Updates from Friday March 3rd at the Rooftop Garden:
Before gardening at the rooftop garden, we met with Joey at GNH. She was pleased with the garden map and gave us some good feedback regarding how to move forward, and what to do with the crop planning map.
While gardening we discussed the farm sites. She revealed that two sites, including the rooftop garden receive more sun, the other two sites are get less sun. Therefore a goal for these two sites, is to research and get asian greens growing, as well as other greens.
Achievements:
- Weed-ing at the rooftop garden.
- Completed some companion crop research for Joey.
- Completed seed inventory for GNH, helped to organize current seed stock.
Objectives:
- Complete the crop planning map, so we can help implement it as soon as possible.
- Provide Joey with the companion planting information so that she can set up which goes where in terms of the boxes on the rooftop garden: she wants a list of the companion plants for the rooftop garden. ie: Tomatoes and Basil
- Joey also asked us if we could look into flowers which could be useful in the rooftop garden, ones that attract beneficial insects and pollinators. As well as, flowers that are native to BC, and detract the pests we don’t want. We have to keep in mind and avoid flowers that spread a lot, as they will affect the ability to grow food.
- Review the west coast seeds inventory, so that Joey knows what they have available:
Update from Monday March 6th:
One of us met with Joey to help her with a Flyer for the garden volunteer meeting. The goal was to have as many flyers out before the meeting to generate more interest. The meeting is to take place Thursday March 16th at 1:30pm for all those interested in regular involvement with the community gardens! Joey and I collaborated to make the flyer that would be put around GNH and nearby community centres.
Objective and Achievement: To create and finish the flyer by March 8th which was achieved
Updates from Friday March 10th:
Two of us were able to meet Joey at the Rooftop garden today!
Achievements:
- We weeded many of the plots that currently contain healthy growing garlic and leeks.
- Cleaned up some of the harder plots before the corporate volunteer group comes in Tuesday 14th.
- Completed the up to date current (as of March 10th) crop growing at the Rooftop garden (below) Deadline was set for March 14th.
Upcoming Objectives & To- Do’s
- Continue working on the Crop plan excel sheet, using a timeline, and colour codes.
- Continue researching on Companion Planting
- Weekly gardening at the Rooftop garden Friday’s 1:45-4pm
- Check in with Will about soil testing and get back to Joey. She was excited about the possibility of this, and is curious of the scope.
Freshly picked greens including Sorrel, Kale, and Arugula
Significant Moments
Our graph that we created in tutorial
What
In the last few weeks, we have visited the rooftop garden multiple times, and each visit has markedly brought direction, but also motivation and change. As per our last blog entry, we discussed how our first visit to the rooftop garden was a profound moment for our group. This has continued to be a theme, as each visit leaves us feeling refreshed and enthusiastic. These sessions with Joey are significant milestones for us as they serve as a reminder of why we are here, why we chose this project, and how we can use our skills to bring something worthwhile to the community.
So What
As you can see from our graphs, our collective uncertainty peaked substantially around the proposal’s due date but decreased as we started visiting the garden. Initially, the objectives of our project were not clearly defined, we had a general idea of what direction we were going in, but our project as a whole was still relatively nebulous. We think it is so important to note that our moments of significant change, as well as a decrease in uncertainty, revolved around visiting the garden. It is also important to note that uncertainty for us isn’t defined by whether or not we have a clear course, but rather how much trust we have in the process. This idea has been a huge learning curve for us. To know that uncertainty isn’t whether or not we are aware the definitive answer, but through collaboration and creativity, we will find an answer.
We know that our project will likely change to some degree and that the next few weeks will bring unexpected roadblocks. We welcome the oscillations in emotion and knowledge (as represented in our graphs) as according to Shuman (2005), this is where growth happens. We also welcome the areas of uncertainty and anxiety going forward, as we have learned that these times are quickly followed by resolution and clarity (LFS 350 Session 7 Notes, 2017).
Now what
As we have become increasingly more comfortable with uncertainty, our next focus is to remain mindful of our direction and “scope”. We recognize that the objectives of our group and our community partner may polarize and this deviation is part of the beauty of interdisciplinary teams. However, we are bounded by many constraints as students and working within this scope will be paramount to our success (LFS 350 Session 7 Notes, 2017).
We understand that keeping lines of communication open with each other and with our community partner is essential for maintaining our scope. We will use our graphs to record our emotions/skills and knowledge through this next phase. Any significant decrease from “baseline” will warrant a conversation with each other or Joey and will give us an opportunity to reflect on our progress and either continue to move forward or re-evaluate our current projection.
THE GRACEFUL DISMOUNT
Our group’s strategy for successful project completion is unique because we are continuously adapting and building up for this project. Our initial project with Joey was to create a site map (as outlined in our proposal), however, we have completed this, and are moving onto different projects to further the productivity and efficiency of the rooftop garden (i.e. working on a crop planning map, and companion planting research). Hence, to stay on track and to ensure successful project completion, we are aiming for constant communication between group members and checking in with each other on progress and deadlines. We are also aware that all of us will be very busy at the end of March and we will try our best to plan and manage our times wisely. Our goal from the start of this project is to assist Joey with urban farming activities at GNH, primarily with the rooftop garden. We, as a group, agree that we have stayed true to our goal and are still continuing towards this goal. Therefore, as long as we stay true to our goal and stick to constant communication, we can strive for a successful completion of our project.
References:
LFS 350 Session 7 Notes. (2016). Uncertainty in the Learning Environment. Retrieved on March 9th, from http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:LFS350/Week_08
Shulman, L. S. (2005). Pedagogies of uncertainty. Liberal Education, 91(2), 18–25. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ697350.pdf