Project Objectives

Before getting into our weekly entries, here are the objectives we're going to examine over the semester with our community supported agriculture (CSA) project:

  • What changes are observed in direct-seeded vs. transplanted carrots (added to our plot at the same time) with regards to growth, development, yield, and other characteristics?
  • Do the growth, development, yield, and other qualities of banana peppers and jalapeños change if they are planted together vs. planted in two separate beds? If so, how?
  • How do the plants in the plot interact with each other? Specific examples:
    • Does nitrogen fixation from snap and snow peas help the adjacent corn, pumpkins, and cucumbers? (inspired by the indigenous Three Sisters method of planting corn, beans, and squash together)
    • Do certain plants inhibit each others' growth? (root competition for water and nutrients, leaf competition for light, etc.)
  • How do the plants in the plot respond to various management strategies?
    • Do horizontal vs. vertical beds make a difference in growth patterns?
    • Which plants require trellising? Do we need other structures, such as ground covers for protection or growth cages for the tomatoes?
...and here's the list of the plants we'll be growing!
  • Corn (Indian Corn)
  • Pumpkins (Jack-o'-Lantern)
  • Snap peas
  • Snow peas (Oregon Giant)
  • Cucumbers (Marketmore/Long Green Improved)
  • Banana peppers (Sweet Banana)
  • Jalapeños (El Jefe)
  • Bunching onions (Parade)
  • Tomatoes (Mariana/Roma)
  • Carrots (Chantenay Red)
  • Bok choy
  • Chinese cabbage (Tokyo Bekana) 

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