Fourth Week

This week has been very interesting and exciting. It was exciting to see our hard work pay off as our plants grew and our lettuce became ready for harvest. Our tomatoes have been doing very well and our radishes will be ready in the next few days. Also, we visited the Cloisters in upper Manhattan which is a monastery built from original parts of medieval monasteries. It has gardens that have plants that have various functions from medicine to die-making. I found it interesting that medieval monks cultivated these plants not just for decoration but actually used them in their everyday work. The medieval tapestries and sculptures were interesting because of the amount of accuracy and dexterity required to create them. One tapestry in particular intrigued me because it told the story of a unicorn which was celebrated, hunted and killed. It was interesting because of the different meanings it held. There were undertones of a marriage between two families and also religious undertones where the unicorn represents Jesus. This week was exciting and I hope to see the rest of our crops come to harvest.

Joe's third week in the garden

Our third week in the project is going well. I could say all of our hard work is paying off. The seeds that we planted are starting to come up from the ground and every seedling that we had to plant in the ground is well planted. I am proud to see our progress in a matter of three weeks into the project. We really did not have to do much work but water the earth boxes. We got rained out so we did not have to water as much because the earth boxes were already filled with water. Aside from the garden we visited two farms. One farm was called Glenmalure farm which was a meat farm and the other farm was called the Well Sweep Herb Farm. Mr. Kelly at Glenmalure raises many animals on his 150 acre farm and he produces fresh meat. It was a huge farm filled with different animals. I had a fun experience and learned how much it takes and the different challenges you face raising a farm.

week 4

In Week 4 of the garden project we kept a close eye on the our plants. We visited the Cloisters which is a medieval castle that had many unique Tapestries telling a story about the legendary unicorn which was a strong power symbol  beliefs in medieval times. They also had a special garden that mirrored a garden from the medieval times show us what type of things they would plant to survive and the cool decorations they had. In all through the course of this month i have really become aware how to eat good food and it still be tasty.

THIRD WEEK 

During the third we week went  to trip on a herb farm. we learned about different plants that can be used as medicine. we also visited glenmura farm; we saw cattle,chicken and sheep.The cattle grase on the grass and the sheep also so the farm can sell cattle filled with grass

Corey's Third Week

The third week of gardening is complete! I'd have to say time is zooming by in the gardening project. We had a very fun filled with many new vegetables to be planted and our two field trips. First we went to the Glenmalure meat farm. With the little time we did have with Mr. Kelly we received and abundance of info on his farm from the past, present, and what he has planned for the future. He raised sheep, cows, donkeys, pee fowl, and pigs on his farm. All his animals were grass fed unlike companies who feed their animals nothing but processed mill. Due to the processed foods they are given they have a higher chance of catching diseases unlike grass fed animals. A fun fact we learned is that his meat started at $8 a pound because that meat would come from one animal. Unlike the grocery store would usually be $5 because it came from numerous ground up animals. Later on in the week we went to Well Sweep Herb Farm with Mrs. Tuorto and her cooking class. It was as more exciting than the meat farm since we actually had someone to tour us around and interact with us. We learned a lot about the different plants he collected all from around the world. He had carnivorous plants, plants with wool on them like a sheep, and plants with medicines in them used to this day. We tasted and smelled many of the plants and herbs at the farm. I feel we learned so much from him such as grafting trees, what plants can heal in the human body, and what plants can be used in foods. We also were able to meet many of the animals on his farm such as the rabbits, sheep, kittens, and his rooster with the 10ft tail. After such a fun filled day the next day we were back at it in our own garden at school. We didn't have much to do but to check on our newly sprouting plants and to turn up the soil in the flower bed. We made the soil in the flower bed soft enough not to suffocate the flower seeds to be planted in it the following week. Overall I felt as if the week was full of traveling, hard work, and fun adventures.

Third Week

During the third week we did a lot. We planted and went to the field trips. The radishes and collards seeds that were planted earlier in the week were sprouted. We went to the Glenmalure farm which was ran by only one man and he took care of it by himself. It was amazing how his two dogs, Border Collies, would walk around the farm to make sure everything is fine. He also had an Italian breed dog, which was with the sheep in the farm at all times especially at night to protect the sheep from the coyotes. Later in the week, we also went to the Well-Sweep Herb Farm which was full of plants and beautiful scent around. I was amazed how the owner took the branch off of one apple tree and grafted it onto the another apple tree which created a mixed fruit.

Week 3

This week was very successful because we planted all of our baby seedlings which include onions, peppers, broccoli, etc. We went to visit 2 incredible farms. The first was Glenmalure Farm run by Mr. Pat Kelly. Mr. Kelly raises cattle, chickens, pigs, ducks, etc. We saw many animals in his 150+ acre farm, even baby pups! We then visited Well-Sweep Herb Farm which is full of fresh grown herbs and vegetables. The farmer has a story of ever single plant there. He is also well known internationally because of his hybridizing of plants. He also grafted two apple tress and the final result was a hybrid apple. Back at our farm our plants had began to grow and we watered them.

Week 2 of Garden

This week was pretty successful because we pretty much cleaned out all the earth boxes and planted most of the baby seedlings. We began planting celebrity tomatoes which are determinate plants, which means their growth is determined. Then we planted 4th of July tomatoes and from their on we planted squash, collards, etc. It was very successful..

My third week in the garden I believe was a success.We finished planting  so in the garden it was really just making sure all the plants are watered.Thanks to the weather the rain did a lot of that for us. A lot of our plants began to germinate which I thought was really fascinating.  We took a field trip to a Well Sweep Herb Farm this week and i thought it was very interesting. the farmer had a lot of herbs that can do many things to help your body medically. He also had a lot of exotic plants such as a Venus fly trap, sensitivity plant, and an octopus plant. All those plants were really cool. The farmer also planted a ton of flowers that did unique things. such as only blooming at night flowers that light up at night. I really enjoyed my time at the farm.

Third Week

Although the Gardening Project was not able to do much work on the garden due to inclement weather, this past week was very interesting because of the things we did while away from the garden. Earlier this week, we visited the Glenmalure Farm and were taken on a tour through the farm by the Irish farmer who ran it. He grass fed all of his animals which ranged from pigs to large cattle. He also, allowed them to freely roam as they wished within the boundaries he set for his farm and used various dogs to direct them where he wished them to be. He used Border Collies and a Spanish breed of dogs called Maremmas to ward off coyotes which would attack his smaller animals, sometimes killing up to 40 of them. We also visited the Well Sweep Herb Farm in Northern New Jersey where we took a tour of the wide array of flora which carried various medicinal and fragrant properties. I found it interesting plants could seem so simple but exhibit such a diversity in each type of plant's traits.

Joe's second week in the garden

 Our second week in the garden was hard work. This week we mainly planted many seeds into the earth boxes. It was a quick process and we didn't really have to lift as much and clean up as much as we did last week. So far we planted tomatoes, collards, lettuce, onions, and Kale. The tomatoes and onions were already plants so we easily planted them into the earth box. The rest were little seedlings that we had to carefully plant into the earth boxes. Everything went smoothly and already starting to see results. We also went to Philips Academy to check out there roof garden and to check out there lunch. From observing the school and the lunch I learned that our school lunch is not healthy compared to there lunch. I already knew that the lunch from Benedict's wasn't healthy but was not trying to believe it wasn't, but fully observing Philips menu it is not healthy and we need a change to our lunch menu.

Jesus's Garden Week 2

Our second week in the garden was better than last week in my opinion because we finally planted our seeds and seedlings(baby plants) as opposed to lifting the heavy EarthBoxes and cleaning the garden. We planted our own collard, radish, and watermelon seeds and our own lettuce, tomato, and red onion seedlings.This was great because I learned how much seeds/seedlings to plant in a box, how deep to plant them, and how much to water them. I finally felt like a farmer! I was surprised by how fast the seeds germinated and sprouted. Towards the end of the week, we visited Philip's Academy Charter School in Newark- a old factory completely recycled and transformed into an eco-friendly 'green' school(literally). It is a kindergarten through eighth grade school where every student is taught the importance of healthy eating and environmentally friendly choices-whether it be in math class counting tomatoes, sewing carrots or planting and growing vegetables on the rooftop garden( which surprisingly every grade does).They designed their school with their rooftop garden as the focal point, which I thought was amazing being the first time I saw such an amazing feat. However, what really shocked me was how everything they grew was served to the kids-it doesn't get more locally fresh than that! This entire experience was great for me as I learned that simple choices make a HUGE difference in the long run regarding what we want our children to be fed nationally, especially the fact that what I buy at the supermarket is a vote to sell more of that type of food(being run on supply and demand principles), so now I think I'll give organic food a try.

Jesus's Garden Week 1

 I just finished my first week in the 'grow a garden' spring phase project. Despite my preconceived idea of how simple the class would be, thinking "How hard can it be to grow some vegetables?", my first week was surprisingly engaging and diverse. When we first arrived at the planting site, I was shocked to see our first task-cleaning up the garden area, which included plucking weeds, laying tarps to prevent weeds from growing further, and organizing our EarthBox gardening system area(sweeping the garden area and putting the heavy, potting mix filled boxes in place). The EarthBox(which I didn't even know existed prior to last week) is a portable raised bed planter box that can sustain plants and vegetables in proper living conditions, such as proper nutrition in the 'soil'-actually fertile potting mix along with fertilizer and dolomite(a type of limestone used to reduce the Ph level of the 'soil'). We also took some time away from the garden to learn about healthy eating habits and the sometimes fatal effects of eating too much processed foods which has become a serious problem in modern life. I learned a lot from this and now I'm becoming a lot more conscientious about what I eat on a daily basis.  So far, this project is a lot of fun and, although this week was hard, I'm looking forward to planting our own vegetables and seeing the fruits(or vegetables) of our labor.

Corey's Second Week

My second week of gardening has been completed! I’d say it was very fun because of our field trip to Phillips Academy and planting many of our plants and seeds. We also watched a film on Netflix called “Food Inc.” In the beginning of the week we planted our own boxes of lettuce, radish, onions, tomato, collards, and watermelons. The process of planting was extremely fun, but watching our plants double in size is the real prize. After a long few days of planting we were rained and watched Food Inc. Watching the film made me second guess ever eating many processed foods. Just from watching how the animals were treated and fed just for an extra couple bucks going into an owner’s pocket. We also learned how to research different places and where to get many organic meats vegetables and other foods. Lastly in the end of the week we visited Phillips Academy in Newark. It was a very environmentally friendly school. They ate many organic foods, ran off of solar panels, and run their very own roof top garden at the school. Their food program took many of years to get going due to financial issues and not being aided fully by the city since they are a charter school. Either way they manage to do it and the kids look much more alert, healthy, and energetic due to their improved school diet.

2 week of spring phase

My second week in the garden was a better  because it didn't have a lot of lifting it was more planting and watering. We planted radishes(seeds) , tomatoes, onions, lettuce, watermelon(seeds), and kale(seeds). I thought the planting was very fun and interesting and i was surprised how fast we got results from our plants some even as soon as the next day. During the week we visited Phillips Academy. The way it was structured was amazing they had down to a science on how the kids work work together eat together. Everything was together and the food and the way they dealt with the environment was very impressive. that is what i did during my second week of my spring phase. 

Second Week

This past week was the beginning of the real work for the gardening project. We planted box after box with varieties of tomatoes, onions, radishes, collards and watermelons. Although it was tedious work, it was the most important because each plant had to be under certain conditions in order to ensure proper growth. For example, the collards, which were planted in one of our raised beds, only needed to be lightly covered by soil and misted with water whereas the radishes, which were planted in Earth Boxes, had to be planted deeper and given more direct watering. This week was crucial because the success of our garden depended on how closely we adhered to the various planting guidelines for the plants. Due to rain we stayed inside for a day where we watched an episode of the Magic School Bus, an educational children's show. Although it was childish, this episode, in particular, was informative because it explained the life cycle of plants and the germination process. Later on in the week, we visited Phillips Academy in Newark, a kindergarten to eighth grade school which was built as a "green" school. The building was rebuilt from an old factory, recycling the original frame, using energy harnessed by solar panels and a rooftop garden. This school was very interesting because of how well the building was designed in order to support and integrate their garden into the school and also the implementation of its lunch program which provides, healthy, wholesome, in-house food made from fresh ingredients. This was a different and shockingly plausible model for providing meals for a large student population.

Week # 2

In the second week of, “Grow A Garden Project” we did a lot as well as planted in the Earth Boxes. During this week, we planted radishes, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and water melon. All these plants and fruits were put into the Potting Mix only half an inch to an inch and it cannot be deeper than that especially the seeds because when they germinate, it will be hard for the seeds to reach the surface, to get the sunlight and can be huge problem for the seed to grow. We planted seedlings plants onions and lettuce which are the baby plants as well as water melon and radishes seeds. We also went to the Philip’s Academy to visit their rooftop garden and to see how their lunch program works and we were amazed. Most of the students participate or help in growing a garden on the roof. We were really impressed by their lunch program because all the food is made in school and cooked there. All the students clean, help in setting up the tables and then clean up after themselves.

Joe's first week in the garden

My first week in the garden was a challenge. Mainly this week we were cleaning up the garden and the Earth Boxes and preparing to fill the Earth Boxes with new soil. With the Earth Boxes we had to remove all of the debris from last year that was in the Earth Boxes. That took a lot of work and a long process of cleaning the garden and the Earth Boxes because of the rainy weather conditions that week. I learned about one particular vegetable that I was assigned which was salad arugula. Salad arugula is a dark green leaf that could be added as a spice in a salad. I learned how to grow it and how long the process takes for it to grow completely. We also watched a movie this week called "SuperSize Me". The movie was about a guy who goes on a challenge of eating only McDonald's for every meal, for a whole month and aside from that, it explains how the food is processed and how it is not healthy for you. I have learned a lot from this movie and every time I watch it, it makes me think twice about eating fast food.  

This year we are progressing smoothly with preparing the earth boxes and planting.  I learned something that I previously did not understand clearly.  Lorraine Gibbons of Garden State Urban Farms explained that the earth box is properly classified as a hydroponic system.  The growth medium that we place into the earth boxes which we mistakenly refer to as soil, in fact, is not soil.  It is a mix of mainly Sphagnum moss peat, coconut coir fiber and composted pine bark which do not contain all of the nutrients that plants need to grow.  Fertilizer must be added to this mix each season in order to enrich the medium with the various nutrients that plants require.  The other characteristic of the system is that the growth medium is absorbent - "spongy" - so that is can soak up water from a water reservoir that is below the growth medium.  We will be experimenting with growing in a medium which consists entirely coconut fiber to which the fertilizer is added.  It will be interesting to compare the results we get from use of potting mix which contains many more ingredients.  Additionally, we will be experimenting with the use of red colored mulch covers. Red mulch cover has been shown to increase tomato and strawberry production 12-20% by reflecting growth enhancing sunlight waves onto the plant.

During  my first week of gardening I was introduced to several things  including the Earth Box which we will use to plant the seeds and seedling.I also learned about the roots, stems, seeds.

We watched  a movie called ''Super size Me." I  learned that eating too much McDonald's can be bad for you. After we cleaned up the garden and learned about the Earth Box; we also learned how to mix the soil and fertilizer to help the plants grow.We planted tomato in some of the Earth Boxes.

First Week in the garden.

As we began this project, I assumed it was all just about putting a seed in dirt, water it and watch it grow. But that wasn't the case. Before we planted, we watched videos and discussed some habits which lead into healthy eating. I saw the unhealthiness that McDonald's food offered. Now, I will think twice if I consume fast food. We even discovered that the "soil" we use, isn't really soil, it's potting mix. We then began to plant and it seemed easy but we had to follow steps before we grow. We had to mix dolomite and fertilize the potting mix. Then we would top it off with coconut fiber or more potting mix and then cover it with a "shower cap" which keeps in moisture, keep out weeds and keep in heat.. Then the plants begin to grow. We began with indeterminate and determinate growth tomato plants. The difference of determinate and indeterminate growth is that a determinate growth plant has an approximate growth rather than the indeterminate whom doesn't have a predicted growth.

First Week

Participating in the Gardening Project has been very interesting. I have been running my own garden in my back yard for the past few years and thought I could be of use to the project. When I first got to the garden, I was surprised by the peculiar way we planned to grow our plants. We were to use Earth Boxes which are an innovative agricultural system in which "soil" (growth friendly medium), fertilizer and other components are placed in a box. This environment makes it suitable for plant growth without being planted in possibly contaminated soil. This system facilitates watering by including a reservoir of water at the base where it is wicked up into the medium allowing for the plants to receive the water and nutrients they need while preventing over-watering. We spent the first few days removing debris from the garden and removing weeds from the earth boxes. This new way of growing plants is very interesting and I'm anxious to see its productivity.

First Week in the Garden

My first week in the garden was very difficult. I had to adjust to the ways of preparing the Earth boxes which was very hard work. The most challenging part of preparing the Earth boxes was moving all of the heavy boxes to the curb. There were a ton of them. What I found most interesting was the complex structure of the box. I believe my first week in the garden was a success. It was a success because I began to really learn and appreciate the plants and the Earth boxes that is why it is a success.

Corey's first week

I've just survived my first week in the grow a garden project. I'd say I had a very fun filled first week. Seeds and earth boxes were our main focus this week. But before we even touched the Earth Boxes we had to clean the treacherously trashed garden. Since the garden hadn't been tended to for a while we had to replace many ripped items, uproot old plants from the Earth Boxes, and yank out a numerous amount of sprouting weeds. After all was said and done we finally began setting up our Earth Boxes. We also learned many things about how our diets should be planned out weekly after watching "Supersize Me". My views after watching the film were to definitely cut down on my fast food habits. Other than that I feel my first week taught me a lot about watching my diet and how to begin earth boxes.

Week 1

Well, this was my first week in Grow a Garden project. Even though, it was the first week, I learned something. I read the first part of the handout and learned about stems, roots, and how these things exactly work. Since most of it was biology, it was quiet easy to understand. I learned about the, "Earth Box" which is where we plant vegetable and plants.The Earth Box is basically a big tub which holds water on the bottom and there is a hole on the side which prevents your from overflowing the earth box. While watching the movie, "Super Size Me", I made a decision that I'm never going to eat the fast food from any kind of fast food restaurants because it effects your health and you can get diseases or problems with your body like weight gaining, Diabetes, liver disease, etc.