Teacher’s Key for the Camp Internet

2002/2003 Global-Garden Passport

 

 

  1. List the basic things a plant needs to grow?

 

·  Soil

·  Water

·  sun light

·  food (for plants)

 

 

 

  1. Draw a picture of a sunflower and label the main parts of the plant?

 

  • stem
  • flower
  • leaf
  • roots

 

 

  1. Name three sources of nutrients or other essential resources for plants to live.

 

  • soil
  • water
  • sun

 

 

  1. Describe what Crop Rotation is.

 

  • planting different crops in your garden from season to season as well as letting the soil rest. Another definition is : A system in which crops are grown on different sections of a plot on a three- or four-year cycle to minimized the buildup of soil-borne pests and diseases in one section. Example: moving tomato plants every year to minimize disease

 

 

 

 

 

  1. From your Soil & Soil Testing studies at http://www.rain.org/global-garden/science/soil-types-and-testing.htm  find and list  the 7 most typical things

used to describe soil type.

 

  • Color
  • Moisture content
  • Organic content
  • pH 
  • Structure
  • Temperature, and
  • Texture

 

 

  1. Describe Loam type soil:

 

Loam soils are also common in Southern California, particularly in the valleys and flat areas (flood plains) surrounding rivers and streams. Loam soils are typically comprised of approximately 25 - 50% sand, 30 - 50% silt and 10 - 30% clay by volume.  Loam soils are somewhat heavier than sandy soils, but also tend to be fairly free draining, again, due to typically low organic content.

 

  1. Describe Sandy type soil:

 

Sandy soils are found throughout Southern California, but are very common near the mountain foothills, along rivers and streams and certain coastal areas. Sandy soils are typically comprised of approximately 80 - 100% sand, 0 - 10% silt and 0 - 10% clay by volume. Sandy soils are light and typically very free draining, usually holding water very poorly due to very low organic content

 

  1. Describe Clay type soil:

 

Clay soils are very common in certain areas, particularly around urban areas where fill soils have been used to establish grade in subdivisions and developments.  Clay soils are typically comprised of approximately 0 - 45% sand, 0 - 45% silt and 50 - 100% clay by volume.  Clay soils are not typically free draining, and water tends to take a long time to infiltrate. When wet, such soils tend to allow virtually all water to run-off. Clay soils tend to be heavy and difficult to work when dry.

9.) Based on the illustration at http://www.rain.org/global-garden/science/garden-why-do-plants-have-flowers.html list the 4 parts of a flower

use this link to answer

 

10)  Define what organic gardening is

growing food in soil that has not been treated with chemicals.  Also means growing without using chemicals on the plants.

11.Do all flowers make seeds?  If they do not all make seeds describe two other ways plants reproduce.

 

  • bulbs
  • bareroot planting

 

12.Review the creative compost studies at http://www.rain.org/aqet7.html.  List the 3 types of compost used in a garden.

 

  • aerobic
  • anaerobic
  • vermin

 

What is the history of Gardening?

 

1)     Define gardening

Growing food, flowers, herbs and other plans in a defined area.

 

2)     When did humans first begin to cultivate plants for food?

10,000 years ago.  Goto: http://www.rain.org/global-garden/history/garden-history-precolumbian.html

this is a very excepted date but there is much discussion about what the real date may be:

 

WHERE DID AGRICULTURE REALLY BEGIN?

Most research points to the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. There about 10,000 years ago, humans  learned how to sow and harvest such crops as wheat and barley. There,

Wadi Kubbaniya, Egypt. At this site, G. Hillman, of the Institute of Archeology, London, has found grinding stones and tubers. This site is dated at 17,000-18,000 years old.

New Guinea highlands. J. Golson, formerly of the Australian National University, has found ditches and crude fields in this area. The implication is that humans were tending plants here between 7,000 and 10,000 years ago.

Buka Island, Solomons. While excavating Kilu cave, M. Spriggs and S. Wickler unearthed small flake tools with surfaces displaying starch grains and other plant residues. Evidently, these tools were used for processing taro. Further, the starch grains resembled those of cultivated rather than wild taro. Date: about 28,000 years ago.

 

3)     Evidence for plant cultivation in North America shows that it Began at least how many years ago?  Refer to http://www.rain.org/global-garden/history/garden-history-precolumbian.html

10,000

 

as with the debate on the origin or agriculture there continue to be many opinions about the origin of agriculture in north America. 

 

By 2,000 B.C. in the eastern Woodlands, Native Americans were planting and harvesting at least four indigenous seed plants, marking the beginning -of their transition from foragers to farmers. Maize arrived from Mexico about A.D. 200, but for six hundred years thereafter core' was not a major food source. After A.D. 800, intensive maize agriculture spread quickly and widely throughout the- Eastern Woodlands as corn became a major staple of the 'diet. Why corn did not become widespread until after A.D. 800 remains a mystery; at first it may have been used only for religious and ceremonial purposes.

 

4)     Referring to the same page as question #3 list when the cultivation of maze (corn) began in North America?

 

800 a.d.

5)     Where was corn introduced into North America from?:

 

Mexico

 

6)     What is the name of the first cereal grain cultivated by humans for food? Refer to http://www.rain.org/global-garden/history/iron-age-crops.html

 

7)     What is the Ancient Farm Project?  Refer to http://www.rain.org/global-garden/science/ancient-farm.html

 

 

8)     List 2 important crops grown in the Ancient Farm Project.  http://www.rain.org/global-garden/ancient-farm-plants-images.html

 

9)     Define “Sustainable Agriculture”.  How does it apply to modern food production?  Refer to http://www.rain.org/global-garden/science/sustainable-agriculture-what-is.htm

 

 

 

10)                        What is another name for “Jeffersons Plows”?  Refer to http://www.rain.org/global-garden/garden-jeffsons-plough-2.html

 

11)                        List the 4 basic groups which gardens can be divided into.  Refer to http://www.rain.org/global-garden/history-of-agriculture-students.html

 

 

 

12)                        Work in Jefferson’s garden at Monticello is discussed between the years 1794 and ____ in the study lesson located at http://www.rain.org/global-garden/garden-ploughing-monticello.html .  Please fill in the last date.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is  Gardening?

 

 

1)               Define what organic gardening is.  Refer to http://www.rain.org/global-garden/what-is-gardening.html

 

 

2)                List 4 things which help a plant grow.  Refer to

          http://www.rain.org/global-garden/science/garden-seed-    growth.html

 

3)               What is the “Plant Nutrient Cycle”?  Refer to http://www.rain.org/global-garden/science/soil3.html#nutrbg

 

4)               What is “Findhorn”?  Refer to http://www.rain.org/global-garden/humanities/garden-links-gardens.html

 

 

5)               What is “The Farm?”  Where is it located?  Refer to http://www.rain.org/global-garden/humanities/garden-links-gardens.html

 

6)               Define “Eco-Design”.  Refer to http://www.rain.org/global-garden/humanities/eco-design.html

:

7)               What type of soil is best for vegetables?

Vegetable plants grow best in a fertile, well-drained soil of loamy texture. Sandy loam soils, well-supplied with organic matter, are easily worked and are quite productive. Unfortunately, many gardens do not contain such soils.

Very coarse, sandy soils dry out rapidly and are difficult to maintain at a high level of fertility. Clay soils are hard to work and usually remain wet until late in the spring. These soils are often yellow or dark brown and sticky when wet; or grayish in color where drainage is poor. Clay soils tend to form a hard crust after a heavy rain and become so compacted that the plant's root system is deprived of essential oxygen required for growth. Clay and sandy soils must be modified for successful vegetable gardening.

 

8)               What type of soil is best for flowers?

         Flowering  plants grow best in a fertile, well-drained soil of loamy texture. Sandy loam soils, well-supplied with organic matter, are easily worked and are quite productive. Unfortunately, many gardens do not contain such soils.

Very coarse, sandy soils dry out rapidly and are difficult to maintain at a high level of fertility. Clay soils are hard to work and usually remain wet until late in the spring. These soils are often yellow or dark brown and sticky when wet; or grayish in color where drainage is poor. Clay soils tend to form a hard crust after a heavy rain and become so compacted that the plant's root system is deprived of essential oxygen required for growth. Clay and sandy soils must be modified for successful vegetable gardening.

 

 

9)               Can you grow a garden in a desert?  If yes give an example.

           Yes – best to select several web sites with Desert Botanical Gardens as examples.

 

10)          Define Bio-intensive Gardening? Refer to http://www.rain.org/global-garden/bio-intensive.html

 

11)          How much water does an average vegetable garden take per day when it is starting?  How much water per day by mid-season?

2 hour water at ½ gal per hour on each drip

 

12)          How many hours of sun light a day does an average garden need?

 

10 hours a day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Compost

 

 

1)     Does compost play a role in farming?  If yes describe what compost is used for.

 Compost provides essential nutrients for plant growth.

 

2)     Is composting a type of recycling?  If yes describe how. 

Yes.  Composting recycles a tremendous amount of the food we would otherwise through away.

 

3)     What is vermicomposting?

Composting with worms.

 

4)     Who wrote about composting 2000 years ago?  Refer to http://www.rain.org/global-garden/compost-basics.html

 

 

5)     List 6 factors which affect the process of a compost.  Refer to http://www.rain.org/global-garden/compost-basics.html

 

6)     Can you maintain a compost indoors?  If yes, describe how

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7)     Can compost be used to grow food people eat?

Yes

 

8)     Is there a difference between compost from kitchen waste and compost from yard and garden cuttings? If there is a difference please describe

Different grass cuttings, vegetables and other organic matter will have different levels of nitrogen (green) and other nutrients.

 

9)     Compost creates soil.  How does kitchen waste or garden clippings become soil?  In other words what makes the compost do what it does?

     What Makes Composting Happen

The bacteria, bugs, and fungi that make compost are in all of our gardens. If you simply place grass clippings, leaves and other yard trimmings into a pile, they will turn into compost — eventually. Composting this way may take a year or two, and may never get hot enough to kill weeds and pests. The following sections explain how to prepare a "complete diet" for quicker and hotter composting decomposers.

A Balanced Diet
The bacteria that do most of the work in a compost pile thrive with a roughly equal mix of fresh, succulent "green" trimmings such as grass clippings; and woodier "brown" materials like autumn leaves. "Greens" are rich in nitrogen, which bacteria use to grow. "Browns" contain carbon, which provides energy for the bacteria. A compost pile with too many "greens" can turn into a smelly, gooey mess. A pile of mostly "brown" materials will take years to decompose.

Small Particles
Small particles are easier for decomposers to eat than large ones. Chopping coarse trimmings with a shovel or machete, cutting them up with pruners, or running them through a shredder or lawn mower will speed decomposition.

Adequate Moisture
Materials that are moist but not dripping wet — like a wrung out sponge, are ideal for composting. If compost gets too dry then the pile must be pulled apart and wetted with a spray as it is restacked. Sprinkling from above as not an effective way to rewet a dry pile.

Good Aeration
The most efficient decomposers need a steady supply of fresh air. If a compost pile is too wet or compacted for air to get in, then slower working "anaerobic" bacteria take over which generate unpleasant odors and compounds that inhibit plant growth. Turning piles and mixing in coarse, dry materials such as straw or wood chips will keep the materials loose and aerated.

 

10)                        Why would a trash heap or other pile of waste not compost?

Lack of moisture is one possibility.  Lack of air for bacteria to grow in.

 

11)                        Which of these materials composts the most quickly?

 

1)     zucchini

2)     pumpkins

3)     tomatoes

4)     corn cobs

 

Tomatoes

 

 12) Which of these materials compost the most slowly?

 

1)     zucchini

2)     pumpkins

3)     tomatoes

4)     corn cobs

 

corn cobs

 

 

 

Gardening on the Space Station or

How does a garden grow in the classroom?

 

 

a.     Define “hydroponics

a technique of growing plants by suspending them with their roots in a nutrient solution or by rooting them in an inert material such as sand and supplying them with a nutrient solution.

Hydroponics, by definition, means working water. In practical use, it means growing plants in a solution of water and nutrients, without soil. For the home gardener, hydroponics is growing in a more efficient and productive manner, with less labor and time required. In most hydroponic systems, you also use less water and can grow in a smaller space than with conventional gardening.  

 Hydroponic tomatoes grown in perlite.

A 3-bay, controlled environment greenhouse

Hydroponic herbs grown in NFT (Nutrient Film Technique)

Hydroponic lettuce grown in an NFT (Nutrient Film Technique)

 In some hydroponic growing systems, an inert growing medium, such as perlite or rockwool, is used in place of soil This medium should be porous, stable and inert. Food and water are fed directly into the growing medium. In other hydroponic systems, no growing medium is used and the plant roots are suspended in a grow channel, where they receive fresh water, food, and oxygen.

In hydroponics you provide the exact nutrients your plants need, so they can develop and grow to their fullest potential.   .

In the classroom, a hydroponic garden allows hands-on learning in the areas of plant science, plant nutrition, plant physiology, plant care, nutrient and pH testing, and agriculture. A unit in hydroponics also enforces practical uses of chemistry, mathematics, physics, and engineering. The monitoring of a hydroponic garden by students helps instill a sense of responsibility while enforcing skills in testing, analysis, experimentation, data recording, and critical thinking.