This week we learned how to do some basic repairs to an irrigation system. The drip irrigation system we use is above ground and connects all of the field beds together. To water particular beds we use ball valves to regulate the beds that are being watered. The old ball valve was broken by a mower so we had to replace it with a new one. This was fairly simple, the pipe was cut on either end of the ball valve and fitted with new connections. The new valve was then glued into place with the blue adhesive after applying the purple primer on the inside. The ball valve worked perfectly, I am happy I got to learn how to make repairs on an irrigation system. I think that irrigation maintenance knowledge is one of the most important skills for a well-rounded horticulturist. Before we reattached all the hoses we placed irrigation tape on all of the hose threads. This helps keep the seal tight and to reduce the wear on the PVC threads over time. One of the biggest issues with having an above ground irrigation system like this is that it is exposed to the elements. The sun breaks down the PVC plastic fairly quickly and causes leaks due to a poor seal. If the system were underground there would be a lot less wear on the system, however it is easier to notice leaks and make repairs on an above ground irrigation system. I think underground systems are the way to go as far as system longevity and ease of landscape maintenance though.
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So. much. chickweed! The mat of chickweed and henbit in the raised beds is unbelievable! On the bright side, these weeds look worse than they are. The mat can be easily pulled up because the radial plant mass extends out of just a few growth points. The fibrous roots can be strong, but nothing like the tap roots in other weed species. Weeding these beds is a slow process, you have to be careful not to be overeager and pull plants you wanted to keep ( I am guilty of this). Eventually we cleared the bed, except for the Nigella, and prepared to plant lettuce in there. This week was the first week I got to work with volunteers on the Howdy Farm. Most of them were not horticulture majors and just wanted to spend some time outside to relieve some stress. It was nice to talk to people outside my major who I would not normally get to socialize with. They were really helpful in clearing out the bed and spacing the lettuce transplants. After we planted the lettuce we mulched the bed to help keep the weed pressure down and to retain moisture. I love the contrast of the dark mulch and bright green transplants, it looks so clean! Thank you to the volunteers who helped us on the farm this week! I use a longboard to get around campus and I absolutely love it. One of my favorite things to do is teach people how to ride a longboard. This week Michael was adventurous enough to give longboarding a try. After work we went on the road in front of the farm and practiced skating. He did really well! He even went down a small slope without bailing off of the board. I was very impressed at how quickly he picked it up. Michael liked skating so much he bought a longboard that weekend! I am going to say it is because I am such a great teacher.
This week we started collard greens in some seed trays . We have traditional collards in our hugelkultur mound that are growing voluntarily from last season. The seeds that we are planting are blue collards and are a new variety that we are going to try out on the farm. After we got the trays planted we took them to the greenhouse and watered them in. This was the first time I got to actually work in the greenhouse and I loved being able to look at the collection of plants from all the horticulture classes. I had never seen sugarcane being propagated before, it is a lot easier than I thought and looks pretty cool. The rosemary cuttings that Michael started a few weeks ago are not doing well. They are close to the window so they could be drying out too much, but I do not think that is the main issue. I have seen some spider mites on other plants in the greenhouse so it could be damage from the mites. We cleaned up some of the beds in the raised bed area that was overgrown with Chickweed and Henbit. When I first saw the bed I did not even know we had anything planted in there. After some careful weeding, we revealed the Star of Bethlehem plants underneath the mat of weeds. They will be much happier now that they are not being smothered. I have never seen what the flowers on the Star of Bethlehem look like, I hope it blooms during my internship. One of the best perks of working on the farm is that I can bring home fresh flowers. Anemones (second picture) are my favorite, they have so many different bold color patterns. Calendulas are my second favorite, their bright orange color just brightens my day. They are also edible, but I have yet to work up the courage to try them. Stock flowers and snapdragons are always beautiful and their unique shape makes for some fun arrangements. I am excited to see what other flowers pop up on the farm!
This week we harvested a lot of the radishes that we had growing on the farm. They are reaching the end of their growing season and will bolt soon if we do not get them out of the ground. You want to avoid having your root crops and greens go to flower unless you are trying to harvest seeds from them. This is because the flavor will change and turn bitter as the plant redirects it's energy and resources to flowering. Thankfully most of the radishes had not gone to flower yet. Unfortunately, as Michael and I were harvesting we noticed that we had an aphid infestation on the watermelon and daikon radishes. The radishes were still a good size despite the fairly heavy pest load you can see in the picture to the right. We did want to get the aphids off the leaves before we processed them for market though. To clean the aphids off we used water and a small amount of soap, they came off pretty easily. The infestation was a lot heavier on the watermelon radishes than on the daikon. After washing the radishes we bundled them together to sell at the farmer's market on Saturday. I was curious why we leave the leaves on some root crops, but not others. It has to do with the shelf life of the vegetable. When we harvest the radish, the leaves are there to be used up by the plant to allow the root crop to keep longer. Along with the market this weekend, we had an order from a local restaurant owner for 8 pounds of daikon radish and 5 pounds of mustard greens. It was really cool to know that some of the produce we grew at the Howdy Farm is going to be used in a restaurant in Bryan/College Station. On Saturday morning I got the chance to help work the Howdy Farm booth at the farmer's market in downtown Bryan. The weather was pretty awful, it was super cold and windy with a nice drizzle of rain to top it off. Despite the weather, there was a fair amount of people who ventured out to support their local farmers. I had a great time telling people about the different radishes and greens that we had. The customers had a lot of recommendations about how they prepare and cook the vegetables. I got some great recipes and even tried some of the radish in a soup and it was delicious! It was nice to interact with community and learn new ways to prepare vegetables I had never really been creative with.
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AuthorHi! My name is Gabrielle Melchor and I am a senior undergraduate student in the horticulture science department. After graduation, I hope to pursue a career in nursery management and production or urban green space development. If you have any questions about my internship or would just like to talk plants, you can find me at the Howdy Farm. Gig 'em! Archives
April 2019
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The Howdy Farm at Texas A&M University | Gabrielle's Blog |