Leadership Projects
Interns will be required to complete three leadership projects (one from each group). Each intern will be required to present a project plan and/or results to the intern group. Interns could also present project to outside organizations to accomplish the communications project requirements. The following are ideas for projects. Interns may select them or develop new projects that are similar.
Project Plan
1. Present your plan to group
2. Document initial project information on your web page
3. Do your project and record whatever is appropriate on your web page
4. Review and present your results to the group
Garden Projects
Garden projects will be used to directly improve garden production.
Bird House Project
Problem: We need to reduce garden pests
Solution(s): Attract inset eating birds with bird houses
Species Attracted:
Bird Diet:
Installation Instructions: (Spacing, height on pole, etc.)
Bird House Plan:
Construction: Request needed materials and construct two birdhouses.
Communication: Communicate your plan for your bird houses to the group.
Leadership: (What leadership skills/traits will this project help you with)
Mason Bee Project
Problem: We need to improve pollination
Solution(s): Build two mason bee lodge(s)
Species attracted:
Installation Instructions: (Spacing, height on pole, etc.)
Bee Lodge Plan:
Construction: Request needed materials and construct bee lodge(s).
Communication: Communicate your plan for mason bee houses to the group.
Leadership: (What leadership skills/traits will this project help you with)
Bat House Project
Problem: We need to reduce garden pests
Solution(s): Build two bat houses.
Species attracted:
Installation Instructions: (Spacing, height on pole, etc.)
Bat House Plan:
Construction: Request needed materials and construct bat house(s).
Communication: Communicate your plan for houses to the group.
Leadership: (What leadership skills/traits will this project help you with)
Seed Variety Comparison
Problem: We need to determine which seed varieties will work best.
Solution: Identify which seed varieties produce the most at the earliest date.
Test: Plant and mark portion of a row with different variety of seeds. Identify the harvest date and record harvest results for each variety.
Document: Document the harvest date and amount produced from each variety.
Communication: Communicate your findings to the group.
Leadership: (What leadership skills/traits) will this project help you with)
Starts Verses Seeds
Problem: Plant starts take a lot of work to setup. We need to know if this is a good idea.
Solution: Identify if plants started from seed or a start work better or not.
Test: Plant and mark portion of a row with starts and seeds. Identify the harvest date and record harvest results for each approach.
Document: Document the harvest date and amount produced for each approach.
Communication: Communicate your findings to the group.
Leadership: (What leadership skills/traits) will this project help you with)
Pest Prevention
Problem: Occasionally our plants are impacted by pests.
Solution: Identify a particular pest (plant or animal) in your garden and identify ways to control it
Test: Apply pest maintenance treatment.
Document: Document impact of your treatment.
Communication: Communicate your findings to the group.
Leadership: (What leadership skills/traits) will this project help you with)
Garden Improvement Comparison
Problem: We need ways to improve productivity in the garden.
Solution: Apply a garden procedure (mulch, new plant variety, fertilizer alternatives) and a control (where you don't do anyting).
Test: Apply the treatment to 1/2 or your area.
Document: Document your treatment and the results.
Communication: Communicate your findings to the group.
Leadership: (What leadership skills/traits) will this project help you with)
Education Projects
Education projects will be used to build our up our knowledge base to better understand how market gardening is and how modern practices are being used to meet the food needs of our community and to feed the hungry. Results of projects will be documented for presentation on the garden web page and will be presented to the intern group.
Field Trip
Problem: We need to know more about market gardens in Polk County.
Solution: Lead a field trip to a local site. Prepare and assign information (questions) that interns will obtain during visit.
Communication: Write up information about field trip (100 words or so) to place on our web site and present to the group.
Leadership: (What leadership skills/traits) will this project help you with)
Sites: Dallas Bounty Market, Master Gardeners Demonstration Garden, Monmouth Independence Farmers Market, Local Gardens, Local Farms (Dean will help coordinate contact with site)
Hunger Research Project
Problem: We need to know more about hunger in Oregon and how our food production helps.
Solution: Research, collect, and compile information about hunger in Oregon.
Communication: Present information (100 words or so) to place on our web site and present to the group.
Leadership: (What leadership skills/traits will this project help you with)
Sustainable Gardening Research Project
Problem: The word "sustainable" gets used in many ways in farming and market gardening. We need to know more about what sustainable practices are.
Solution: Research, collect, and compile information about sustainable farming practices in Oregon.
Communication: Present information (100 words or so) to place on our web site and present to the group.
Leadership: (What leadership skills/traits will this project help you with)
Food Prep Project
Problem: We need to know and communicate how produce grown in our garden can be prepared.
Solution: Take produce home, find a recipe you like, prepare produce bring it back.
Communication: Write up recipe and tell group about what you made.
Leadership: (What leadership skills/traits) will this project help you with)
Container Garden Project
Problem: Can our plants be successfully grown at home in an container garden.
Solution: Take starts or seeds home and plant.
Communication: Make a log of what you planted, what grew, and how your family used it.
Leadership: (What leadership skills/traits) will this project help you with)
Communication Projects
Communication projects will focus on providing information about the garden to our partners and the public.
Garden Videos
Problem: We need to communicate how our garden is being used to produce vegetables.
Solution: Create a video from individual pictures that shows weekly a plant growing from a seed or start to vegetable production or a group of rows of your garden.
Communication: Post your video to YouTube and the Garden Web Site
Leadership: (What leadership skills/traits will this project help you with)
Partner Presentation
Problem: Our partners need to be information of our garden progress.
Communication / Solution: Assist garden supervisors with a presentation to our partners. Be prepared to discuss your garden and your intership.
Leadership: (What leadership skills/traits will this project help you with)
County Fair Poster
Problem:We need to communicate information about our garden to the public.
Solution: Create a poster for presentation to the County Fair.
Communication: Present your poster at the fair. This could be stand alone poster OR you can use it as a visual aid for a presentation.
Leadership: (What leadership skills/traits will this project help you with)
County Fair Presentation
Problem:We need to communicate information about our garden to the public.
Solution: Create a presentation about a garden topic. This could be results of a research project, field trip, or garden project.
Communication: Make your presentation at the County Fair.
Leadership: (What leadership skills/traits will this project help you with)
T-Shirts
Problem:We need a way to identify our team when meeting with the public.
Solution: Design, order and manage the purchase of t-shirts for garden interns.
Leadership: (What leadership skills/traits will this project help you with)
Letter To Editor
Problem:We need expand communication about the garden and publicly thank our partners.
Solution: Write a letter to the editor thanking our partners.
Leadership: (What leadership skills/traits will this project help you with)