Week 25: Inventory and the First Frost

This past week we had our first frost. The first frost ended most of the production of any of the plants that still were producing fruit. We will still get some greens like collards, lettuce, and herbs but tomatoes, okra, peppers are done for the season. I am not sure what is up with our watermelons but we continue to get tastier melons the deeper we get into fall which is not usually the case. The frost did manage to freeze them partially which made for delicious watermelon ice. We also got lots of rain this week which is helping our cover crop grow quickly. It is nice to see that even with all of the death that is occurring in the garden there is also new life.

Since our gardens are mostly finished for the year we are able to work on packing away our supplies and doing inventory. This will help next years manager as they do not know what they have to work with yet. We did this early in the morning when I had some interns before they went to class. Since the sun was out I thought it would be helpful to have my brights on to see inside the garage. This worked great until I needed to drive the truck. We also learned that you cannot jumpstart anything with a Prius.

This next week will be our last week and Kayla and I will be doing exit interviews with interns. This is where we get feedback on how we did as managers, how we can improve the gardens in the years to come, and to affirm and critique the interns on their performance these past six months. If you have time please let our ears be able to hear the truth in what the interns say as well as to speak wisdom into their lives. I am really looking forward to what they will have to say that will help build this program and to become a better manager of people in the future. Other News: The seed banks are finished. We have gathered lettuce, kale, pumpkins, and cleome. We will be able to use these next year and start them in the green house. This is the last week for the farm stand so please come get as much as you can carry. The pictures did not work this week so I will try to add them when I can. Zach Arington