Sprouting Seeds!

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve planted my seeds and they’re growing marvelously! It might be due to the unusually warm weather and the amount of rain we’ve had lately, but the little guys are sprouting! I go to water them on the days it doesn’t rain and see their little heads peak out, and oh, do I feel proud. I have a warm sort of affection towards them. The strange unseasonal humidity is doing them good. As usual, I’ve been continuing the composting with the 4^th graders. They are just enthralled with the growing plants- I point out to them the barely visible buds sprouting out of the dirt. Today, I turned in my rough draft for my research paper, which was supposed to be a minimum of eight pages and maximum of twelve, but turned out to be a whopping 16 pages- and I used mainly two resources. I know, I’m a little crazy. But, I’ve been learning a lot as the result of all my research and it fascinates me! I had a lot to say and so I couldn’t bring myself to limit my typing. Now, I must focus on applying for a grant in order to pay for everything involved in my project. It’s due November 9^th and I’m pretty confident that I will get it. I shall keep everyone updated! Recently I was doing some reading and came across the idea of perhaps organizing some sort of 4^th grade field trip where they all go to visit one of our local farms. Then, they can really see how a local, organic farm really operates, which I think would be beneficial to their understanding of local, organic, and seasonal food.  I suppose if I wanted to do that, it would have to be within the next few weeks, so I need to have a meeting with the 4^th grade teachers to see what they think of the idea. ‘til next Friday!

Starting to plant!

Another week, and much more progress under my belt! At least, as far as my actual project goes. Like I said last week, this past Saturday and Sunday, my dad and I worked on the raised beds. Lisa helped out a little too. My dad especially has been extremely supportive of my project, having dedicated multiple hours and much sweat to help building the raised beds. In fact, this past Saturday after I took the SAT, I came to meet my dad at Oakbrook to find out he had been working all morning on getting my raised beds ready to start planting ASAP! He built posts along each corner of each bed for more support as well as for the purpose of putting plastic tarps over the plants once the winter comes. He basically made mini green houses, with as much help and support as I was able to give. I didn't realize how much he'd been working on it that day. It was one of those times I realized what a great support system and family I have. The dump truck of dirt was delivered earlier that morning, costing about $210. Thankfully, the man was nice enough to dump the load in three separate piles, each on one of the raised beds to save our backs a lot of ache and sweat. Today I met with the 4th grade teachers to converse over how to get the 4th grade involved with the planting. Since there are so many of them, I didn't want the process to be chaotic. I have decided to dedicate one raised bed to each 4th grade class (there are 3 in all). Tomorrow during my 3rd period, I believe Mrs. West's class will come and help me plant the 1st bed, which involves only dropping the seeds in the rows and covering them up again with dirt, so it shouldn't take too long. Then again during my 7th period, Mrs. Lummus and Mrs. Nethery's classes together will come out and help me with the remaining 2 beds. We'll see how this goes- hopefully nothing will go wrong. Also, I want to get the 5th grade involved with the composting. The garden and compost bin are right outside their window, and it seems unfair for them to have to see it all day and not be able to be a part of it! It would be really easy for them to compost. Every day, just stick the bucket outside the window and it's done.

As for my research paper, I have continued reading my book, which is one of my sources, but I have done little else. The hardest part for me right now is making time to do research and planning out how I’m going to start my paper. With this deadline so far away, I have been pushing it to the back of my priorities, but now that it is approaching, I must get started quickly! This weekend, I will set aside time to work on this for at least a few hours. The other hard part about this is, I’m supposed to have finished reading my book for my research and finding time to do that as well as do other research is challenging because I am already so busy as it is. For those of you who don’t know, my thesis is this: Buying foods locally that are grown in the area is more energy efficient, environmentally friendly, and economically efficient. I have discovered through my book that “buying your goods from local businesses rather than national chains generates about three times as much money for your local economy” and that “cultivation of land meets the needs of the farmer, the neighbors, and the community, and keeps people independent from domineering centralized powers”. Well, that’s all I have for now- hopefully by next week, I will have accomplished much more. Thanks for reading!

Lagging behind...

Unfortunately I have not had much progress this past week with my Senior Project. I've only been continuing to compost roughly every other day and reading my book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. This Saturday, I am going to shovel topsoil into my raised beds with my dad and sister. I plan to actually start planting seeds in the classroom next week- tomorrow I will talk to the 4th grade teachers and discuss whether they want the 4th graders involved in the actual planting. Also, the deadline for the grant is coming up fast, so I need to start on that! Pronto! As for the research paper, the rough draft is due by the end of this month, and I haven't really started preparing for that, other than reading my book, which is only one source of my supposed five. Deadlines approach soon! I don't know how I will apply for the grant and begin my research paper at the same time- that will be interesting. I have decided to focus my thesis on this: that buying locally and/or growing ones own food is much more economically friendly and energy efficient. Buying food at your local Ingles is not living on foods grown locally, just to clear that up! Though buying foods grown locally might be a little more expensive, it is worth the money- which is what I want to argue. It is overall better for the environment and people's welfares to buy local foods. Also, reading Animal , Vegetable, Miracle has made me realize that I want to grow my own food someday and live, for the most part, on foods that I can tangibly harvest. As well as buy foods locally that I am unable to grow or get by myself (like regional honey). Yes, how very 19th century of me, but I plan to do it. My sisters have agreed to join me. We all want to live on a communal farm together! This is of course, one of our idealistic dreams, but someday it may become a reality! Well, hopefully I will have more to say next week!