Intern Files: Week four
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Ali and I planted the rest of the tomatoes today. In a previous post I discussed the tire beds, where I had planted peppers and tomatoes together. Well, the tomatoes in the tires were not doing too well, so they were moved and planted in the garden with six or seven other plants. A couple have since started blooming, and we have some bell peppers starting to come in. Many of the beans I planted a week ago have begun to sprout; and with all the rain we had this week they should continue to do well. Today everyone helped weed and cover the planted rows. We used old newspaper and cardboard to cover the soil around the plants in hopes that we will have fewer weeds to pull. I have been told the paper will eventually break down and the help repair the soil.
We got some manure today from a dairy farm. The manure was dropped off by Rick Lopez, a local guy who also gave us some composting tips and advice for keeping the deer and rabbits out of the garden.
On to the question of the Week… Imagine that you are speaking to someone who has very little knowledge about sustainability. How would you explain what you do in your internship and why the company or organization’s work is important?
My explanation would be that Better Farm is trying to build something sustainable out of a place that may not have been before. We are trying to use materials for the garden that cause the little to no damage to the natural system here. The internship has already allowed me to see firsthand how the things that people put into the earth can affect everything in a positive and a negative way. The compost we use helps the soil become more fertile but if we are not careful the crops we grow can possibly strip the soil of nutrients. The work we do here is important because it is about creating a state of balance so that the farm (which may be seen as our world) can continue to be productive well into the future. This balanced state not only applies to the garden and the environment out our windows, but also to what happens in the social environment inside the house as well.
Post originally published at Joe's Blog.
