Marsh walk

Recently in sustainable agriculture, we went on a nature walk of redwood. On this nature walk, we started out by going to the redwood marsh. In the marsh, we got to walk around and see the different kinds of plants and organisms that live in that ecosystem. We saw many things such as the beehives, fish, insects and birds such as ducks and egrets. Once we had finished observing the marsh land and had finished taking notes, we moved on to the next site, which was the farm. When we arrived at the farm, we were told to draw a bird's eye view and then we talked about what we were currently seeing, or what we had seen in our experience in the farm so far. In more recent events, this week we were given time on both Monday and the first part of Tuesday to work on either our learning report or our crop report. The second part of class on Tuesday, we presented our jobs of the past month to the class. In light of telling the class what our jobs entailed, we went to the farm to water our beds and show the new group the ropes of what we had to do.

​

 IMG_4997.JPG

​

Riley M.

Note from teacher: Why did we visit the marsh, Mr. Marsh? Ans.: we want hints about how to better "mimic nature" on our farm.

Trenching

This week on the farm we continued our assigned management jobs as  usual, but in particular 

have made great improvements to the progress of the  trench that the maintenance group has been, 

and currently is working on. The  purpose of this trench is to be able to run a pipeline, or hard line, 

from the  area of the garden nearest the compost to the back nearest the tennis courts.  

This will replace our simple hose system and give us something a little more  concrete and stable 

to use for a long period of time. During the construction of  this trench, the process by the 

maintenance workers (myself included) have been  using maddock's to break apart rocks and to 

loosen the soil. Then used a small  flat shovel to scoop out the loose soil and broken bits of rock. 

One of the  biggest challenges was working around a few obstacles in the way, one of which  

included a chicken coop. 

Speaking of which, we now have been approved to have  chickens in our garden! Being approved for 

chickens and bees, we have both of  the amenities set up to house the chickens and the bees, but 

are still waiting  on the live animals themselves.  
  
  (Pictured; J.D. Mancini, hard at work on the trench)    

--by Garrett A.

Companions in the Farm

Over the past month, my group has had the job of "companions." We have kept a running journal of plants and organisms that appear in the farm, and managed weeding. The log we kept has noted both beneficial and invasive species. The main invasive species noted have been:

*Aphids
*Spotted cat's ears
*Fox tails
*Dandelions
*Snails
*Voles
*Bermuda grass

All invasive plants found are placed into a pile. This pile is then disposed of properly so the seeds or plants do not spread further. Invasive species need to be contained and removed properly as they will out compete many of our crops. There were many invasive species in the farm but they are easily managed when weeded regularly. We can also use many techniques to prevent other organisms such as aphids and snails from entering the farm and affecting our crop yield. Integrated pest management focuses on the long term prevention of pests through many different techniques like biological control, habitat manipulation, and use of resistant species varieties. This is a great way to use natural remedies and preventative measures that can be taken to reduce pest impact. For example my group planted garlic on both ends of our bed as garlic is chemically known to ward away pests.

We also have noted many beneficial organisms on the farm as well. The main species spotted have been:

*Worms
*Monarch butterflies
*Bees
*Beetles
*Spiders
*Dragonflies

Seeing all these species means we have created an ecosystem that is preferable to these animals. They are also essential to biodiversity and many of them assist with soil and plant health. For instance the Bees help pollinate many of our plants. Beetles and worms help with decomposition and maintaining soil health. Butterflies are also great pollinators. We want to help encourage these beneficial species to stay in the farm as they will create a more bio-diverse and healthy we want to help encourage these beneficial species to stay in the farm as they will create a bio-diverse and more self sustaining ecosystem. The fact that we are already seeing many of the species means we are on our way to doing just that.

Maia da S.
--
Redwood High School
http://www.redwood.org/stewart
stewart@redwood.org

Iron Chef #1

On Wednesday the Sustainable Agriculture students competed in the exhilarating Iron Chef competition. The day started off with light rain, but the students continued to persevere through the weather. It was a nice change from the deathly heat that had beat down on the students previous weeks.

The competition started off with the students harvesting any fruits or vegetables they could find. Most of the beds only have seedlings growing in them, but a few had tomatoes and strawberries that were ripe. Most students also went after lettuce to possibly try and make a salad to go with the fruit they had picked. A few groups happened to find lemon and lime trees that are hidden on the poolside of the farm. The scrounge for food only lasted a few minutes and students had to retreat back inside from the pounding cold rain.

Back in the classroom with their plentiful harvest, the students prepared their master dishes. The students came unprepared to the Iron Chef competition and there were not enough plates and knives to go around for each group. The groups without knives struggled to prepare their dish. After a few minutes a few knives and plates were found for the remaining groups. The students scrambled to make a beautiful and tasty dish that would WOW the judges. Only food from the Redwood Farm was used in making these fantastic dishes with the addition of some salt, pepper, and olive oil.

A spread of 6 different dishes was presented to the judges. Each dish unique in its own way; the only similarity between the dishes in their beaming red tomatoes or strawberries because of the excess of the fruits in the farm. The judges tasted each and every dish taking in to account the presentation and sustainability of the dish. The Judges exclaimed that the "Heart of Tomato" a dish that primarily used tomatoes in a salad. The Iron Chef challenge was a complete success as the students got to use their own food grown in the farm. Hopefully next time the students will come more prepared and will make even more extravagant dishes.



Parker Bartlett 6th period

Last Week's Journal

This week was our third week of working in on the farm.  On Monday after we had our first reading assignment due and Mr. Stewart went around checking it off. After that he had decided to review what we had read in the reading and we took notes in our journals and then we worked on planning what we are going to plant and where we are going to plant. It was a Wednesday as usual on block days. We started out the day as usual by meeting at the stumps and signing in. After Catherine forgot to look up the weather report and Mr. Stewart told us that we could show it tomorrow, Mr. Stewart started the class out by showing us the proper way to plant potatoes in a bed. Than we got to work on our one bed projects by continuing the process of double digging. One group was almost finished on the day before and they were able to move on to their planting parts of the one bed project. All of us finished our double digging process that day while some of us were able to finish early and move on to the planting parts of our one bed projects most of us just were able to finish the double digging process and the beds were prepared for planting.

--Cat F.

Note from teacher: It would be interesting to hear more about HOW and WHY we do some of these things.  For example, what is the benefit of "double digging" and how is it done?  Keep that in mind for the future as you share your experiences in SustAg. --Mr. Stewart

Short but Sweet

Hello All! It's Lily from the 6th Period Sustainable Agriculture Class! This week we only had three and a half days of school! This left us with not a lot of time, but with the time we did have we learned a lot! This week was all about choosing the right plants to put into our beds. The key to choosing the right plants were based on: - the season -rotation (make sure you switch which kinds of plants you will be planting from the previous season) -succession (don't plant two kinds of vegetables of the same species right next to each other) -60/30/10 (60% carbon crop such as rye and beans, 30% Calorie efficient crops such as potatoes and garlic, 10% extra veggies and fruits) -companions (Diversity in crops keeps the pests away!) and -what we had available. Also we began with planting some of these great crops! We learned how translating is really important to plant health. With plants like Rye and Lettuce we began by putting seeds into individual sized container bins, left it out for a few days under some water sprinklers in our hoop house, and learned how to use a simple kitchen knife to take out and transfer the ready made plants that went directly into our beds. Lastly we learned some of the crop families. Here is a list of the top twelve: Beatroot family, Cabbage Family, Carrot family, Daisy Family, Marrow Family (Cucumbers, melons, etc.), Onion family, pea and bean family, grains and grass family, mint family, morning glory/sweet potato family, and lastly the Lily family (just like me!). Here are some great pictures of Transplanting and the 60/30/10 ratio of plants along with some student on the farm. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and again welcome back to school you guys! I look forward to this semester of growth in the farm! Sincerely,

Lily

City Slicker Farm

For a farm with a movie name, it does have a fairytale ending. This farm is responsible for giving impoverished communities second chances. From ex-felons to neighborhood kids, City Slicker is about learning, progressing, sustaining, and giving back to the community and the Earth.

Located in West Oakland, this farm is a response to the lack of nutritious food at reasonable prices. As well, this area of the Bay is grappling with pollution, poverty and industrialization. Their mission statement says: "The mission of City Slicker Farms is to empower West Oakland community members to meet the immediate and basic need for healthy organic food for themselves and their families by creating high-yield urban farms and backyard gardens".

This non-profit organization is just one example of what our state must do in order to band together in this time of crisis. This drought has done many things, most of them are negative, but there is one thing positive that could come out of it; together we can unite across county lines, creating a common cause for all classes and persons of social standings. The drought has hit poorer communities much harder, and there hasn't been much immediate reform coming from our government. Due to this, many grassroots organizations and nonprofits, like City Slicker Farm, have come to the forefront of providing a sustainable source of nutrients. This is a great first step. A better second step would be implementing a program like our Sustainable Agriculture program at all high schools. An even better third step would be to destroy the idyllic idea/reality of having grass or a lawn in the front yard. Instead, growing a garden would not only look more interesting, but it would also provide food, resource and education for the whole community. My sister, who lives in North Oakland is an example of having a large booming garden. Below is a picture of my siblings and me (from left to right, Gideon, Ruby and Violet) with a zucchini that she had grown.

--Ruby E.

For more information on City Slicker Farms, click here:
http://www.cityslickerfarms.org/

For more information on the California Drought, click here: http://www.democracynow.org/2015/8/21/global_warming_worsens_california_drought_as

http://www.liberationnews.org/water-crisis-felt-hardest-by-californias-poor-and-working-people/

Why Take SustAg?

Throughout my four years at Redwood High School, Sustainable Agriculture 1-2 was not only the most informative and relevant class I enrolled in, but also the most unique. It is a lot to ask of a teenager to sit inside for seven hours a day and listen to lectures and take notes. Instead with SustAg, one of those seven hours can be spent outside; taking in the sun, practicing sustainable farming methods and discussing future planting plans with fellow classmates. One of the many perks of taking this class is getting to understand the impact an individual can have on the planet. Although it may seem like one person cannot make a difference in the world, this class shows not only that change can be made but that it can have a tremendous impact on the world. The knowledge we learn in Sustainable Agriculture not only benefits us directly but often we share our concerns about the environment with friends and family members, encouraging them to take action in making the planet a cleaner and greener place!

Last year, the first ever class of Sustainable Agriculture, was a huge success. The 2014-2015 Sustainable Agriculture students helped get the farm running by preparing raised plant beds to plant vegetables and running the first couple Market days. But more importantly, the first ever Sustainable Agriculture class spread the word of the new program and general idea of sustainability throughout Redwood high school. I am proud to be a part of the first ever Year 2 sustainable agriculture program and was a member of the first ever SustAg class here at Redwood. The following year will challenge us year two students not only to grow and sell vegetables like last year, but also to spread our knowledge of sustainable farming with the new students.

Although there has only been one full year of SustAg and we are just starting the second, I am confident that this class and the Redwood High School farm will be around for many more years to come!

Trevor Ryan 6th period