Bending low over the garden bed, I grasped at a small dandelion that was trying to hide among the bean plants. Suddenly there was a rustling and a small field mouse scurried out. I squinted my eyes as it darted down the narrow path that divided the rows. My gaze returned to the leafy plants, waiting patiently for my attention again. I knelt again and yanked the weed out.
This was where I spent consistently spent the three of the summers while I was is high school, at an organic garden that was three lush acres of vegetables and rich brown soil, it was located on a hill top in the Appalachian Mountains of western Pennsylvania. I
The idea for it's creation for the local community of Spring Valley came from a brain-child of a handful passionate small-time farmers as an experiment to see if a 'naturally
grown' vegetable garden could really produce more than one using pesticides and fertilizers as well as well as all the health benefits of eating the organic food. The Garden was neatly organized into six foot wide 'beds' with three rows each, each running the length of the field. Of course I have to mention the greenhouse where we- my siblings, friends and I who made up our ambitious crew planted the seeds in soil blocks and coaxed seedlings out of them and then transferred the small plants to the garden beds outside for the rain and sun to work their magic. We then watered, weeded and finally at the end of summer, harvested all the produce.
Working in the Garden taught me how hard work really does play off and the satisfaction of being able to see the reward, but it was much more then that. It was a hands-on lesson in ecology and biology; how alternating the types of vegetables grown in each bed every year by using the "9 year crop rotation" can help the soil keep its healthy balance, for example, corn saps the soil of it's nutrients and planting potatoes the next year will replenish. Certain plants such as marigolds and natural bug repeller and ground jalapenos can deter slugs from eating leaves. My involvement in the Garden was an unforgettable experience and has me forever interested with the natural sciences and how the environment natural and man-made has a direct impact on the health of all who live on this plant, and I hope to obtain that knowledge through a degree in International Health from Georgetown University's School of Nursing and Health Sciences.
This was where I spent consistently spent the three of the summers while I was is high school, at an organic garden that was three lush acres of vegetables and rich brown soil, it was located on a hill top in the Appalachian Mountains of western Pennsylvania. I
The idea for it's creation for the local community of Spring Valley came from a brain-child of a handful passionate small-time farmers as an experiment to see if a 'naturally
grown' vegetable garden could really produce more than one using pesticides and fertilizers as well as well as all the health benefits of eating the organic food. The Garden was neatly organized into six foot wide 'beds' with three rows each, each running the length of the field. Of course I have to mention the greenhouse where we- my siblings, friends and I who made up our ambitious crew planted the seeds in soil blocks and coaxed seedlings out of them and then transferred the small plants to the garden beds outside for the rain and sun to work their magic. We then watered, weeded and finally at the end of summer, harvested all the produce.
Working in the Garden taught me how hard work really does play off and the satisfaction of being able to see the reward, but it was much more then that. It was a hands-on lesson in ecology and biology; how alternating the types of vegetables grown in each bed every year by using the "9 year crop rotation" can help the soil keep its healthy balance, for example, corn saps the soil of it's nutrients and planting potatoes the next year will replenish. Certain plants such as marigolds and natural bug repeller and ground jalapenos can deter slugs from eating leaves. My involvement in the Garden was an unforgettable experience and has me forever interested with the natural sciences and how the environment natural and man-made has a direct impact on the health of all who live on this plant, and I hope to obtain that knowledge through a degree in International Health from Georgetown University's School of Nursing and Health Sciences.
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