A few of the greatest skills a horticulturist can have are adaptability and versatility. I've heard it before, but people say when you're a horticulturist you're also an entomologist, an electrician, a plumber, and just about anything else it takes to keep your operation running. This week on the farm, I experienced that old adage first hand. There's been a lot of sporadic weather this week, (in true Texas fashion) and during the colder, rainy weather, the water line to the Howdy Farm broke. This is not a common or fun occurrence on the Howdy Farm and repairing it was no simple task. Michael walked me through the lego-like process of assembling, priming, and glueing all of the PVC pipe. Once he got that all sorted out we had to fit all of the pieces together, drain some water from the area (below left), interlock all of the pieces, drain more water from the area, slowly add back some of the dirt to gradually fill in the hole, and drain some more water. Eventually all of the puzzle pieces fit together and we were able to pack all of the dirt back around the repaired pipes (bottom right). The farm has water again, and I'm sure Michael is happy to be able to seal that up and forget about it for a while.
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As with most horticultural projects, the first step to getting anything done is getting rid of those darn weeds. Before anything else can be built, developed, or planted, the weeds have to go. Before we can begin any sort of specific intern projects we have the task of clearing out the pathways between rows of crops. Honestly, I don't hate spending hours pulling weeds. Gardening is a really popular hobby and a very therapeutic pass time, and spending several hours at a time pulling weeds has begun to feel really meditative. And even if it's not meditative, it's fun to spend time in the sun working with my hands. Bring on those weeds, I'm ready for some quality garden time. |
Allie MartinHowdy! My name is Allie and I am a senior Horticulture major from Austin (keep it weird, y'all). Welcome to the home of pollinator garden paradise. Here you will find my journey through growing pollinator and host plant species, and hopefully, see the life cycle of native butterflies unfold! Archives
April 2020
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The Howdy Farm at Texas A&M University | Allie's Blog​ |