Preparing for Spring

In Sustainable Agriculture this week, we had a seminar that focused on the future of the agriculture industry as well as how we as individuals can influence the industry. We also discussed different agricultural methods and their effect on the environment, such as permaculture, which focuses on replicating nature as closely as possible by minimizing inputs, not tilling the soil, and using a lot of perennials, compared to biointensive farming which is currently used on our farm because it involves maximizing the space in our beds by using close plant spacing and increasing biodiversity while still minimizing inputs. I also submitted my research report this week along with the other year two students, where I discussed flowers and the positive impacts they can have on our farm in the future, as well as the uses for flowers. For example, tulip bulbs are able to be substituted for onions in recipes, and borage tastes like cucumber and can be added to salads or water. I have planted D8 with flowers in the past, but over the winter weeds started to take over. I had the opportunity to prepare my bed for adding more flowers by planting seeds last week and weeding my bed to make room for the new flowers alongside the flowers already planted in bed D8. -Micaela W