On the Farm (Sept 14 - 20)

Weeds, weeds, weeds. They were EVERYWHERE! They were growing through our plastic mulch, in between our rows, and even under the hay that we put down to hinder their growth. We all pitched in and were able to get rid of them fairly quickly. We sprinkled rye grass seed in between our rows and finished putting hay on top of our bare soil beds, all in an effort to prevent more weeds.

Our eagle-eyed farmer Natalie noticed the new growth on our cucumbers looking a bit odd, and upon closer observation, caterpillars were found. After consulting with the UF/IFAS Insect Identification Lab, it is confirmed that these are mature larva of melonworm (Diaphania hyalinata Linnaeus). Thankfully, the lab manager of the Teaching Farm was able to apply pesticide to all the cucumbers on the farm.

The image on the left shows our radishes that have sprouted! The image on the right shows our basil that has sprouted! Both of these crops were grown from seed and it is very rewarding to see the transformation from a seed buried beneath the soil to green leaves breaking the surface.

    

In our plastic mulch bed, we have one unnamed cucurbit growing on our farm. It has grown incredibly well and is one of our largest crops and has even started to produce fruit! Normally, we would remove any flowers and/or fruits so the plant could put more energy into growing foliage, but we have decided to leave this one as is. It is exciting to already see our crops producing, and makes us excited for the near future.

Overall, we are happy with the progress we have made on our farm. We have the majority of our crops in the ground and are waiting for the weather to cool down a little before we plant some cooler weather crops, like broccoli. We have taken measures to remove and prevent the growth of weeds, and have put hay where it is needed. We will continue to monitor our crops for pests and disease.