Tooth of the Lion

 On Tuesday, March 8, I had the pleasure of touring the Tooth of the Lion Farm in Orwigsburg on Red Dale Rd. The farm grows herbs and has one cow for enjoyment. The cow’s name is Reba after the country star singer Reba McEntire. I learned that they use vermiculite to prevent algae from growing on top of the soil. Katyln Melvin, the founder of Tooth of the Lion Farm is from Philadelphia and purchased the farm a few years ago. Katelyn is a self-taught farmer, like many millennials and gen z, who didn’t go to school for agriculture. They sell their products at farmer's markets in Philadelphia and online. Their herbs are used for aromatherapy products and teas which can be found on their online store. They get their supplies at Nolts which is the same place where we buy our supplies for the greenhouse. Their greenhouses cost about 5,000 to build. While I was touring the field I saw garlic and chamomile which is used to make tea. The farm saw an increase in sales as covid hit as people were wanting ways to cope with the pandemic by using aromatherapy. The farm is certified naturally grown which is a stepping stone for being organic. In the near future, they plan to become organic once they finish filling out the paperwork. Once Maple Leaf, an ice cream shop, closed, they obtained use of the kitchen and land to use for farming and making their products. You didn’t hear this from me but they will be selling a line of ready-to-drink beverages soon so be on the lookout. 

PASA

 On Saturday, February 12 I went to PASA, a sustainable agriculture conference in downtown Lancaster. At the conference, I attended 2 and a half workshops. For the first hour, I went to the youth in agriculture workshop and split my second hour between law and college farms. In the law session, they talked about labels on food and agri-tourism. In the college farms session, they mentioned that the best way to start a campus farm is to gather individuals in environmental and agriculture majors. Additionally, they noted that gardening is therapeutic for those that struggle with mental health. In youth in agriculture I learned about LEAF (Leadership Education and Farming). The mission of LEAF is to cultivate youth leaders from diverse backgrounds through meaningful work in the food system. LEAF offers students the opportunity to work on farms and learn all kinds of valuable skills. 

Greenhouse Growers Day

 

I went to Shady Maple Smorgasbord on Thursday, January 27 and learned all about how to manage a greenhouse. Some key speakers included Krystal Snyder of Penn State Extension, Steve Bogash a representative of Marrone Bio Innovations, SinClair Adam of Penn State extension, Dale Bradshaw of Florikan, and Justin Leavitt a representative of Biobee. At the event, I learned about the effects of Covid 19 on the greenhouse industry. I was shocked to learn that one greenhouse already has their 2023 inventory ordered as you never know what will happen to the supply chain. One thing that has come about as a result of the pandemic is new customers. So they have had to educate the new buyers on how to keep their plants alive. 

Additionally, I learned about Chemsweep which is a program that collects unused or unwanted pesticides from farmers at no cost. The program is meant to help farmers have less of an impact on the environment. At the event, I learned about 2 other agriculture events, Cultivate and the Northeast Greenhouse Conference. Many of the people at the event were getting their licenses and training required for their jobs. Most of the people that I met were in sales which surprised me as I thought that there would be more growers. 

Rick Yates of Griffin Greenhouse gave a wonderful presentation about insect and mite control. I was informed that some of the basil that I have been growing in the greenhouse might have Chilli Thrips. Krystal Snyder informed me that you shouldn’t leave water in trays as that creates root rot. I did this over Thanksgiving break so the plants wouldn't die but I guess I won’t be doing that anymore.      

 

   

History of the Greenhouse

Freshman year, I found out that my high school greenhouse wasn’t being used. I learned that there was an agriculture program but they cleared out the textbooks and did away with the aquaponic tanks. This news led me to propose to the school board a project to revitalize the greenhouse.


Upon approval, I worked closely with teachers and Solar Innovations, a local greenhouse manufacturer, to develop a plan and wish list of materials to bring the greenhouse back to working order. The pandemic halted much of our work on-site, but it did not stop the project. I was able to secure a $1,000 grant after pitching the project to a 4-H virtual agriscience summit in spring 2021. Afterward I ordered supplies and began to bring green into the greenhouse.


Michelle Zimmerman, a member of the Jefferson Grange, is the leader of the Blue Mountain Elementary youth group in Hamburg and in September they had their meeting at the greenhouse where youth planted cilantro and basil. Jefferson Grange, a nonprofit organization that supports farmers and hosts fun educational community events, has shown their hand in the greenhouse by helping to transplant basil. This past winter and fall Dimos mustard seed purchased 3 trays of basil becoming the first restaurant to support the greenhouse. This January we set up a hydroponic tower which we received for free from Lettuce Grow. The stand is 4 feet and 10 inches tall and can grow 24 plants.


One of the components of the 4-H grant is that the project must incorporate 4-H. So I started the 4-H Eagles Nest Club at the school along with Mr. Metzger, the club leader. The club is the only 4-H club at a school in Schuylkill County. Currently there are 6 members and it is still growing.


Recently I discovered that Charlie Heim, a shop teacher, was the driving force of getting a greenhouse. The greenhouse which came in a kit was funded by the Hill family, the school district as part of a larger grant, and the Eagle foundation. In the 2004/2005 school year construction was completed by Blue Mountain students in Roger Keperna’s shop class and Empire Glass. The total cost of construction was $11,127. Unfortunately the construction didn’t include any ventilation or heating. So a few years later in 2009 the special education department asked the school board for funding to have Antz Energy Systems install ventilation but they never received funding.


Notes: Roger Keperna shop teacher after heim and his students built the greenhouse

Heim was the shop teacher.

We're Getting There!

It was a cold start to 2022, but thanks to Hannah Burke's greenhouse grant we were able to purchase some much needed supplies to get our greenhouse up and running!  This handy, portable greenhouse heater does an awesome job of keeping the temperature just warm enough to get us through those cold winter nights.