeds, and growing them inside, and than transplanting them into the garden. We think this is a good tactic because we are building out the root systems of the plant until they are strong enough to survive on their own. Also, since we are an organic farm, and do not use pesticides, this will allow us to monitor our plants, and keep animals from eating them. Propagation also has to do with GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms) and pesticides. We will focus on why our garden chooses to use neither of them.

Some things we want to think about are:
- Water Schedules, How often and when?
- What is each plants specific needs?
- Grown in flats or direct sow?

What I am Planting

For our stop motion animation, my partner, Margaux, and I are going to plant Arugula Lettuce in a planter box.

Presentations

After viewing the presentations, My main interests still lie in Waste and Food. It is astonishing to me to know there are so many different types of waste. With litter, non biodegradable products, food scraps, and nuclear waste, we have more waste than we can handle. We need to focus mainly on what we can do immediately. I think the main problem is that we don't realize how badly we are harming our Earth, because it is never directly effecting us. We don't live in the landfills, or have beaches covered in plastic bags and bottles. I think the best way to fix this problem is to inform people so they can make educated decisions.

Initial Plant Research

Plants I’d like to grow:
• Mustard
• Radishes
• Mint
• Bunching Onions

Radishes:
• Vegetable
• Should be planted by mid-September
• Takes 20-30 days to mature
• Provide ample water.
• Radishes will sometimes bolt or fail to form a bulb. The most common causes of this are crowding and insufficient amounts of water.
• They are easy to grow, perhaps the fastest to harvest of all vegetables.
• Sow radish seeds 1/2 inch deep. Space them 1 1/2 to two inches apart. Separate rows eight to ten inches apart.
• Radishes will grow in average soils and will respond to rich, well-drained soil.
• Many gardeners put a few radish seeds amongst the rows of carrots and other vegetables that take a long period to germinate
• Radishes need loose, well-drained soil for easy root expansion. If the soil is crusty, roots become misshapen.

Mustard:
• Plant by Mid-September
• Mustard leaves are good for your health. Its low in calories and carbs, yet high in vitamins.
• Sow mustard seeds 1/4 to 1/3 inch deep, and 3" apart. Thin seedlings to 5" - 9" apart. Separate the rows, 1 foot apart.
• Mature in 45-50 days
• Mustard plants should be grown quickly. Use plenty of water, and ample amounts of fertilizer, to promote fast growth of tender, green leaves. Water plants during dry periods
• Garden cress seeds and/or mustard seeds have quite a lot of flavor.
• Use a plastic tray to sow your seeds, without drainage holes. You can recycle one that was used as food packaging, as long as it is clean.
• Mustard and cress are usually grown on damp tissue rather than compost, use cotton wool
• Needs very little care. Just fertilizer and water, and do some weeding in the hot weather.