Immersion Day 1 Planting Using Plastic Container Some positive learning gains suggest that work immersion allows students to acquire and develop skills such as teamwork, communication, creativity, punctuality, productivity, resilience, and initiative. Our first immersion day taught us to plant vegetables in plastic containers. The task required not only urban agriculture ingenuity, but also environmental solutions to garbage recycling. I planted ten cabbage seedlings in ten empty plastic containers of alcohol and other food ingredients and presented them to our school teacher. Immersion Day 2 Cleaning the Garden Area Our second day's task was to clean up our garden of unwanted plants, weeds, and garbage. Garden cleaning prevents pests, weed seeds, and diseases from overwintering and helps to avoid problems when temperatures are warm. Cleaning out our garden also allows us to spend more time on the enjoyable aspects of gardening and provides a fresh start for perennials and vegetables. Immersion Day 3 Making Compost Fit from Vegetables Waste On the third day of our immersion, we were instructed to create a compost pit out of vegetables and other household waste. I gathered enough trash from the market and the neighborhood. I used an old plastic basin to collect all of the waste and mix it with soil before storing it in the garden until it degraded into fertilizer. Immersion Day 4 Cultivating Soil And Adding Amendment Soil amendments are used in agriculture to promote plant growth and development by adding organic and inorganic nutrients to the soil and improving soil tilth, organic matter, and water retention capacity. Day four's task was to add any material to the soil to improve its physical or chemical properties. Proper storage practices and controlling access to these chemicals are also important to meet federal requirements and reduce the possibility of chemical contamination on the farm. Immersion Day 5 Sowing Eggplant Seeds The goal of sowing eggplant seeds in trays is to determine the type of harvest as well as the quantity and quality of the harvest. Also, the duration between seedtime and harvest varies as well as harvest season ranging from months to years. Day five's tasks include seedling trays, soil preparations and planting. Most seeds do not need to be sown deeply, with a quarter-inch (0.5cm) covering being sufficient for most crops. Immersion Day 6 Watering, Soil Cultivation and Fertilizer Application Plant and soil management tasks were assigned to us on our sixth day of immersion. We watered, tilled, and fertilized the soil where our desired vegetables will be grown. Soil management should be practiced to ensure that mineral elements do not become deficient or toxic to plants, and that the appropriate mineral elements enter the food chain. Soil management is important for crop productivity, environmental sustainability, and human health, both directly and indirectly. Immersion Day 7 Sowing String Beans and Applying Fertilizer from Compost Pit Our seventh immersion activity was planting string beans in well-prepared soil. Even though this vegetable is easier to grow than other crops, proper care should not be overlooked. The activity was also part of promoting urban gardening for senior high school students and their families in order to supplement the market's shortage of vegetables. Immersion Day 8 Planting Potatoes Using Sacks and Plastic Containers Our immersion task for day eight was to grow potatoes in containers and sacks. It was a method of making gardening accessible to the small-space gardener. Harvesting potatoes in a container is simpler because all of the tubers are in one place. Potatoes can be grown in a potato tower, garbage can, Tupperware bin, or even a gunnysack or burlap bag. From planting to harvesting, the process is simple and enjoyable for the whole family. Immersion Day 9 Planting Papaya Using Sacks We discovered a way to grow papaya plants even in urban areas by using sacks and the proper soil and nutrient combination. That was our ninth day of immersion work. The activity was endorsed and included as a curriculum subject to increase student and family awareness that urban agriculture exists and can grow in our own small way. To ensure germination, we planted several seeds per sack. Seedlings can emerge in about two weeks in full sunlight.
