Great Plains Gardening
August 6, 2004
One of the most satisfying days of summer every year, for me, is being involved with the 4-H youth of the county on their Exhibit Day. This year I was pleased to have served as superintendent in the Sciences and Natural Resources division. At this all day affair, the 4-Hers are interviewed by a judge who questions them about all aspects of their project and also their involvement in club and community concerns. To hear them speak about their "learning and doing" makes one aware that our future will one day be in very good hands if they continue in their present path.
There were five entries in the garden and horticultural division and all of them were rated champions and their posters and records will go on to the Colorado State Fair. If you missed seeing them on Monday, I encourage you to check them out when they are on display at our county fair in September.
One young lady had concentrated on drip irrigation management for her garden, having installed one this year. I was especially interested in this as I had written an article about it quite some time back and was curious as to how it actually worked for someone local. It seems the drip irrigation worked well, but the rabbits were enjoying the fruits more than the family!
Another project dealt with hydroponics. She had a cabbage plant growing without soil in her display. Are you aware that there are green houses growing vegetables in water? Perhaps, if I find more information, I will incorporate this into an article one day. It was a very interesting presentation.
One young man had researched the differences in the nutritional value of fresh, canned and frozen fruits and vegetables. His poster showed graphs and charts of comparisons. I will not tell you the results. Check them out at the Fair and I think you will be surprised at some of the findings. He had managed to find his mother wrong in her ideas in a some cases.
I have written several times about pesticides and their alternatives in the garden. Another young man’s project dealt with that subject in a very eye catching poster titled, "Avoid Friendly Fire". I thought his presentation was very good and educational. We do need to protect our friendly insect helpers.
Another champion project was one concerning photosynthesis with a poster titled, "It’s Hard Being Green". One thinks that a plant is green, so what! Her experiment and pictures will educate the average person that green IS hard.
In layman’s terms, photosynthesis enables the plant to manufacture its own food using carbon dioxide from the air, water from the soil and light from the sun. Anyone that has studied botany will understand the complexity of the combination and also the chemical equations for the process.
This really was not a gardening issue, per se, this week, but I felt it important to give credit to our young people who are involved in horticultural projects and their efforts to educate others in their community. Those in FFA projects are also included in this group, and I imagine there are also others of which I am not aware.
Until next time…