Crop Families

This week in class we made Crop Family Report Presentations where each group could pick different crop families out of the list of families Chenopodia (Amaranthaceae), Apiaceae (Umbellifera), Asteraceae (Compositae), Allium, Brassica, Cucurbitaceae, Legume (Fabaceae), Solanacea, Gramineae (Poaceae), Lamiaceae, Convolvulaceae, Rosaceae, Liliaceae and make a report of the family. Once we picked are family we would find the crops, how to care for the family, the local info (from farm or local farm), challenges (pests), and the historical info on the family. Each group member also made a crop example and picked one crop from the family to research. Each family has a different types of crops. A little information on some families like the Cucurbitaceae are made up Watermelon, Cucumber, Squash, Pumpkin and the Gramineae family crops are wheat, oats, barley, and rice. The Chenopodia crops are beets chard quinoa and Solanaceae crops are tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes. There are many more families that have different crops groups. As we finished the presentations each group would rotate to other groups and took notes on what their families crops were and extra interesting information on the family. Then next week are notes will come in use when we have a crop family scavenger hunt in the farm. 

-Rylee Sankowich

Class Beds!

The past couple weeks in class, we have started to work on our class beds. Along with our personal beds, we have to now take care of another plot of land in the farm. These new beds need a lot of work to be rehabilitated to be used again. First, the removal of dead plants, weeding and aeration are needed to help the soil become healthy again. New soil with fertilizer is also added to help the beds and the crops in those beds become healthy. My class bed, C2 will be growing kale this cycle. After the kale regrows, it will then be able to be sold at market days, and to the CEA. SuStag is all about sustainability, and by selling our crops and adding them to the CEA's salad bar, it reinforces Redwood sustainability as a whole, and we are able to have more money for further class projects. We cannot wait to see how all the class beds turn out and are excited to have a new partner in the Sustainable Agriculture family.

New Beds New Jobs

More than a month after getting our new plants into the ground the Sustag farm is sprouting up for another year. The lettuce is growing larger by the day, and the tomatoes are looking ripe and let me tell you how big of a bite I'd take out of one of those puppies. A big one. Mr. Stewart has been very helpful in getting us off our feet with our recently assigned, class beds. My group and I must've been given one fertile bed, because the kale on it looks like it could support a tree swing. Some groups' beds are rather weed infested, but judging by the speed at which our one-beds were put into shape, I have no doubt that my fellow Sustaggers will have them in prime condition in no-time. Just this week we did the first rotation of jobs on the farm. Every bed group gets a job for over a month, which could be compost crew, companions crew, watering crew, plants crew, or maintenance crew, each with specific jobs that are crucial in the functionality of the farm. I started out as part of the maintenance crew, weeding pathways and keeping order in the tool shed by cleaning it, making sure all the tools are returned and in good condition. I look forward to the coming months in Sustainable Agriculture where I am taking on a role as one of the watering crew managers, and I am confident that I will keep everyone's plants well hydrated. 

Hudson Brekhus

Water Conservation Blog-Pictures!

Maddie Loebbaka

Positive Progression

It has now been over one month, since we were first granted our own sixty square foot beds. On August 28th, the sustag students created groups, ventured out to the farm, and were given their beds. Most beds looked like a disaster. Different greens sprouting out in every direction. Weeds were commonly found in each patch of dirt. After some knowledge of the farming tools was demonstrated by each student, farming began! For many (and especially my group) it took a long time to weed out and remove all invasive species. However once that was completed the path to a biointensive garden began. We aerated soil, spread compost, and added new soils to our beds. Once our beds seemed somewhat organized planting was the next step. My group was able to plant lettuce, garlic, onions, beans, and potatoes. These plants have slowly grown every single day with water and care from each member of my group. Arriving at the farm each day and seeing the growth in all of the plants is quite rewarding. Everyone's beds began as heaping piles of greens and grasses. But now everyone has managed to start their own gardens. The farm will soon be producing harvest after harvest.

-Zach Ginsburg

Crop Families

In Class on Tuesday, we had a scavenger hunt where our goal as a group was to identify 10 different types of plants on the farm. We worked with our bed groups, and were given 30 minutes to complete the task. My group worked really hard to find all the different types of plant species, and we prevailed. The families that we found were Allium, Solanaceae, Cucuburbaceae, Legumes, Poaceae, Liliaceae, Brassicaceae, Apiaceae, Chenopodia, and Lamiaceae.  A challenge that we faced was finding a leaf from a liliaceae plant. Also in class on Tuesday we were given our class beds. Our job when we first we first received beds was to remove the corn stalks and start cleaning up the bed. 

Water Conservation!

 This week we are coming to the end of our first management jobs of the semester. I was in the water crew and was in charge of watering the plants, checking irrigation, and managing the reuse of water. Through this job, I learned in-depth techniques on the proper amount of water for plants of different maturities, and the little things that can be done around the farm (or a home garden!) to save water. Primarily, I had no idea that mature plants could survive on the little amount of water that drip irrigation provides. However, I learned that the drops throughout the day are more than enough to sustain a mature plant. In addition, there are many techniques to watering that save time and money. For instance, an English-style watering can is optimal for watering young plants because of the way that the water comes out, similar to rain. It has a larger watering area, so more plants are watered at a time, with less water used! One of my favorite water conservation methods we use on the farm is the water-catching bucket under the sink that can reuse the grey water for watering the large perennial plants or trees and vines in the orchard. It's my favorite method because of how simple and easy it is, but with such a big effect!

Maddie Loebbaka