Tuesday, December 10, 2013

FInal Post!

So now that the CSA project finished up, The Dustbowlers took to the field to collect their remaining bounty. We had many green tomatoes on the vine along with enough heads of lettuce to feed a small army. One of our members took the lettuce and made a delicious salad accompanied by some of the green tomatoes, slightly seared, for an excellent dish. Another member took many of the green tomatoes and made fried green tomatoes, a Southern dish which goes well as an appetizer for a big party or it's own whole meal! But more than just devouring the produce, the Dustbowlers took home new information and techniques to help them grow vegetables in the future more efficiently and in the least environmentally damaging way. Happy Holidays!


Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Farm Progress

There's been some good progress in the farm for the Dustbowlers. We've gotten good progress with our lettuce and our tomatos. We also got around to mulching the lot with hay once again to take care of any weeds. 
 Our Lettuce

The tomatoes that Xin provided us as transplants
 How Hay heavy our plot is today
We'll be posting our media project shortly, we decided to make a short PSA encouraging people to eat their fruits and vegetables everyday.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Life in the Dustbowl

Hi, so there has been a lack of activity on this blog. An unfortunate consequence of our dear Kylie having to withdraw from UF. I (Anthony) am going to be taking over as primary poster until the end of the semester.

The farm is still going well even with the transition to a smaller group. Will and I have spent time after class making sure that our plot was given the attention it deserves. The tomatoes that we planted are growing vociferously, with an abundance of fruit. Will even wants to take a cutting of some of them to clone them they're doing so well on their own.

Sadly the eggplants we planted have not been as productive, we planted 2-3 plants and they're all dead at the time of this writing. The lettuce however is growing well and the broccoli should be coming in soon as well.

Even with a diminished group I don't expect our farm or media project to suffer too much, and hope to post more regularly.

-Anthony

Sunday, October 20, 2013


Cherriette:

These radishes were a beautiful uniform red color. Their shape was also very round compared to the Easter Egg and Rover cultivars. A few managed to split while in the field.

Overall the flavor was very crisp with a spicy aftertaste. Definitely not for the faint of heart!

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Hello Friends! Not just the soil is getting hot out here...

Last week we complained about the weeds, well this week we did something about them. Straw. We covered everything in straw. In class we learned covering the weeds will cease photosynthesis. We did not have clear plastic to roast them out so we are stopping every photon with a barrier.

As for the transplants, they should be planted this week. They are getting stronger everyday.Before we transplant we will have to remove all of that darned hay. Pictures will be posted soon of the transplanting process.


Saturday, October 5, 2013

October is here.

Weeds have taken over the plot. The warm weather and watering has created a perfect habitat for these pests. The rows with the radishes have been weeded but the beds waiting for the transplants are another story . The weeds are so high and dense that clear plastic may be the way to go. In class we learned about different plastic mulches, and clear plastic is great for sterilizing the soil. Our lush weeds will soon bake under the clear plastic...now if we only knew where to get some...

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Updates on cultivars!

The radishes are starting to come through the soil. Weeds have been removed to prevent competition for the seedlings. The broccoli and lettuce have a much easier time in the greenhouse. No weeds so far. The best cultivars are staring to show. The Adriana lettuce is doing the best by far, followed by Skyphos.

They are both ahead of the Red Cross lettuce, and with a name like that, we are surprised they are so sickly looking.

Broccoli have also sprouted and seem to be about even, as far as growth rates go. The Green Magic has the darkest leaves now, and we can not wait to see how the colors progress.


Monday, September 23, 2013

Seeds are Sprouting


Hello Friends!

Last Thursday we planted our lettuce, radishes and broccoli. The broccoli and lettuce have been planted in cells used for transplanting. They are nice and comfy in the student green house. On the other hand the radishes had to be directly planted as to not damage the delicious roots. 

Today is very rainy and many weeds have started to pop up. Its going to be a tough one for the radishes but they have already sprouted! 

Next updates will be on the seed vigor of the different cultivars. Stay tuned!
cells used for transplanting



Monday, September 9, 2013

Vegetable Production Statistics HW

1.       1. Tomato, apple, carrots, basil, watermelon, corn, peas, mushrooms, beets, potatoes.
2.       2.
A)Corn, melons, lettuce, onions, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage ,broccoli, carrots
B)Potatoes, tomatoes, chilies, bell peppers, onions, head lettuce, cucumbers , sweet corn, cabbage
C) Corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peas, snap beans, spinach, broccoli, beets, carrots, cabbage.

3.       3. Asp, broccoli, corn, head lettuce, romaine, onions, tomatoes, snap/green peas, brussels, watermelons.
4.       4. Broccoli, carrots, sweet corn, head lettuce, Romaine, leaf lettuce, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, watermelon.
5.       5. CA, Fl,ID, GA, AZ
6.       6.  CA, WA,WI,MN,ID
7.       7.  China, India, US, Turkey, Egypt
8.       8 . Watermelons, cantaloupe, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers

9.       9. No, the production on acreage went down. While the current values increased. The values went up over the past thirty years; Values are up due to more efficient growing practices that require less land. Inflation of the dollar and increase in population drives the values up also.

Our Veggies

Broccoli: Green Magic, Belstar, Imperial

Lettuce: Skyphos, Adriana, Red Cross
Radishes: Easter Egg, Cherriette, Rover






Meet the Bowlers


My name is WIll Kacheris, I am currently a senior in the agricultural operations management. I grew up in a very small town in Illinois called Hawthorne Woods which had a heavy reliance on agricultural production.








Tyler Chamberlain - I'm a junior and a recent transfer student to UF from South Florida State College. I was raised in the small town of Lake Placid. I come from a farming family that manages a 2600-acre citrus grove and peach orchard sparked my interest in agriculture. I'm majoring in Horticultural Science.


My name is Anthony Timoti and I am a Horticultural Science major specializing in Organic Crop Production from Computer Science. I'm from Ocala, and I'm in my third year of college.




Kylie Clark: I am a Horticultural Sciences major with a focus on organic crop production. Growing up is Savannah Georgia has given me a great appreciation for the variety of crops and cultivars that grow in the south. My future job is on a 144 acre organic hay and alfalfa farm in Colorado.