Join my colleague Jenny Lobb, Registered Dietitian and OSU Extension Educator, to learn how you can build a “better” (healthier) recipe for your summer gatherings and celebrations. You will learn about the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and how to make simple shifts to better meet the recommendations in your year-round cooking, eating, and celebrating. Recipes and tips will be shared for safely preparing healthy, easy, and tasty seasonal recipes. A cooking demonstration and tasting will be included. The class is free and open to the public but they require registration to know how many will come so they can prepare food.
Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) is where we grow faster and more efficiently, using less water and nutrients by controlling the inputs such as light, temperature, pH, water, and nutrient delivery. A lot of people know about CEA as hydroponics. Ohio’s #1 industry is agriculture and our fastest growing segment is controlled environment agriculture. Ohio is now the number TWO state in the nation in the indoor production of fruit, vegetables, and herbs! There is a lot of opportunity in agriculture. My largest program is engaging youth in agriculture in workforce development in their classrooms so they can see if agriculture is something they enjoy as a possible career. I have a ton of information to share about CEA for you to learn more.
Growing Teachers Throughout the Seasons is a USDA NIFA grant project that created a guidebook with supplemental online modules to engage teachers and students in schools in agriculture. It was pilot tested by 46 teachers from Columbus City Schools so it is data-driven and teacher informed. Reach out to me at mcdermott.15@osu.edu if you would like to get GTS into your schools to engage your kiddos in agriculture.
GTS Online Modules – free online series of 20 modules with kid-friendly videos to teach how to grow.
Hydroponics at Home! Did you know you can grow all year long using hydroponics in your home? It is fun and easy. Check out this video to learn more about Home Hydroponics.
Extension Today at Howlett – OSU’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences has classes on controlled environment agriculture in our Horticulture and Crop Sciences Department. Learn more about what the students are doing in this video.
Extension Today at the CEARC – come take a tour of OSU’s brand new research greenhouse, the CEARC!
I have been collaborating with Community Development for All People on the South Side for the past several years to increase urban agricultural production by bringing the former South Side Settlement House garden, now named Mari Sunami Community Garden back in to production. It is an exciting project for me due to the location and the history. A wonderful, large space with full sun and amazing possibilities.
You are invited to attend a garden walk on Thursday June 27th @ 6pm at Mari Sunami. We will talk tomato pruning, integrated pest management, and summer veggies. Plus any of your questions. Hopefully this heat goes away by then! The event is free and open to the public so bring your friends and your questions!
The above picture shows the garden looking north getting ready for spring planting. Plans include soil amendments and a water line in 2024.
Mari Sunami Community Garden can be a little tricky to find. The above picture shows its location between Innis and Woodrow on the South Side. CLICK HERE for the Google map link as well. The address is 248 Stanaford Pl. Columbus, OH 43207
I will be teaching an in-person class on Tomatoes 101 in collaboration with my friends at the Mt. Carmel Healthy Living Center at 3pm on Tuesday June 18th. The class is free and open to the public, but does require registration, see the link below. We will talk fertilization, pruning, and trellising so bring your friends and your questions!
The class is free but does require registration. CLICK HERE for the link to the registration page for the Tomatoes 101 and other classes.
The Mt. Carmel Healthy Living Center is located at 777 W. State St. Columbus, OH 43222. Free parking is available on site. Hope to see you there!
If you cannot make the class, I have a recorded webinar that you can watch whenever you want to learn more about growing healthy tomatoes.
I will be teaching a class on Summer Vegetable Gardening at the Grandview Heights Public Library on Tuesday May 21st @ 6:30pm. We will discuss what to plant now, our summer weather projections, fertilization, and what bugs to look out for plus your questions. The event is free and open to the public so bring your friends and your questions!
CLICK HERE for directions to the Grandview Heights Public Library.
Being able to eat good food is fundamental to our wellbeing. Food nourishes us, reflects our families and cultures, and brings us together in community. Food justice means that good food and enough nourishing food is available to all. Join us this Sunday, May 19, 11:30 AM at the Broad Street Presbyterian Church for a conversation with Tim McDermott, Assistant Professor and Extension Educator at the Ohio State University and Brian Landers, Food Educator at Local Matters about what is happening and what could happen here in our city and at the Broad Street Food Pantry to cultivate food justice in our community.
This is a weekly look at what is happening in the school garden to assist teacher educators engage their students in agriculture. It can be used by garden students of all ages however!
Send me some pics! I know we have some growing going on right now!
Guess what? The online modules to support Growing Teachers Throughout the Seasons are LIVE!! You can access them HERE, or check out the go link –> go.osu.edu/GTS
Thank You Teachers! You are Awesome! I have enjoyed this past school year tremendously working with you and seeing the amazing job you are doing with your kiddos.
CCS GTS Teachers! It is time to get a last harvest and get your growing spaces cleaned and put to rest for the summer.
With only a few weeks left in the season it is time to think about harvesting and then cleaning up your indoor and outdoor spaces for the summer. I highly recommend that you do not garden during the summer in your outdoor space unless you need to do that for programming. Harvest your produce, pull any weeds, and then cover the raised bed with black plastic. That will prevent weeds and soil loss so that your outdoor agricultural space is ready to go in the fall when school starts back up. Enjoy your summer!
Closing Up Your Garden
Please be sure that all of your garden systems are closed up before you leave for the summer. We are getting closer to the last day of the year and now is a good time to engage your students to assist you with garden clean up. Here is some helpful information from Katie.
Outdoor Raised Bed:
Harvest all of the remaining produce from the outdoor raised bed.
Remove any weeds that are present.
Cover with black plastic and use landscape pins to pin down the ends, middle, and sides of the plastic.
Add some pavers or large rocks on top of the plastic to keep the wind from pulling the landscape pins out.
If there is an issue with vandalism at your site, you may want to take your white hoops off of your bed and store them in your classroom.
The black plastic is important because it will keep your garden free of weeds and pests over the summer. Then in August, all you will need to do is roll back the plastic, mix up your soil, and you are ready to plant. Please be sure to fold up this black plastic and store for use the following May. This item will not be replaced each year.
Be sure to clean and fold up your fabric row covers and clips and store them for the following year. These items will not be replaced each year.
Row Cover Cleaning:
Row cover can be washed by hand in a sink or large tub of hot soapy water and then rinsed a few times in clear water. Or you can wash it in a washing machine on the gentle or delicate cycle. It’s best to dry it in the sun as it will also help disinfect it and brighten it.
Indoor Grow Stations : Cleaning your AeroGarden
Start by dismantling your garden and cleaning out your indoor plants and any leftover roots. Roots can grow into the filter, so be sure to clean it out and reinstall after you’ve finished cleaning the bowl. If the filter looks too worn, replace the filter to prolong the life of your pump. Be careful not to throw away your filter by accident! It’s easy to do when removing plant roots.
After clearing out the roots, you should clean and sanitize your AeroGarden® hydroponics growing system to help prevent the growth of root pathogens that can destroy your live plants. There are various ways to clean your garden:
If you have a dishwasher:
Put your grow deck and bowl in the top rack of the dishwasher.
Run through a warm or cold water cycle (do not use a hot water or heat dry cycle).
Reassemble to start your next round of gardening.
If you don’t have a dishwasher:
Fill the bowl with either water and a ¼ cup of chlorine bleach OR 5 cups of distilled white vinegar (no need to use water if you’re using the vinegar). Vinegar also helps prevent and clean up mineral deposits in your garden.
Let the water pump or aerator circulate the solution for 5 minutes.
Empty the solution, rinse well, and then fill with clear water (no bleach).
Allow the pump or aerator to circulate the clear water for 5 minutes.
Empty and rinse once more to ensure that all solution is rinsed from the bowl.
Cleaning the Grow Deck:
Sometimes roots will grow through the nozzles on the grow deck and prevent proper water flow. Separating and cleaning the grow deck of any stray roots can help keep the water flowing efficiently. The grow deck can be separated on almost all AeroGarden® models.
First, remove the grow deck from the bowl of your AeroGarden® and place it upside-down on a flat surface. Locate the tabs on the underside of the deck and push the tabs inward and down. The tabs are flexible and designed to be separated. Use a scrub brush or similar cleaning tool to remove the roots and any other debris from the grow deck. Snap back together in place.
For your LED light and seed starting trays:
Clean trays and potting cups with soap and water (they are also top shelf dishwasher safe).
Remove the sides of the LED light and place back into the box with the light panel.
Store all of the potting cups, the timer, plug, and extension cord, trays and lights in a cabinet or storage tote. If you have any extra potting mix, fertilizer, or seeds please store them with these other supplies.
I know that many of you have harvest festivals and taste testing at school. Make sure that you follow safe harvesting techniques. Here is a video to guide you.
This is a weekly look at what is happening in the school garden to assist teacher educators engage their students in agriculture. It can be used by garden students of all ages however!
Send me some pics! I know we have some growing going on right now!
Guess what? The online modules to support Growing Teachers Throughout the Seasons are LIVE!! You can access them HERE, or check out the go link –> go.osu.edu/GTS
First up a weather report to get us through the week for planning on our season extension:
Outside in the raised beds:
Once we get to the 50 degree days and the plants start to increase their growth rate, we will need to fertilize using either the Shake and Feed or the pink crystals that mix in with water that you got from Katie, not the Aerogarden fertilizer. Make sure to follow the label instructions. Check for your fertilizers now, and if you do not have any, then contact Katie.
With the warm weather and fast growth, make sure you are watering as needed, once to twice per week, check and water on Fridays before the weekend!
This week:
All the days this week are good for harvesting, watering, and fertilizing your plants.
Make sure you keep using the season extension garden cover as we have some cold weather this weekend potentially!
Friday – Make sure you water well on Friday if we do not get lots of rain this week.
Inside under LED lights:
CCS Teachers – Try to plant all of your transplants outside in your raised beds as soon as they are ready to go and have been hardened off. Great growing weather ahead.
Here is the transplant video if you need a refresher on transplanting:
Inside in the Aerogarden:
Hopefully your tomatoes are doing great and you are getting a harvest with your kiddos. Let me know if you have any questions or problems. CLICK HERE for the Aerogarden tomato planting guide. If you need tomato pods then contact Katie.
The Aerogarden website has a tremendous amount of content to assist with maintenance of the units, troubleshooting problems, or how to take care of the plants in the system.
This yellow cherry tomato looks great! Well pruned, fertilized, and pollinated and producing lots of tomatoes.
Do you need seeds or seed starter for your project? Contact Katie.
Harvest Time!
I know that many of you have harvest festivals and taste testing at school. Make sure that you follow safe harvesting techniques. Here is a video to guide you.
Jenny and I will be co-teaching a class at the Urban Farm Church on Growing and Using Herbs on Wednesday May 8th @ 6pm. The class is free and open to the public but UFC does ask for registration so they know how much snacks to make! Bring your friends and your questions. If the weather is OK, we can do a walking tour of their amazing farm.
Click here to view, print, or download the flyer –> May 8 flyer
This is a weekly look at what is happening in the school garden to assist teacher educators engage their students in agriculture. It can be used by garden students of all ages however!
Send me some pics! I know we have some growing going on right now!
Guess what? The online modules to support Growing Teachers Throughout the Seasons are LIVE!! You can access them HERE, or check out the go link –> go.osu.edu/GTS
First up a weather report to get us through the week for planning on our season extension:
Outside in the raised beds:
Once we get to the 50 degree days and the plants start to increase their growth rate, we will need to fertilize using either the Shake and Feed or the pink crystals that mix in with water that you got from Katie, not the Aerogarden fertilizer. Make sure to follow the label instructions. Check for your fertilizers now, and if you do not have any, then contact Katie.
With the warm weather and fast growth, make sure you are watering as needed, once to twice per week, check and water on Fridays before the weekend!
This week:
All the days this week are good for harvesting, watering, and fertilizing your plants. Make sure to allow the beds to warm up before you pop the top open. Around mid-day is best, especially on Wednesday and Thursday. Check to see if you need to water.
Make sure you keep using the season extension garden cover as we have some cold weather this week!
Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday – If you have transplants that need to be planted outside, these days are good for hardening off your plants. Check out the video below for tips. Wait until the weather warms up on Wednesday before putting your plants outside.
Thursday- A good planting and harvest day. Water your beds if we do not get lots of rain. Make sure to cover your beds before you leave.
Friday – A good planting and harvest day. We are not supposed to have lots of rain this week so make sure to water before you leave for the weekend!
Make sure you have your season extension garden cover over your plants, we may have a frost on Sunday night!
Here is a video that details how to harden off your plants prior to transplanting, to minimize transplant shock.
Once the warmer weather gets here, plus the extra sunlight, we anticipate fast growth of the outdoor veggies.
Since we are in great harvest weather, make sure you are following safe harvesting procedures. Check out this video for some safe harvesting tips.
Have questions about how your plants are doing or if they are big enough to harvest? Just send me questions and pictures to mcdermott.15@osu.edu
Inside under LED lights:
CCS Teachers – Try to plant all of your transplants outside in your raised beds as soon as they are ready to go and have been hardened off. Great growing weather ahead.
Here is the transplant video if you need a refresher on transplanting:
Inside in the Aerogarden:
Hopefully your tomatoes are doing great and you are getting a harvest with your kiddos. Let me know if you have any questions or problems. CLICK HERE for the Aerogarden tomato planting guide. If you need tomato pods then contact Katie.
The Aerogarden website has a tremendous amount of content to assist with maintenance of the units, troubleshooting problems, or how to take care of the plants in the system.
This yellow cherry tomato looks great! Well pruned, fertilized, and pollinated and producing lots of tomatoes.
Do you need seeds or seed starter for your project? Contact Katie.
