ISABELLE’S GARDEN

PROFILE

I want to work at the garden because: I would love to grow a garden with friends and family in the future, and this is a great opportunity to gain knowledge and experience.

Two of my personal goals for working at the Dallas Youth Garden this summer are:

  1. Become more comfortable with speaking in groups.

  2. Not being afraid of taking action.

Two things I hope to learn from working at the Dallas Youth Garden are:

  1. The best way to prepare, grow, and harvest a garden.

  2. How to work in future jobs.

I think my biggest challenge will be: Not being such a perfectionist and instead allowing myself to move efficiently through my tasks.

My favorite vegetable or fruit is: Watermelon.

I hope to contribute this to the garden this year: Assistance and encouragement to those around me.

 GARDEN PLAN

Vegetables and Flowers Planted (list in order):

  1. Zinnia

  2. Tomato

  3. Cabbage

  4. Radish

  5. Beets

  6. Carrots

  7. Zucchini

  8. Lettuce

  9. Yellow Squash

  10. Dill

  11. Butternut squash

  12. Beans

  13. Marigold

  14. Onion

  15. Acorn Squash

  16. Patty Pan

  17. Beets

Rows of vegetables planted: Seventeen

Number of different kinds of vegetables planted: Sixteen

Planned Garden Yield: — 330 lbs

Planned Biggest Producer: Yellow Squash

Changes in my plan during planting: I added one cauliflower plant to my cabbage row. Later I had to do patty pans instead of peppers and added a second row of beets.

GARDEN LOG

  • May 2-4: Thursday we met at the garden and did introductions as well as went over the job description. Saturday we pulled the tarps from the green and put them away.

  • May 7-12: Tuesday we met through ZOOM and discussed the garden plans. Thursday we had off, but I used the time to finish me plan. Saturday I missed because I went to a tea with family.

  • May 14-18: Tuesday, we began planting and I got my Zinnias in. Thursday, I planted my tomatoes and a single cauliflower plant then watered. Saturday, I got my cabbages, radishes, beets, carrots, and zucchinis in the ground.

  • May 21-25: Tuesday, I planted mt lettuce and yellow squash, then watered. Thursday, I planted dill and butternut squash and watered. Saturday, I finished planting my garden in the morning, and helped work on the fence in the afternoon.

  • May 28 - June 1: Tuesday, I watered everything and began weeding. Thursday, I weeded more of my garden and watered. Saturday, I helped lay down paper and straw in other’s and my own garden, then I watered.

  • June 4 - 8: Tuesday, I weeded, watered and helped lay down straw. Thursday, I watered and weeded out the annoying sunflowers. Saturday, I watered and helped lay down paper and straw.

  • June 10 - 15: Tuesday, I watered and weeded around the beans and flowers. Thursday, I watered everything and continued to pull weeds from in the flowers. Saturday, we continued to lay down paper and straw, then I watered everything.

  • June 18 - 22: Tuesday, I began weeding and thinning my radishes and watered. Thursday, I continued weeding and Shelia helped with the beats, then I watered. Saturday, we finished laying down straw and paper and I watered everything.

  • June 25 - 29: I took off Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday because we were down in California.

  • July 2 - 6: Tuesday, I watered, weeded, and harvested radishes and lettuce. Thursday I watered my garden and a few others. Saturday, I watered and helped go around weeding out all the onions.

  • July 9 - 13: Tuesday, I watered and picked radishes, lettuce, and zucchinis. Thursday, I watered, picked zucchinis and squash, and weeded my carrots. Saturday, I watered and helped go around weeding beans.

  • July 16 - 20: Tuesday, I watered, picked lettuce and squash, and helped pick Connor’s lettuce. Thursday, I watered, harvested squash, and weeded. Saturday, I watered, picked, and helped weed.

  • July 23 - 27: Tuesday, I watered and picked a lot of lettuce. Thursday, I watered and weeded kinda everywhere. Saturday, I watered, picked, and weeded.

  • July 30 - August 3: Tuesday, I watered and picked and weeded. Thursday, I watered and picked squash. Saturday, I watered, weeded, and picked and then participated in the Open House.

  • August 6 - 10: Tuesday, I watered and picked many beans. Thursday, I watered, picked, and weeded. Saturday, I watered and helped weed out tomatoes.

  • August 13 - 17: Tuesday, I watered and picked, beans, squash, beets, and dill. Thursday I watered, picked, and weeded. Saturday, I watered, weeded, and picked through the thunder.

  • August 20 - 24: Tuesday, I watered and weeded and harvested. Thursday, I picked, watered, and weeded. Saturday, I watered and helped pick and weed.

  • August 27 - 31: Tuesday, I watered and picked. Thursday, I picked, watered, and weeded a little. Saturday, we left early and I only watered and picked.

  • September 3 - 7: Tuesday, I harvested and watered. Thursday we only watered because of the heat.

Final Thoughts:


My favorite garden vegetable was: This ear i enjoyed my beans.

Because: I did a little experiment and left two to see how long they could grow, and it ended up being
I harvested __106.54__ pounds of produce from my garden.
My favorite job was: I always have fun harvesting all the vegetables - and fruit.
My least favorite job was: Laying down the straw and paper is always the worst chore. It is itchy and gets stuck in my socks.
I could have done better at: Keeping up with the weeds, especially in the seed rows, and talking to more of the interns.
I did the best I could doing: Managing my time will watering so I could focus on other things.
The two things I learned most at the garden this year were:
1. I learned new facts about plants thanks to the projects and advisors.
2. How to work with new people.

GARDEN PROJECTS

1.Project One

Question/Problem(s) Proposed: After seeing a few snakes in the garden I wondered, what benefits do snakes have on a garden?

Answer(s) I found: I discovered that gardener snakes do in fact give a service to gardens. They eat insects and rodents that may cause trouble and eat away plants, which will allow a garden to have a better chance at growing without hindrance. An example of this is grasshoppers. These insects can quickly eat away plants, but even a few snakes can do sever damage to a grasshopper population in as little as one summer.

URL Reference: Campion Walker. (2017, October 17) Snakes, Breathe, Deep… They Are Good For Your Garden! https://www.campionwalker.com

2. Resipe

Name: Banna Zucchini Bread

Vegetable Used: Zucchini

Ingredients: Shredded zucchini, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, mashed bananas, sugar, eggs, oil (or apple sauce), and vanilla.

Steps to Make it: (1) Shred the zucchini and set it aside. (2) In a medium bowl mix together flour, baking soda and powder, cinnamon, and salt. (3) In a large bowl, add bananas, sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla. *I used apple sauce. (4) Combine the two mixtures and stir until combined. (5) Add in the grated zucchini and pour everything into a pan. (6) Bake for 70-80 minutes.

Opinion: The bread was very tasty; I enjoyed the extra sweetness from the bananas. Personally, I preferer spongy or moist bread, and this certainly was, but the next time I make this bread, I think I need to figure out how to make it fluffier. The bottom was soggy due to not cooking all the way through so I will also add more time. Nonetheless, I’m sure the loaf will be eaten very quickly.

URL Reference: Rettke, Amanda. (2022, September 3) Banana Zucchini Bread. https://iambaker.net/banan-zucchini-bread/

3. Another Project

Problem: Why do the blossoms on my squash plants fall off?

Answer(s) I found: When the flowers of a squash plant fall before producing any fruit, it may be due lack of bee activity and therefore pollination. One cause for this could be sudden hot or cold temperatures. Another reason may be uneven watering or lack of any water. However, it is natural for some of the flowers to simply fall off because those are the male flowers, while the female flowers should continue to develop into fruits.

URL Reference: Lerner, Rosie. (2025, Juy, 21). Squash Blossom Drop. https://www.purdue.edu

Myers, Melinda. ( 2024, September, 5). Cucumber and Squash Blossoms Falling Off Plant. https://www.melindamyers.com

MONTHLY GARDEN SUMMARY

May: Days Worked __12__ Days Off ___1__ Extra Days Worked __1__ Days Late___0___ Total Produce(Pounds):__0__

June: Days Worked __10__ Days Off __3__ Extra Days Worked __0__ Days Late___0___ Total Produce(Pounds):_2.5_

July: Days Worked __13__ Days Off __0__ Extra Days Worked __0__ Days Late__0__ Total Produce(Pounds):__55.74__

August: Days Worked __14__ Days Off __0__ Extra Days Worked __0__ Days Late__0__ Total Produce(Pounds):__48.3_

September: Days Worked ____ Days Off _____ Extra Days Worked _____ Days Late______ Total Produce(Pounds):____