October 12th Update

We are harvesting more cucumbers today! They are seemingly flourishing and producing cucumbers at a faster rate than anticipated. The trellis is having a positive effect by supporting the weight of the cucumbers. 

We are now seeing the development of our first tomatoes! The tomato plants are very bushy, and we noticed that there are a lot of tomatoes growing throughout the entire area of the plant. They are small at this point however, as they get closer to harvest there will be some hefty sizes due to the cultivar.  

Our marigold cover crops are starting to flower! We have marigold flowers that are this red with a yellow undertone flower and a pure yellow flower. Our marigold flowers will be used as a cover crop to attract beneficial insects. We are hoping to use our marigold flowers as an example of our marketing as well.

Here is an example of our farm plot exhibiting biological control. Within the younger leaves of our cucumber our group noticed these larvae nesting. These larvae need to be removed from the leaves to prevent further damage to the plant. Once the larvae were removed and placed on the white plastic, the ants attacked the caterpillars.

We are seeing an example of beneficial insects pollinating! The bees are helping to spread the pollen and assist in fertilizing our plant to produce cucumbers. There have been a lot of bees around the farm plots and it is helpful to have flowering cover crops as well to aid in further pollination.