PENELOPE’S GARDEN
PROFILE
I want to work at the garden because: I would like to learn how to garden better and be able to help people
Two of my personal goals for working at the Dallas Youth Garden this summer are:
1. Not let all my plants die
2. Contribute as much as I can
Two things I hope to learn from working at the Dallas Youth Garden are:
1. How to properly plant veggies
2. How to not let my plants die
I think my biggest challenge will be: weeding
My favorite vegetable or fruit is: Watermelon
I hope to contribute this to the garden this year: As much veggies I can
GARDEN PLAN
Vegetables and Flowers Planted (list in order):
marigolds
cabbage x2
tomatoes x2
carrots
onions x2
zucchini
acorn squash
peppers
paty pans
pole beans x2
pumpkin
Rows of vegetables planted: 15
Number of different kinds of vegetables planted: 1
Planned Garden Yield: 349 lbs
Planned Biggest Producer: I believe either tomatoes or beans
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: began to plant, got the first few rows done
May 23-20 : continued to plant, got over halfway done
May 30-June 4: Finished planting, began weeding and made my sign
June 8-12: laid straw, began to weed with hand tools
June 15-20: Laid straw, got majority of gardens halfway laid, watered, weeded
June 23-30- Finished with straw, began to weed more, watered, got pole bean fences up
July 1-11- replanted marigolds, watered, potential harvest on squash, weeded
July 14-23: many many harvests for yellow zucchini, two patty-pans, weeded, got second pole bean fence up, discovered a massive wolf spider set up camp under one of my cabbages
July 25-30: began bark dust in walkways, minions cleaned up some for open house, harvested,
August 1-8: open house, worked bonus day for the open house, began weeding on my carrots,
August 11-18 GRETTA BLOOMED! Gretta is my sunflower that was blown into my garden located next to my first bean row, she’s very tall, and she’s finally bloomed. We continued with minions, watered, and used water meters to test tomatoes and squash to see if we were overwatering. My patty-pans have loved the sun, and have decided to produce many many patty-pans. We had a cook off, my partner was avery and we made stir fry and lettuce wrap burgers. We came in 4th, but still I feel like we did a pretty good job.
August 18-25-First bean harvest! I had lots of beans which I can’t remember the exact total pounds but it was a good amount for my first bean harvest. I also have been harvesting my cabbages which have grown exceptionally large and fast. I picked only 1 tomato, and 1 onion. Also I had 2 of the largest carrots I’ve ever grown! Along with all of that, my peppers have grown a lot and I was also able to harvest around 3 pounds of them. We continued to test our plants with water meters, my acorn squash has turned really yellow so I hope it’s just overwatered and can be reversed. My pumpkins have began to finally show up as well. I have about 6 (or 7…) currently visible. Gretta bloomed 4 flowers so I was able to take 3 home for a nice small bouquet that is very pretty.
GARDEN PROJECTS
Educational-Project 1:
Topic: Why are weeds harmful?
Info: In gardens, not all weeds are bad or harmful. For example, queen anne's lace is inviting for bees, and gardens need bees for thriving. However, weeds can be very harmful to your garden. They can take over your garden space and can take the nutrients, water and sunlight meant for your plants. This can add stress to your plants and can leave them weak and prone to diseases, which can kill them. There are 3 different categories of weeds. Annual, Biennial, and Perennial. Annual weeds germinate from seeds that are dispersed by a parent plant every spring. Biennial weeds grow in the first year, then flower, then produce, then die the second year. And finally, perennial weeds lay dormant in the winter then return in the spring. Queen Anne’s Lace is an example of a Biennial weed.
Why is it important?: In my garden, I've experienced too many weeds, having to re- plant my flowers because they were overtaken by weeds that I let grow too much. I never actually learned why weeds are bad, I just knew they were bad, so I thought it might be beneficial to learn more about them.
Website:https://www.gardenstead.com/all-about-weeds-the-good-the-bad-the-ugly/
Educational-Project 2:
Topic: Which type of fertilizer produces the best growth? Synthetic vs Organic-
Info: Organic fertilizers are normally derived directly from plant or animal sources. Synthetic fertilizers are manufactured products, however they are made using naturally occurring mineral deposits or nitrogen from the atmosphere. Organic fertilizers don’t form a crust on the soil surface like some synthetic do, they improve water movement and gradually build soil structure, and they support beneficial soil microbes and improve workability. These are all good reasons, however organic fertilizers may cost more and deliver fewer nutrients pound for pound. They can also be easily over-applied, and even burn plants. With synthetic, they usually only contain few nutrients, primarily nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, and sometimes micronutrients. They are in forms more readily available for plants, for example nitrate is quickly absorbed by roots. Synthetic fertilizers can wash away quickly however, therefore you may need to apply them more frequently. With all of this in mind, it is proven that synthetic fertilizers tend to produce growth more quickly, however organic can produce better results over a longer period of time.
Why is it important?: In the garden, we’ve started using blood meal on our anemic squashes, as well as calcium nitrate. We’ve talked about urea, however I don’t believe we’ve actually used it on our plants. As we’ve noticed some of our squashes aren’t growing well or seem a bit nutrient-deprived, we started with calcium nitrate and then added blood meal on a different day.
Website: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/choosing-right-fertilizer-your-garden
Project 3: recipe for coleslaw (Only 1-2 servings per)
Ingredients:
½ green cabbage
¼ red cabbage
About 2 dashes of vinegar
2 ½ dashes lemon juice
3 large shakes of pepper
Pinch of sugar
4 large shakes of salt
About 4-5 heaping tbsp of mayo
Thinly sliced carrots (however many desired)
Instructions:
1) in a small bowl, add your mayo, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar. Mix together until combined.
2) in another larger bowl, thinly slice your cabbage, and add to the bowl. Either slice your carrots, grate, or add pre-shredded. Use your hand to fluff together.
3) add sauce into the large bowl with cabbage and carrots. Mix with a spoon until evenly combined.
4) let sit in fridge for a couple hours.
5) serve and enjoy!
I don’t have any photos I’m sorry 😞
It was really yummy (says my father dearest)
Food Assistance Visit
Date Attended:
What did I help with:
What were people like:
What I learned:
2. Resipe
Name:
Ingredients:
Steps to Make it:
3. Another Project
Problem: What is the name of the problem you are trying solve
Solution: What do you think the solution or possible solutions are to the problem
Test/Activity: What did you do to test the solution
Results: What are your results
Communication: Who did you communicate this to and what did you say
4. Public Presentation
Date:
Who I Presented To:
What I talked About:
How it went:
What I learned :
MONTHLY GARDEN SUMMARY
May: Days Worked __5___ Days Off __3___ Extra Days Worked __0___ Days Late_0_____
June: Days Worked _12____ Days Off ____1_ Extra Days Worked _Days Late______
July: Days Worked __12___ Days Off _0____ Extra Days Worked _1____ Days Late___0___—-18.3lbs produced
August: Days Worked _____ Days Off _____ Extra Days Worked _____ Days Late______
September: Days Worked _____ Days Off _____ Extra Days Worked _____ Days Late______