Darren's Blog

First Blog

It has already been two weeks at Stanford Earth Sciences Internship, and I have learned so much at the Farm! The daily routines are to harvest zucchinis and sunflowers which blooms endlessly. By the end of the two weeks we have accumulated a tub worth of sunflowers! Weeding was the first task that Erin, our supervisor, assigned the team to work on. This task is infinitely impossible to finish as weeds pop up every day, making the team very exhausted. The amount of weed that we plucked out could supply the farm with two one meter by one meter squares worth of compost. Making compost was the most important skill that I thought was very interesting. The green weeds that we pulled out would provide nitrogen to the compost while the dried out weeds and hay would contribute carbon. To make compost, layers of each component- green and yellow- were to be layered and watered. The most impressive fact that I learned while making the compost pile was that the inner part of the compost could reach up to a temperature of 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Another cool little project that the farm team did was starting seeds so that they can germinate and be planted later on the farm. The varieties of seeds was very vast and interesting. I started lemon grass, Asian eggplants, alpine strawberries, snow peas, and mums for natural pest control. Recently, I found out that the Stanford community farm only used natural ways to fend off pests, including the aphids that damage many vegetables planted on the field. Some flowers are planted on the beds, which attract mini wasps that lay eggs within the aphids. Soon the eggs hatch and the larvae of the wasp eats its way out of the aphid. I find this natural way of killing off pest very interesting and scary. The ultimate goal of the farm team is to help Corey, a graduate of the Earth System program, with her Searsville Sediment experiment. The question was to see if the Stanford community farm could use sediments that accumulated in dams as a soil media. A small triangular plot was reserved, but another problem arose, WEEDING! With 6 pairs of hands, the job was done at an incredible rate. Without teamwork, this task would take forever. Erin and Corey explained that cardboards and wood chips were needed so that the experiment would be accurate. To make things short, cardboards and wood chips are placed underneath the sediment soil but above the farm soil so that the plant roots will be only sprouting in the sediment soil.

One of the best moments that the team would agree on would be the safari hats that we received from Jenny. Thank You Jenny for the lifesaving safari hats! Usually the team started the day with just regular baseball caps but soon we realized that the sun grew hotter and hotter and the hats we wore were not enough to protect our skins. With our new little safari sun hats, our necks and faces were shaded and protected very well. Another great experience that is soon to become tradition is our personal farm interns’ only pizza Thursday! At the end of the week, we would start the outdoor oven and start baking pizza with organic vegetables grown on the farm. The farm team also made ratatouille, a French dish which consists of zucchini and tomato sauce. I really enjoy working at the farm where the supervisors and other interns in the group are very supportive. The farm is a place where curiosity doesn’t kill the cat. I cannot wait to start working at the farm again!

Second Blog

Its already time for our second blog for this summer! Time does fly really fast. Let’s do some recap from my first blog. The five groups of interns, including me, have continued our compost pile, which has tremendously shrunken, meaning that we have good compost soil made from scratch. Harvesting has ever been so busy as the five of us continue to pick zucchinis, sunflowers, and gourds.

The Searsville Sediment Project has been flourishing for the past couple of weeks. The farm interns have seen and analyzed a trend that we saw according to our data. To restate the purpose of the experiment, the sediment experiment tests to see if sediment accumulated in the lake will be useful for agricultural soil media. The combinations of mixture were farm soil, 50%horse poop and 50% sediment, 100% sediment, and finally 100% farm compost. Referring back to the data the interns collected, the 50% horse poop and dam sediment was the best mixture that improved basil growth. Other than the experiment, the farm interns have mastered the skill of tomato tying. Throughout the week the interns would use only metal stakes and string to build the trellises. Deviating from the traditional tomato trellis, the team has built innovative forms of “string trellises.” Now the tomato beds are growing taller and producing soon to become ripe tomatoes.

Within the past week, the farm interns went on a field trip to Jasper Ridge to see where the sediment originated from. On Wednesday morning, the team drove up to Jasper Ridge and partially explored the 1,000 acre land. Within the premises, I found out that Jasper Ridge was not only an Ecology Reserve, but also a testing ground for many scientists. Such experiments includes scientist pumping carbon dioxide and many other gases in an individual circle to see the effects of such gasses to the ecosystem. This experiment has been in action for over 15 years already. The interesting fact is not that the experiment is over a decade old but the fact that scientists have to truck a big tank of all the gasses that is necessary to the testing ground. Also another experiment that fascinated the group of interns would be the nocturnal cameras that were positioned throughout the whole reserve that took multiple pictures when an animal passes by the motion detecting camera. Some of the picture featured mountain lions, deer, and raccoons. Most importantly, the five of us got to see the dam that was highly debated in the Stanford Committee whether the dam should be taken down or left alone. Cory, our tour guide and our mentor gave an inspirational lecture about dams and how it affects the ecosystem in a lake. A good half an hour was spent debating whether the dam should be taken down so that water can be used by Stanford Irrigation systems or left alone to preserve the current ecosystem the dam has created. The field trip to Jasper Ridge has been very inspiring and very educational. Going back to farm business, the interns learned how to spade a bed of cover crops which consisted the five of us hacking buckwheat so that we can clear the bed for further planting. Erin gave us a good lecture of the benefits of planting cover crops such as buck wheat. Cover crops in general are planted after farmers harvest plants that are super reliant on nutrients in the soil. The cover crop help aerate soil which fluffs the soil. In addition, cover crops help return nutrients back into the nutrient lacking soil.

Again, pizza Thursday the farm intern tradition was always an event to look up to for the last day of the hard working week. I am looking forward for new educational experiences and writing another blog!

Third Blog

Working on the farm has been such a privilege. I would like to thank Jenny for her enthusiasm and supportiveness toward learning new things. Not to mention her hard work in putting this great program together! A shout out to our most epic, wonderful, and funny supervisor Erin who has countlessly help guide the farm interns to achieve great enlightenment about sustainable agriculture. The last few days on the farm has passed very rapidly. Although it is very sad to hear that the old farm which has been taken care of over twenty-two years is finally being mowed down and soon to be golf course; a new farm will be rising not far from the original Stanford Community Farm. This new farm is at least three times as big as the old farm and will greatly teach Stanford Earth System Students much about sustainable agriculture. Patrick, another supervisor, has greatly inspired the team with his speech about using reclaimed water instead of the valuable clean Hetch Hetchy water to water future plants. The most unforgettable moments that I have experienced throughout the internships were the field trip to Jasper Ridge, tours throughout the labs including the farm and spending quality time in the lab to test soil samples. Jasper Ridge has been an inspirational and educational field trip. Corey led a discussion which made each intern think deeply about the issue with the dam and its sediment. The main question she proposed was what scientist can do with the sediment and what is the next step either to take down the Searseville Dam or build a fish ladder so that native trout and salmon species can repopulate the lake. I really appreciated the fact that all the interns were able to get a glimpse of what other interns were working on. To be honest the lab where one intern was working with acid really fascinated me but also freaked me out that he was dealing with very corrosive liquids. I was really impressed that even farmers used science to grow their crops. It is not just about adding miracle grow to your potted plants but agriculture consists of soil texture, nutrients, crop nutrient intake, and crop rotation. Spending time in a lab and conducting soil research made me realize that farming is not just only labor but also it requires scientific knowledge. I will miss waking up in the morning and coming to Stanford to work on a farm knowing that each day will be a new day of learning. My time during this program, I learned many neat things about plants grown on the farm. Potato flower is a relative of the Deadly Night Shades meaning that if a person ate a potato flower, he or she might be fatally wounded. I have enjoyed my time here at the Stanford Community Farm and have learned a lot. My hope for next year is to be able to return to this fantastic and wonderful program.