Farm Tour- The Teaching Gardens
For my farm tour I decided to not venture far and check out the UF Teaching Garden that is set up for horticulture students to practice and learn with first hand experience. I have driven by this garden many times and briefly visited once but never got the opportunity to walk through the garden. I wanted to see if the garden looked as good as I thought it would and I must say I was very happy I walked through.
As soon as I walked in I was greeted with the Amaranth Variety Trail. This was really unexpected and cool as it was a path of multiple colored Amaranths. The idea of a teaching garden in my mind would include the basic vegetables and greens that are used to educate beginners but I was surprised by the size and design of the plants and path. It gave me ideas on potential paths to create once I have a backyard to do so.
After walking through the Amaranths, I stumbled upon the berry section. There were a medley of bushy plants including Blackberries, Blueberries, and Muscadine Grapes. I was surprised to see them this green at this point in the year as the growing season for all these plants are early fall but there were still fruits growing and the plants are still producing. I found it very interesting that the plants were grown vertically. Being bushier plants, I expected a cluster and for the plants to be competing for space. However, I am a fan of the vertical growth method as it gives space to all the plants and makes it easier to harvest. I like how the teaching garden showcases different techniques that make you think outside the normal methodology.
As I completed my adventure through the garden and approached the gate I saw two things of interest. First were the student plots. I love the idea of having horticulture students learn through actually gardening (I believe experience is the best way to learn in any profession) and I imagine it has a huge boost to their knowledge and confidence. The plots had a wide variety of plants too including greens, eggplants, and peppers. If I were a horticulture student I would love the opportunity to learn through doing and seeing the plots makes a part of me want to try and secure one for myself to learn, but I doubt they have ever let a sports management major join their garden. First time for everything though.
The second thing I saw on my way out that peaked my interest was an overgrown field. What may look like grass to some, it made me wonder if the garden is utilizing cover cropping. Cover crops keep the field in use and helps the soil recover from the previous harvest. It would make sense to employ this at this time of year as most crops will be dying back from the cold weather. Although I am not 100% certain, I wouldn't put it past the horticulture students to utilize cover crops as they do have benefits for the ground and plants to come. I could be totally wrong and it's just a plot of grass, but even that should have some benefits through keeping the soil active.
Following my visit to the learning gardens I am blown away with the quality of the plants and the space as a whole. You may think that because its student managed and they are learning on the job, it may have some areas of lower quality compared to others. That was not the case here. You'd think the field is professionally managed based on the condition of everything. Of course there are some dead spots but that is expected at this time of the year with plants dying back. These spots are minimal and they look like plots ready to be replanted. Overall I am super excited that I visited the UF Learning Garden and if I wasn't graduating next semester I would definitely looks for ways to get involved.
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