Week 2

6.10.2019

Most of the morning was spent inside the office. I contacted a few people for some home garden visits for the afternoon. Went to two homes, the first garden was immaculate! The gardeners around this area really know what they are doing. She did however have trouble growing melons and wants to know why the taste is not good and why they rot before getting ripe. After some research we think it might be a soil issue, specifically magnesium which gives fruit its flavor. The second visit was good, but there were a few issues. A small green caterpillar was found eating up the broccoli, known as imported cabbage worm. The best way to control this critter is with row covers early in the season before the eggs from a small white butterfly are laid. He also had some lettuce that was dying and not regenerating, which we think is caused by the heat, as lettuce grows much better in the cooler months. After my site visits I went up to Flag Rock for a picnic with the Master Gardeners.

6.11.2019

Finally, the rain has subsided! First thing this morning is a home garden visit for the Grow Wise program. Very beautiful garden! Then I played in my garden bed for a little while planting beets. I’ll be leaving early today so I have looked a few things up and now I’m going to play in the garden some more before going home.

6.12.2019

I went to the 4-H camp in Abingdon today. It was a lot cooler than I had expected. The teenagers do a really great job with the kids, and they really seem to love and respect Leanne. I thought the coolest classes were wilderness survival, outside cooking, and fishing. I think it would be fun if they combined the fishing with outside cooking, so they could cook the fish they caught! It was a good experience hanging out at the camp. I never had opportunities like that growing up so it was all new to me.

6.13.2019

Spent most of the day in the office. Did a lot of research this morning and prepped for my educational program on aquatic vegetation. Finished my garden bed out front. I’m so excited! I now have tomatoes, tri color peppers, pole beans, cucumber, summer squash, radish, beet, carrot, okra, swiss chard, and arugula. Wish it didn’t take so long to mature!

6.14.2019

Prepared for my program all morning, but nobody showed up ☹. That’s okay, next time we will do better advertising. Watched Phil Shelton administer some biological control for Chara sp. It was interesting. Spent the rest of the afternoon in the garden and in the office.