Tag Archives: Andy Smith

Groundhog adventures

We caught a groundhog on Saturday in one of the Havahart traps.  Andy Smith, Mike Jordan, and I then took him in a ride in Mike’s van and let him go across a field.  The poor thing was terrified!! But hopefully he’ll be fine now and won’t be munching on our veggies.

The trap is NOT set right now, but if you see signs of groundhogs, let me know and we’ll set it again.

Left: The little guy in the trap.  He looked so sad!

On the Right: Andy Smith and Mike Jordan getting him ready for the ride over to the field (and Andy’s videotaping him too, of course! 🙂 )

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Farewell for a couple weeks!!

Hey all,

I’m going to be away on an interim trip (to the national parks in AZ and UT) until June 13th.   I’ll be semi-reachable via email.  For anything urgent please contact Dave Brandes (Brandesd@lafayette.edu) or Andy Smith (Smitham@lafayette.edu)–they’re my excel advisors for the summer.

The plots are lookin’ GREAT!! Keep up the good work! 🙂

Happy gardening,

Jenn

Fence Building–Again this Saturday!

Hey everyone!!

We had a building day on Saturday thanks for the help from LEAP, the Music Appreciation floor, and some great faculty and staff including John Wilson, Andy Smith, Dave Brandes, and Annette Diorio for all the help!  We got about half of the fence posts up, so we’re planning on having another building day this coming Saturday, May 9th at 7AM.

Thanks to Mr. Jim Krivoski for buying doughnuts! 😀

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These fence posts are native black locust trees from Prof. John Wilson’s farm.

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We finished one side and most of the other.   This is where the gate is going to be located.

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Professor Wilson, Sean Murphy, Scott Stinner working on the corner.  In the back: Annette Diorio, Britta Moore, and little Jack working on putting up some posts.

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Paul Creme, Zeus Wu, and Prof. Andy Smith digging a hole.

Dickinson Farm Director, Jenn Halpin’s Visit!

Jenn Halpin came today and gave a presentation about the Dickinson Farm program.  It was a GREAT presentation and I think it really got everyone excited about our gardens here.  She was here all afternoon for visits and meetings. Here’s what we did:dsc00312

First, Jenn H. arrived and gave a brown bag presentation in Hugel 103.

Then, we had lunch with Professors Dave Brandes, Art Kney, Andy Smith and Annette Diorio at Gilberts for a Q & A for them!

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Then, we had a meeting with Dining Services, including Joe Binotto and Bob Meyer where we talked about serving vegetables in the dining halls.

Finally, we met with garden team students interested in helping starting the garden for more Q&A.

It was a great learning experience and we’re so grateful Jenn H. came and gave us advice!  Now we’ll have to go out there and visit sometime!

Jenn

VAST 221: Technology at the Table

Some exciting news!

Annette Diorio, associate dean of students and Director of Residential Life is teaching a VAST course #221 Technology at the Table and will be incorporating the garden project into the curriculum. One of the large projects during the semester will be for the students to divide into groups and create a design for the large 1-acre plot that students will be tending. They will be deciding what to plant, where to plant it, and when. After completing their designs, Professors Brandes, A. Smith, D. Smith, and Wilson will be judging the designs and choose the best one (or pieces of them) to implement in the garden.

Tonight I made a quick presentation to the class about the project. I’m very excited to be working with them! =)

Jenn

A New Website!

Hello everyone!

Welcome to the Organic Gardening website.  I’m glad you’re interested in learning about the garden project or getting involved or even getting a plot!  I’ll give a brief introduction to the project here, but for more details check out the “About the Project” section of the site.

The idea for the project came up while working on the Corn on the Quad project this past summer.  Professor Dave Brandes,  Prof. Art Kney, Prof. Andy Smith and I were working in the fields, er..the quad and thought it would be great to continue the project further and more permanently.  Professor Dave Brandes and I wrote a grant proposal to the Clinton Foundation and won a small grant to support the project.

The next semester, Prof. Brandes, Andy Smith, Derek Smith, John Wilson and I worked together with the school administration and plant operations to plan the gardens. It will consist of two sections: a 1-acre plot for students to tend and another 1-acre plot divided into small plots for faculty, staff, and administration to lease.  We’ll begin planting this March!

This website is going to be a tool for keeping people informed about the project.  I’ll be documenting the progress of the garden through pictures and blogs.  I’m hoping to keep the “Meet the Gardener” updated where I’ll put pictures and bios of those involved.

Thanks so much for your interest and support!  🙂

Jenn