Scatter Sweetwater Write Up

Sustainable Farming in Tampas Backyard
Sweetwater Organic Community Farm was established in 1995 as a nonprofit,

certified organic vegetable farm and education center founded by Rick Martinez.
The urban farm grows produce on 6 acres of residential land. Sweetwater Organic
Farm promotes sustainability, farming without chemicals, and strives to build
community in Tampa. On Sundays, a Farmers Market is hosted that offers
community members the opportunity to check out the farm, listen to great music,
have a picnic lunch, shop for local produce and environmentally-friendly products,
meet like-minded individuals, and enjoy Sweetwater Farms orchard and gardens.
On Sunday mornings, yoga classes in the Kundalini tradition and Vinyasa style are
held.
The Food, Field Trips, and Sweetwater Organic Farm Workshop
Dr. Jane Applegate hosted the Food, Field Trips, and Sweetwater Organic
Farm workshop as an outstanding member of the College of Education and
Sweetwaters Board of Directors. Caroline Garber, Sweetwaters Education Program
Manager, coordinates and leads the farms field trips, builds and develops the
education program, and maintains the education gardens. These inspiring and
down-to-Earth women led discussions on the teachers role for field trips,
experiential learning opportunities, and what Sweetwater Organic Farms offers.
The Teachers Role for Field Trips
Dr. Jane Applegate led a discussion regarding the educators role prior to,
throughout, and after field trips. Before taking students on an out-of-the-classroom
learning experience, an effective educator is knowledgeable about the location of
the trip and front-loads learning for students by building on prior knowledge so
students can apply their learning in an authentic context. The educator should also
ensure that students are aware of appropriate behaviors and maintain
corresponding behavior management throughout the duration of the field trip.
During experiential learning, the teacher should keep students engaged, focused,
and involved through guiding questions and modeling participation. An innovative
idea was shared that promoted recording video clips or taking photographs of
students during their learning experience to share with parents, the school, and to
be used in later lessons. After field trips, it is especially important for students to
have the opportunity to reflect on their learning and build upon new understandings
by applying their experience in subsequent lessons or extension activities. From her
own familiarity with hosting students, Caroline Garber remarked that she is
especially appreciative of student-created Thank you, notes.
Experiential Learning at Sweetwater Organic Farm
Sweetwater Organic Farm offers learners of all ages, from pre-school to adult
workshops, the opportunity to participate in experience-based, hands-on learning to
discover how organic farming contributes to students lives. Learning in a natural
environment allows students to make personally meaningful connections between
their academic studies and the real life applications of math, science, and other
disciplines in their own life spaces. Field trips, or experiential learning opportunities,
at Sweetwater Farm offer life-changing enrichment that compliments the curriculum
and engages students through interactive exploration of local and organic
agriculture, life sciences, sustainability, and nutrition.
Prior to attending a field trip at Sweetwater Organic Farm, educators are
provided with an introductory PowerPoint presentation that addresses behavior
expectations and what to wear, as well as building excitement as students are
introduce to concepts they will be discovering at the farm. For each component of
the field trip, there is a photograph, key vocabulary and questions to foster
discussion. For students with exceptionalities, the Sweetwater Organic Farm is
accessible to all learners.
During the workshop, Caroline Garber recalled a quote from a 3 rd grade farm
visitor that has driven Sweetwaters Education Program: Why did you put that
carrot in the dirt? Interactive learning experiences at Sweetwater Organic Farm
raise awareness of food and where or how it grows, familiarizes students with
sustainability concepts, offers hands-on learning of Earth and Life Science
standards, provides students with the opportunity to explore the natural world, and
provokes discussions about healthy eating and the value of good nutrition. Over
20,000 students from the Tampa Bay area, 6,000 during last year alone, have been
a part of Sweetwaters learning experiences. Led by a knowledgeable field guide,
the program involves nine work stations that allow attendees to participate in the
major steps of farming, including taking home a potted plant and harvesting a fresh,
organic salad for lunch. The seed pot that students bring back from Sweetwater
Farm would make an excellent long-term science investigation. Students will
discover and engage in hands-on learning at a compost area, a seed life cycle
learning station, a greenhouse, a water and well station, an herb garden, and the
newly constructed plant trail and butterfly garden. Learners will meet Sweetie Pig
and hand feed chickens as they discover animals contributions to a healthy
environment. Finally, lunch time will include the student-harvested salad and a
focus on the importance of nutrition. Throughout the tour, students will have
opportunities to touch, taste, and smell the process of organic farming.
Whats Your Vegetable IQ?
In a delicious component of the workshop, attendees had the opportunity to
sample some of Sweetwater Farms freshly grown, organic produce. In my own
experience, I had never thought that I would enjoy the flavor of a raw radish.
Caroline Garber proved me wrong. After we munched on garlic chives, star fruit and
other Sweetwater produce, Caroline tested our Veggie IQ. Those delicious
radishes can be grown in the short time of 25 days, with hot weather producing
spicier radishes, as cooler weather grows milder radishes. Seed-bearing tomatoes
and cucumbers were identified as fruit, including the 5 feet long and 154-pound
giant cucumber. We learned that kale is extremely nutrient dense, as well as
characteristics of kohlrabi, dill, bok choi and other vegetables. Romanesco
cauliflower is featured in Salvador Dalis Still Life-Fast Moving piece for the
vegetables strikingly fractal appearance resulting from the branched meristems

formation of a logarithmic spiral.
On the second day of our workshop, we were able to witness Sweetwater
Organic Farms outstanding fields, orchards, greenhouse and well. The weather was
cool, complimented by the charm of our host, and SCATTER members had the
opportunity to see, smell, touch, and taste organic community farming. Every
student would benefit from an afternoon at Sweetwater as they plant, harvest and
enjoy the benefits of sustainable, organic farming.
For more information, or to inquire about bringing your class to Sweetwater
Organic Farm, visit: http://sweetwater-organic.org/
Mekayla Cook October, 2016.

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Sustainable Farming in Tampas Backyard

Sweetwater Organic Community Farm was established in 1995 as a nonprofit,

vegetables strikingly fractal appearance resulting from the branched meristems

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