Assignment #2: Garden Implementation

Marc Leone 216 316 820

York University Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change

ENVS 3800 B Urban Gardening and Sustainability

Professor Silvia Vasquez-Olguin

July 18th, 2021

Reflection on the process:

The implementation of my garden has gone well luckily most of my crops have thrived
and I did not lose any early on. I’ve noticed that the bed that has fertilized soil has been much
more fruitful than the others. By using more fertile soil I’ve realized how in the future my
garden can be more sustainable by yielding a larger harvest in the same square footage. I’m
curious to see if there is any identifiable difference in quality from bed to bed and am expecting
the fertilized soil bed to yield better quality. With regards to food justice, I’m very fortunate to
have the opportunity to grow culturally relevant foods for my family and I on our property. For
example, the majority of my chosen crops were ones that we have with experience cooking and
growing such as Tomatoes, Basil, Parsley, Eggplant and so on. The act of gardening is a way to
bond with family, be more thoughtful about one’s diet and maintain a tradition of cultural food
and everyone should have an opportunity to garden in one way or another.

As someone who’s born and raised in Canada, I never considered how food security may
be an issue for other Canadians. I’ve come to realize that not everyone can afford to eat the
healthy food, and often prioritize affordability over health. I think gardening is a great way to
make privileged people acknowledge and appreciate how fortunate they are to buy high quality
produce. This has been the case in my family and has even led to a strong commitment to
reduce our carbon footprint and food waste. As a family we’ve come to realize how difficult it is
to grow herbs & vegetables. Instead of buying excess produce to latter throw out we’ve
become much more conscientious of our purchasing patterns to focus on eliminating waste.

Lastly with regards to eating habits our family garden has inspired us to eat more fresh
food and be more creative in the kitchen. Since we began prioritizing fresh food, we’ve noticed
a better quality of life. Personally, eating fresh food has made me feel more energized, happier
and inspired to take care of other parts of my health both physical and mental. Instead of
buying meat on sale and freezing it for months we’ve reduced our meat consumption and have
decided to eat it fresh by garnishing and marinading our meat dishes with fresh thyme,
rosemary and parsley. By utilizing our garden our eating habits have changed for the better
with regards to sustainability, quality and taste.

Implementation; Issues and Solutions:

The early stages of my garden were as successful as possible with almost no lost crops
however the following issues have arisen.

Issue 1: Over watering and Burning

As mentioned in my proposal I had my irrigation system set to water my plants at dawn
daily. I aim to have the top 2-4 inches of soil moist but with recent higher than normal levels of
precipitation in July I’ve noticed my beds are moister than expected. Having excess moisture
and water may lead to the plants not retaining as much nutrients as possible (Reich, 2017). I’ve
even noticed some plants have been crisped by the sun due to there being water on the leaves
during hot sunny days (Appendix A).

Solution: adjust sprinkler system based on past and expected weather events
To combat this issue, I’ve decided to become more proactive with my watering schedule
and have made it more bespoke rather than automated. Firstly, I pay close attention to the
moisture levels in the beds if there is more than I desire I adjust the sprinklers. If there is
expected heavy rain, I will turn off the irrigation for the day before and of rain depending on
the rainfall. So far, I’ve been able to maintain a healthy moisture level by adapting my irrigation
patterns to work in unison with natural weather occurrences.

Issue: Overgrowth
This was my first year growing habanero peppers and I was not previously aware of how
large the plant is which has caused some overgrowth in my beds. The habanero plants have
begun to latch onto my nearby air conditioner and wall which is a less than ideal region for
them (Appendix B)

Solution: Staking plants and trimming

To combat this issue, I installed lattice for the plant to latch on to while trimming nearby
plants and branches that were occupying critical real estate for my habanero peppers. I’ve
begun to notice an improvement and better maintenance but there is still improvement to be
made. In the worst-case scenario, I may consider transplanting the crop into a planter.

Issue: Pests
Early on in the season I noticed some critters and pests were eating my crops. Whether
it be chewing the roots or the leaves the plants life was at threat.

Solution: Coyote Urine

As mentioned in my proposal I’ve continuously used coyote urine to deter these critters
like raccoons and rabbits. So far, the urine has been very effective and has allowed my plants to
thrive pest free.

Resources and Plants:

The resources I had available at the beginning of the season have been a huge factor in
the success of my garden such as my irrigation system, raised plastic beds and fertilized soil.
Although my irrigation system has needed some scheduling refinements it has been a great
help in ensuring my plants are adequately watered. The raised plastic beds have done an
exceptional job retaining my soil. Lastly, the fertilized soil has yielded a noticeable increase in
crop yield.

As shown in my proposal I planted the following crops:

Vegetables
2 Beef Steak Tomatoes
2 San Marzano Tomatoes
2 Habanero Peppers
2 Cucumbers
2 Aubergines
4 Lettuce
2 Spinach

Herbs
3 Mint
2 Dill
6 Basil
3 Thyme
3 Chives
 Appendices

Appendix A

Appendix B
 Works Cited

Reich, L. (2017, August 15). Wet weather brings garden problems. CTVNews.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/wet-weather-brings-garden-problems-1.3546379.