TA News

Despite last week’s 16-inch snowfall, spring has officially arrived at TA and garden activities have begun! Beginning in mid-February, when the day length reached over 10 hours, plants began waking up from their winter slumber and began to grow again. The longer days provide enough natural light for most seeds to germinate and grow – and Horticulture students, in particular, have been taking advantage.

Students are busy manifesting green on campus, working in the greenhouse and outdoors daily. In the greenhouse, they are seeding crops for the school garden and themselves, packing the space with bright green baby seedlings. Last week, the space was getting so chaotic with growth that a reorganization was needed to maximize planting space and keep the good times growing! Students are happy to spend plenty of time relishing in the warmth and sunshine that the greenhouse provides on sunny days and especially in the depths of winter.

Outdoors, students have been able to start working in the garden and hoop house earlier than ever. First, they prepared some beds in the hoop house for early successions of lettuces, radishes, kales, and more. They are now seeding carrots and beets, uncovering emerging garlic, and preparing outside beds for late planting (as soon as this snow melts!). This year, many students opted to have their own garden bed in which to grow, and some are sharing a bed with a friend. There’s a lot more to come, so stay tuned for some springtime harvests!