2010 Summer Internship
TCC Horticulture
Instructor John Kahre
Job Shadowing Head Master Gardener Sue Gray, seeing the many hats this lady wears in one day, the help she extends to all those who garden and farm. The phone calls, the email, and soil test and recommendations. Beyond the office, she is busy with farm and field visits, and she readily shares the many opportunities she sees on site, trouble shooting pest and dieses problems. In a matter of just a few hours with the Head Master Gardener of the Tulsa Extension Center, this is her day! While scheduling our time together for the Internship, I have see the Value for the community as a whole, in addition to answering questions, giving direction in issues, classes are taught to educate our community from the backyard gardener to large farms and Orchards.
On Tuesday, July 6th, I will spend a full day in the office. The rest of the time will be spent setting up a Master Gardener Class, and the Tulsa County Fair. Training and education are the basic keys to success, getting to know those at your local extension office, has already proven to me as a New Small Veggies and Flower Producer, that this relationship is vital to our success. Over the next few weeks I will share what I learn, post links to websites, and post pictures and videos of events and classes that I attend. I hope that the information I share help others to be better gardeners or producers.
During this time, if you have any questions please feel free to email me or give me a call
First Visit
As you enter the building to Tulsa County Extension Center, you find a beautiful sustainable garden that surrounds the building located in front of the fairgrounds. As you walk and look you will find signs posted as to the name of the plant, and information sheets for plants are readily available in a box as you approach the entrance to the office. When you walk in you are pleasantly greeted by some very friendly folks that will help you find where you need go or who can help you. When you make that right turn down the hallway, you see people busy about their day, phones are ringing, paper shuffling and pages of books turning, while the Master Gardeners seek out answers to help those in the community find answers to the many different gardening problems they are encountering.
At the end of the hall you enter the area that you drop off Soil and Water samples, to the right of the receptionist you will find Sue, phones ringing, computer humming, and the appearance of the a professional multi-tasker hard at work. Reference materials all around, books, books and more books. Sue told me she does not know it all and many calls are returned so that the information can be located.
After spending a little over an hour with Sue, my excitement only grew, I would spend the day with her next week, attend two Green Acres Classes she was teaching, and to help judge Veggies at the Tulsa County Fair. If that was not enough, before I left we stumbled on a little problem that I was having on my own farm, and it just so happened that Sue was going to be in the area the next day with her other Intern. Okay I contained myself all the way out the door and to my car, fumbling for my phone to call Christy, my Intern, shouting when we are blessed with an opportunity we sieze it, you have to call John and tell him you have to be here! You should know the rest of the conversation; I was an excited cackling hen.
As I drove home all I could think about was what would she think, am I on track, am I really doing this thing right, things may have to be neat and orderly in the landscape, but I went outside the box on my planting design. Oh no the weeds! So I took it home with the ultimate clean up mission in mind, so I went in a pulled my we should of had it done yesterday acts, and we gotter done! Well the best we could.
The Farm Visit
The jitters grew, I was up before the chickens this morning, going through the garden and yard, so it has only been one day since I mowed. We were going to mow it again, curb appeal is everything, I wish I had time to do the flowerbeds, and noticed there was not enough color in the front, maybe that is from spending too much time in the back, that is where you find the color!
That is where the Sunflowers are scattered throughout the Garden. They are anywhere from 4 feet to 13 feet tall. Many of them shade and support Cucumber vines. Our Borage is beginning to emerge from the ground, so it will not be long before the blue blooms mix with the yellows, reds, and purple flowers. Editable and non editable, all positioned to do a job, of attracting and repelling insects, and birds. In fact since the heads have opened on the Sunflowers, they bird problem in the tomatoes has greatly diminished.
Sue arrived, we were all sitting in the front yard taking a breather, it is days like today you are happy that your family can get together to accomplish the task I have been completed for the longest. Typically, we have Sponge Bob, my 15-year-old Josh, and myself that tend the garden on a daily basis. Mark works Monday through Thursday. Today we had extended family Jonathan, even my 13-year-old daughter Brittney wondered outdoors to help for a minute. Sue did however note, that she observed happiness within our Motley Crew on her arrival.
As we walked towards the back we past the Veggie Wagon on display in front yard, filled with fresh produce, this was a new marketing idea that seems to be working well, for more walk in traffic. Then we walked around back toward Greenhouse one with the Chicken and Rabbits to the right, we do not sale eggs, or rabbits, they are more our pets for now, but are great to have as bonus to the visits of the city slickers that come to the farm with the children.
Greenhouse #1
Peanut ask,"are those Rabbits?" Rooster and hen
This is the Tunnel of "Healthy Love", under Construction the Vines are now coming over the top from the left side, we are going to take photo when tomatoes begin hanging through the top, and add a tag line, "Topsy Turvey. Eat your heart out!"
Sue seemed surprised when she came out and saw the architecture in the garden and the sunflowers, and this is just Garden #2. As we walked I showed her the sand plum trees, we saved from destruction in Cleveland, OK, as roads are about to plow them under. We have 8, and are attempting root propagation of more, we have two the have sprung up already from the root cutting.
Bacterial Rot, and Early Blithe on Tomato Leaf
Walking through the Tomato rows, I was showing Sue the problem that occurred after that heat advisory weather, which was followed flash floods from a few weeks earlier. If you look at the ground in the picture above you will see that the mulch is in place, but that German Heritage often gets me in trouble, I confess I am the Queen of Tight! Had I extended my mulch beyond the drip line of the plants it would have decreased the damage, also I learned that two weeks from transplant I should have started a regime of fungicide sprays every two weeks. Now we have to spent hours defoliating the bad stems of the plant, and spraying of the plants. So far we have about 40 man-hours in the correction process, so did I save by not mulching, not a single penny! In fact, it more than likely has cost us, as the fungus problem did not stop here it also popped up in the cucumbers, and the squash.
Angular Blithe
Choanephora Fungus
Again, defoliation and removal of spoiled fruit and flowers, wow I knew mulch was important, now I really understand the importance. In addition, I learned the importance of preventative regimes for these plants. Thankfully, for the Squash and Zucchini, we have staggered planting and pulling plants is not as heart breaking.
So after addressing the problems on the farm, she looked around with her camera, and told us there is a market for garden design and architecture, she liked the Long Bean Fence.
Pecan Limbs and bailing wire goes a long ways in our garden!
We are currently adding lights down the fence, to the doorway of the fence, the lights at night help us finish jobs after dark, and keeps night prowlers out!
This was a wonderful day, as Sue left to go about her busy day, Christy and I sat and discussed what we learned, and how beneficial the folks at the extension center are to Farmer Market Growers! We learned about several opportunities such as fall transplants of Cabbage, Broccoli, and Brussels sprouts in addition to Tomatoes and Peppers.
The Wheelin Hoe also was elected as an opportunity for those who could weld, this has been our lifesaver, as a funny we are always teasing Sponge Bob about chasing the Hoe and never catching her! Wheelin is his favorite!
All Day with Sue
Wow, that week flew by and today is the day I get to spend at the Tulsa County Extension Center, on arrival sue began to introduce me to everyone in the building and shared with me their functions, which is a power packed resource up there for our community. I was where the Green Acres Class is going to be taught, the marketing of the Tulsa County Free Fair, which are two events that will be a apart of my internship. We took and educational stroll through the Garden, and I was amazed.
