After working for about two hours on leveling the soil, I spent my last hour hanging out in the howdy farm house while it was raining. I love how this farm is so peaceful. It has been a great semester so far!
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Today was the first day spent on my project. Although I definitely do not know how my design will take place, it was good to get started. The first decision I had to make was where I want the "entrance" to the area to be. Although at first it made sense to enter in through the straight edge of the square, coming in from the corner fit better. The two shade trees frame the entrance to the square patio and definitely give a more beautiful effect to the area. Although there is not much to write about, I was excited to share the first step towards finishing my project.
Today on the farm, I planted beets, for a short while and then got distracted chasing Fitz around the farm with Kennan. It was a super cloudy day- we were bracing rain at any moment. Back to the Beets. The seeds had such an interesting shape. They are unlike any seed I have ever seen because of their large and crooked shape. The beets that I planted were Ace Beets (as you can see, Fitz decided to chew the label stick). Ace beets are supposed to be great for farms because they produce high yield and have a good disease tolerance. This is the most exciting part- I decided what I am doing for my internship project. Corey told me that a construction science class came and installed these random bricks and just left them. He told me I could do whatever I wanted with this patio. I definitely want to make it a study/hangout area with vines covering it to provide more shade.
This week on the farm was very enjoyable. Although it was extremely hot, it was exciting to plant rows and rows of carrots and different types of radishes. At times, I forget how crazy it is that we stick little seeds in the ground and then get to experience the produce. We first dug out little rows for the seeds on top of the mounds, and then sprinkled a good amount of organic fertilizer on top. We then carefully planted the tiny seeds- about 2 seeds per hole. Next, we placed the hoses on top of the mounds and buried them under soil. DONE! The most exciting thing about my time spent on the farm today was that I brought my puppy- Fitz. He LOVED the farm. I normally just let him loose and allow him to explore and be adventurous. You definitely will be seeing more of him in future posts.
Hello friends. On this weeks farm visit, I spent a ton of time with one of my go-to veggies. SWEET POTATOES. They are very yummy, very nutritious, very cheap, yet very filling. This makes for a very happy Hope. When I arrived on the farm, Corey told me and two other interns that we had an order from Ronin Cooking for 8 Ibs of sweet potato shoots and leaves. What a weird order. Surprisingly, they taste super flavorful. The dark purple and green sweet potato greens are supposed to contain antioxidants, vitamin A and C, large amounts of fiber, potassium, and iron. After I found this out, I put some in a bag and brought them home to cook for dinner. When we cut the leaves, we placed them in a cooler with a little bit of water, then took them to the back of the horticulture building to rinse, dry, and bundle them all. I was very proud of my little leafy bundles.
Hello everyone :)
I have finally made the time to write my first blog post for my internship. This was supposed to be a one post per week kinda deal, but life happened. Here I am, 4 weeks later, trying to remember what I did on week one.... lets see how this goes. I was being the typical, spontaneous, spaz that I normally am... trying to fit every little task, event, project, meal, friend, and God knows what else, into my day. It was my first day working on the Howdy Farm. I conveniently arrived on my bike 30 minutes late- classic Hope move. I was super stressed because I was late, but was also trying to plan in my head how I was going to get everything else done after I left the farm. Not to mention- it was really hot outside and I was not feeling too good. This sounds really dramatic, but I'm sure there is someone out there who can relate. After all this internal drama, I was told to go help pick some weeds and fertilize a bed for zinnia sprouts. I can't really remember what all I did that day, except for pulling weeds, fertilizing, and helping to build a trellis on the farm. But these were not the lessons that necessarily benefited me the most at that point in time. What made a difference was that for the first time all day, I was able to think clearly. I needed that time on the farm to help calm me down and give me a change of perspective. Looking back , I didn't have any major epiphanies that made me better understand plants, but I do remember that when I was through, I went to class covered in dirt and sweat, but without an ounce of stress. And this my friends, is why I love plants. A little background about me- I grew up working/designing in my backyard with my mom. This was one of my biggest outlets as a child and teenager. I dealt with a lot of stress from family issues by working out in the yard. There were some days growing up that I would not know how to handle my emotions, and the next thing I knew, I would find myself weeding the whole yard, or removing every river rock from the border of the gardens, rinsing, and placing them back where they fit perfectly. I am a firm believer in the positive phycological effects of gardening. Something about working with your hands in the Earth when you can't quite figure out what is going on in your brain, has such a therapeutic power of people. It provides an opportunity to connect with creation and see how beauty can grow out of anything, This is one of the reasons I love my major- Landscape Architecture. My desire is to bring beautiful green spaces to people who are living in extremely dense city settings, such as New York City. I want city kids to have the same emotional outlet like I had. By being a Landscape Architect, I can help bring urban agriculture and green design to people who are in need of an opportunity to interact with the beauty of nature. I said all this to make the point that the Howdy Farm has already benefited me immensely- even though I can only fit 3 hours per week there this semester. I have made a small goal for my internship there this semester, and that is to practice living in the moment when I am there. Not planning my day, not worrying about what I am supposed to do, but just working with my hands, getting some clarity and learning about the farm. |
AuthorHi! My name is Hope Brice and I am a Sophomore studying Landscape Architecture at Texas A&M University. I love plants, design, my horse, my dog, my family, and my friends. I am very fond of chocolate as well. ArchivesCategories |
The Howdy Farm at Texas A&M University | Hope's Blog |