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

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!

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.

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...

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.