Tomatoes and Carrots and Kale - Oh My!

Hello there,

It's The Growfers again...

A lot has happened in the past week; we gained a logo, received our tool kit, took soil samples, grafted tomato plants, prepared our plot, and started planting seeds!

Our updated list of vegetables for this project is as follows:

Rainbow Carrots
Red Russian Kale
Toscano Kale
Red Pear Tomatoes
Lunchbox Peppers
Red Rocket Peppers
Smooth Leaf Spinach
"Astro" Arugula
Green Magic Broccoli
Cucumbers
Sprouts (tentative)
Herbs (tentative)

Week of 9-18-2017 Noteworthy Moments:

Monday- 

Our group met out in the teaching garden on Monday in order to start planting seeds and working with transplants. We planted one tray of seeds that will be transplanted to our exposed plot in the weeks to come. This tray consists of Lunchbox Peppers, Red Rocket Peppers, and Red Pear Tomatoes. In the collage above, you can see Colson, Aaron, and Stephen working on seeding, labeling, and watering the tray!

In addition to planting this tray of seeds, our team grafted tomato plants that will also be used during the remainder of the project. This lab required our team to carefully slice a rootstock and scion tomato plant and attach them so that they can create a stronger plant. The type of tomato plants used during the lab is currently unknown. In the collage above, we have included an updated photo showing the closed humid environment that the plants are being kept in as of Friday, Sep 22!

Friday-

Friday was full of excitement! We finally had the chance to start working in our plot of land. Our plot is 15 ft by 30 ft, giving us plenty of room to plant our list of vegetables.

At the beginning of class, Aaron took soil samples of the North side of the field so that we could analyze nutrients within the soil. (Pictured above)

We received transplants of Green Magic broccoli, Red Russian kale and Toscano kale, which were planted in raised beds that were 10 ft long and 1 foot wide. In addition to planting the transplants, our team also planted Rainbow carrots in bed of the same dimensions.

Team members built the raised beds, researched correct spacing for the vegetables being planted, and seeded the beds.

In the collage above, you can see some of the trays of transplants used in class, Salina gathering hay, and Stephen spreading hay between raised beds.

To finish out the day, Colson and Emily gathered fertilizer and spread 10-2-8 course grade organic fertilizer on the raised beds.

Looking Ahead:

Next week will consist of planting additional vegetables, taking care of current crops, and coming up with a proper schedule for IPM, watering, and fertilization. 

See you next week,

Thanks for dropping in!

Welcome to the home of wholesome, nutrient-packed food!

The Growfers are committed to making healthy meals easier for those on the go.

Our objectives include:

Making nutrient rich food more accessible to busy individuals

Providing recipes and tips to consumers to create a better experience with our produce

Creating an economically stable operation that could be scaled up or down according to consumer needs

Creating a strong team, brand, and product

So who are we?

Meet the guys:

Stephen Sevingny- Stephen's hometown is Daytona Beach, Florida, and he majors in Business Management! He loves hanging out with his friends and going to football games.

Aaron Reyes- Aaron is a Horticultural Science major from St. Petersburg, Florida. He enjoys finding new places to explore and stargazing.

Colson Cannon- Colson is an Agricultural Operations Management major from Brooksville, Florida. One of his most exciting hobbies is team roping.

And the ladies:

Salina Som- Salina is a Chemistry major with a minor in Horticulture and Food Science. She is from St. Petersburg, Florida and she has a range of interests including yoga, hiking, running, cooking, and knitting.

Emily Martin- Emily is a Horticultural Science major from Weeki Wachee, Florida. She enjoys art, photography, hanging out with her pet snakes, and visiting local nature trails.

What kind of produce are we talking about here?

We hope to provide ready-to-make salad kits at the end our our growing season.

Some of the possible plants we hope to grow this semester include:

Sweet potatoes
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Spinach
Arugula
Carrots
Peppers
Sprouts
and various herbs

Tune in next week for our refined (and more detailed) growing list, recipes, and more!