ALEX’S GARDEN
PROFILE
I want to work at the garden because:
I want to learn more about plants, and serve the community.
Two of my personal goals for working at the Dallas Youth Garden this summer are:
1. To further my gardening knowledge and skills
2. To try new recipes and practice my cooking skills
Two things I hope to learn from working at the Dallas Youth Garden are:
1. How to plant new things
2. Why certain plants do not grow well, or fail
I think my biggest challenge will be: Managing weeds
My favorite vegetable or fruit is: I love apples!
I hope to contribute this to the garden this year:
I hope to contribute to creating a positive environment for all, and work hard to manage my produce.
GARDEN PLAN
Vegetables and Flowers Planted (list in order):
Marigolds
Tomato
Carrots x2
Onions x2
Cabbage
Beans
Butternut Squash
Yellow Zucchini
Lettuce
Beets
Pepper
Acorn Squash
Small Sugar Pumpkin
Rows of vegetables planted: 15
Number of different kinds of vegetables planted: 12
Planned Garden Yield: 299 lbs
Planned Biggest Producer: Zucchini
GARDEN LOG:
May 2-7: Just started. Met in the garden and then garden planning using Zoom.
May 9-15: Helped Clean up Plant Sale. Garden planning zoom meetings. Cleaned up tools
May 16-22: I continued planting, and eventually finished my rows.
May 23-20 : I started weeding and watering independently.
May 30-June 6: I spray painted my garden sign, put up my first bean fence, and watered.
June 8-12: We continued putting down straw over the weeds I managed smaller patches of weeds, and watered my garden.
June 15-20: Continued watering and managing the straw. I learned to use a moisture meter to check my plants water level.
June 22-27: We continued putting down straw and keeping up with watering. I managed weeds, and plant maintenance.
June 29-July 4: I started a garden project of managing cucumber and flea beetles. Worked on weeds and watering.
July 6-11: I continued monitoring my cucumber beetle management. I harvested one patty pan and three yellow zucchini.
July 13-18: I harvested more yellow zucchini. We learned about ways to improve nutrient levels in our soil, and put down calcium nitrate.
July 20-25: I harvested a few pounds of yellow zucchini, and lettuce. My pole beans have started to grow into pods.
July 27-Aug 2: We spread bark chips and other maintenance in preparation for the open house. I picked over 2 pounds of beans, and squash.
August 4-9: We focused primarily on picking and watering this week. I also got to bring my beans to the Polk County Fair.
August 11-16: We watered, picked, and weeded. We have started harvesting cabbage too! And this week was our cooking competition, so we were put in teams and started prepping ideas.
August 17-22: We picked lots of vegetables! Some of the tomatoes and onions have become ripe enough to pick. For our Saturday topic we have been discussing intern evaluations, and how to be a good employee.
GARDEN PROJECTS
1. Food Assistance Visit
Date Attended:
What did I help with:
What were people like:
What I learned:
2. Recipe
Name: Sunflower Tea
Ingredients:
Sunflower petals, Water, Sugar, Honey
Steps to Make it:
Boil 2-3 cups of water in a pot
Pick the petals off of a sunflower
Place the petals in the boiling water
Let them steep for about 10 minutes
Strain the liquid to get rid of the sunflower petals
Add a few teaspoons of honey and sugar, or none depending on flavor preferences.
Drink your tea!
3. Another Project - Garden Management Through Pest Mitigation
Problem: The cucumber beetle infestation in my yellow zucchini.
Solution: There are many ways to get rid of unwanted insects. Many gardeners use pesticides, floating row covers, non-harmful nematodes, or yellow sticky traps.
Test/Activity: I placed two yellow sticky traps in my row of yellow zucchini. The yellow sticky traps will attract cucumber beetles due to the color, and the possible addition of clove oil.
Clove oil is primarily composed of eugenol, which is a natural chemical compound. The use of eugenol in sticky traps is to mimic the cucumber beetles mating pheromones. With the strong scent it can help attract the insects even more and cause them to get stuck.
Results: After 10 days of managing my cucumber beetles I have noticed very few in my plants. I still see a few around other parts of my garden, but they are not in my yellow zucchini anymore.
https://savvygardening.com/cucumber-beetle-trap/
What I learned :
July 2 - First day of traps
July 4 - Accidentally caught a ladybug
July 9 - One full week of the traps
MONTHLY GARDEN SUMMARY
May: Days Worked 13 Days Off 0 Extra Days Worked 0 Days Late 0
June: Days Worked 9 Days Off 3 Extra Days Worked 0 Days Late 0
July: Days Worked 11 Days Off 2 Extra Days Worked 2 Days Late 0
August: Days Worked _____ Days Off 2 Extra Days Worked _____ Days Late 0
September: Days Worked _____ Days Off _____ Extra Days Worked _____ Days Late______