Planting

On the farm, my group and I are planting lettuce and tomatoes.  These are organic starts that come in flats of separate plant compartments that we pick out from the flats.  In order to plant them, we have to first figure out the layout in the garden.  We use a board with pegs sticking out of it at the correct spacing which gives us a template of the pattern that we will plant in.  We press the template into the dirt and when we lift it up it gives us the places to put the little plant starts.  We use that template to make sure that the plants won't be overlapping, because they will destroy each other by competing for light and water.  Keeping them spaced gives them all a better chance of survival.

After the spacing is laid out, we put individual plant starts into each of the holes.  We then get new soil from the compost pile and add that to the new plants because that's the food they need in order to get started growing in the ground.  The last step is to water them and then let them be.  After the planting is done, I am also part of the clean-up crew that makes sure all of the tools are back in place.  I also make sure they are clean and dry, so the next class can use them and so they won't get rusty.  Planting involves a lot more than just poking a plant into the ground; once the plants start to grow, we will take time to aerate the soil and make sure there are no weeds, but for now, our work is done.

Mike B