Rory's Garden
Intern Profile
I want to work at the garden because: I think that working at the garden will give me excellent leadership skills, and also give me a realistic expectation of an internship or job experience, and help me grow leadership skills and learn better time management.
Two of my personal goals for working at the Dallas Youth Garden this summer are:
1. Produce quality work and plants.
2. Learn how to help others and be a better leader.
Two things I hope to learn for working at the Dallas Youth Garden are:
1. How to properly grow plants and veggies.
2. How to properly tend for and weed a garden.
I think my biggest challenge will be: I think that learning how to properly keep out weeds and adequately exterminate bugs will be a large challenge for me, I also think that learning how to balance sports, school, and my other activities will be a challenge.
My favorite vegetable or fruit is: My favorite fruit is an orange.
I hope to contribute this to the garden this year: I hope to be a supportive peer and a helpful partner, and also be a good example of work ethic and responsibility.
Garden Plan:
Vegetables and Flowers Planted (list in order):
Zinnia
Zucchini
Radish
Yellow patty pan
Onion
Cabbage
Tomato
Carrots
Dill
Pumpkin
Lettuce
Yellow squash
Beets
My last 3 rows were a mix of yellow squash, yellow patty pan, patty pan, and acorn squash
Rows of vegetables planted: 13
Number of different kinds of vegetables planted: 14
Planned Garden Yield: 355
Total Biggest Producer: Zucchini- 89.3
Time Sheet:
May Days Off: 5
Extra Days: 0
Days Late: 0
June Days Off: 0
Extra Days: 0
Days Late: 0
July Days Off: 0
Extra Days: 1
Days Late: 0
August Days Off: 0
Extra Days: 0
Days Late: 0
September Days Off: 0
Extra Days: 1
Days Late: 0
Total Days Off: 5
Final Thoughts:
My favorite vegetable was Pumpkin
Because: It was really cool to see the processes that it went through. It had different cycles and turned different colors.
My most productive vegetable was zucchini and I harvested 89.3 Pounds.
My least productive vegetable was Lettuce and I harvested .2 Pounds.
My total harvest for the year was 307.6 Pounds.
My favorite job was: Picking the vegetables/produce.
My least favorite job was: Spreading paper and straw.
I could have done better at: . Weeding in the beginning.
I did the best I could doing: Picking very thoroughly.
The two things I learned most at the garden this year were:
1. How to keep a time sheet
2. How to adequately keep a garden.
Garden Log:
May 1-7: Zoom meetings and planned my garden.
May 8-14: Planted my garden
May 15-21: Planted my garden
May 22-28 : I spread straw and finished planting my garden. I also learned how the mulching process works.
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June 5-11: I weeded and replanted any squash that needed to be replanted. I also spread straw, and replanted onions.
June 12-18: I finished straw and harvested radishes. I did tomato cages and weeded, and also did lime on the squash and tomato.
June 19-25: I weeded, and also took a lettuce that was thinned out from one of my peer's garden and put it mine because my lettuce hasn't started growing.
June 26-July 2: I spread bark and weeded my dill, I also cleaned out my radish row and began to harvest zucchini.
July 3-9: I weeded my carrots and around some of my squash. I continued to harvest zucchini.
July 10-16: I weeded my onion and zinnia, and also began to tie up my tomatoes into their cages. I also harvested a few beets and weeded squash.
July 17-23: I weeded zuccini and also continued to harvest.
July 24-30: I did another bout of fish fertilizer and weeded my onions once more (because weeds grow like crazy!). I continued to harvest vegetables and beets and discovered that I planted more than one kind of patty pan!
July 31- August 6: I weeded my squash and harvested all of my squash and harvested on of my cabbages that was splitting. I continued to tie up my tomato plants.
August 7-12: I weeded my onions and carrots, and continued harvesting squash, and tomatoes. I also started to pick pumpkin.
August 13-20: I continued harvesting squash and tomatoes and also pumpkins.
August 21- 27: I harvested all of my carrots, cabbage and onion. I continued to harvest all of my squash and tomatoes of color.
August 28- September 3: I continued to pick things, and also wacked all of the tall weeds and any plants that aren't producing. My dill included.
September 4-10: I continued harvesting tomatoes and summer squash, and also continued to pull things that weren't producing.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 cup Panko
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 zucchini, quartered lengthwise
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten
How to Cook It:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a cooling rack with nonstick spray and place on a baking sheet; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine Panko, Parmesan and Italian seasoning; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
Working in batches, dredge zucchini in flour, dip into eggs, then dredge in Panko mixture, pressing to coat.
Place zucchini onto prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.
Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Picture:
Food Assistance:
Date Attended: 9/1/21
What did you help with? I helped carry the table and produce outside. I also helped give out food to people who came to the table, and went out to the corner and held a sign so that people knew we were there. I also helped bring everything back in.
What were people like? Most of the people were very kind, they were really grateful for the food, and one person even gave a donation (they wouldn't take no for an answer.) There were a few rude people that drove by, saying unkind things or making rude gestures, but other than that, everyone was very kind.
What did you learn? I learned that people are grateful for you, even if you do small things for them. I also learned that there will always be rude people, even if you're doing the right thing.
Public Speaking
Date: Tuesday, July 13th(2021)
Organization: The Dallas Rotary Club
Approximate number of audience: About 25
Presentation Length:It was about 4 minutes.
Presentation: I told them who I was, what my favorite vegetable was, what I found challenging in the garden, and why I wanted to work at the garden.
How it went: In the beginning it seemed relatively difficult but while presenting it was casual and simple.
What leadership skill was needed: I think that giving a positive example was necessary for this specific public speaking event. The Rotary Club folks asked a few questions at the end and I stepped in and answered most of them. I think that answering the questions at the end seem more scary than it actually was to others, mostly because there was no script for them to follow.
Booth Participation
Date: Sunday, July 25th
Organization: Rotary Breakfast In the Park
People Encountered: About 15
Presentation: I told them my name, what we grow and do at the garden, that I'm and intern and some other general things about the garden.
How it went: It was hard in the beginning because I was awkward but after a few people I felt more comfortable.
Why was it important to do this: I think that it was a great team building experience and also a great way to learn how to talk to people and learn how to man a booth.
What did you learn: I learned ways to make people feel more comfortable, how to connect with people I don't know, and also I learned how to let others learn and step back.
