Gardening from Your Kitchen: Tips from a Green Thumb-in-Progress

Laura Venner, Ohio State University and Global & Public Health Office for National SAVMA

We can all agree, social distancing is not ideal.  I have not enjoyed the online classes and I am a bit anxious to hear what is going to happen to my fourth year rotations.  Until a bit more light is shed on this situation, I am taking the opportunity to focus on myself and bring back some of the hobbies I haven’t had time for in veterinary school. 

One of those hobbies I’m dusting off is gardening.  My friends can attest to the fact that I cannot keep a fern or flower alive in my apartment.  But when it comes to growing vegetables, I have a bit of a green thumb.  At the end of my first year, I decided to ditch my dead decoration plants and used that space in my house to grow some veggies.  My lettuce plants thrived and my tomatoes grew so big that I had to get trellises to hold them up! So, in support of the environmental wellness dimension for our SAVMA EB virtual VMUD, I thought I’d share with you some of my tricks on how to grow your own tomato plants in your kitchen.

Here’s what you need to get started:

●      Soil - preferably fresh potting soil but if the only soil you have access to is what is outside your window, grab a bit.  Potting soil will be the most effective as it will have nutrients that can help your tomato plant grow

●      Slice of tomato - ripe! Any type of tomato can be used, but I prefer organic because in my experience, they grow easier when in the kitchen.  You also may have more success with cherry tomatoes, but I only have heirlooms today!

●      Pot - make sure there is a hole (or holes!) in the bottom so any extra water can drip out

Slice your tomato!  All you need is a few pieces! I used the rest of my tomato for my dinner!  I only used about one slice. Fill your pot with soil, leaving about 3 inches from the top and place chunks of the tomato into the soil.  If you have compost (see Collin’s post about composting!), feel free to add it to your potting soil to maximize your success!

** Side note - I added a picture of my cat Arlo assisting me with some of these more challenging steps (haha but a cat is not necessary for success!)!

Cover the tomato slices with potting soil and water your soil until it is moistened.  Place your plant in a sunny window.  You should see some sprouts in 20 days!

At some point, your tomato plant will get too big for the pot, so you will need to transfer it to a bigger pot or provide a trellis for your tomato plant to grow on.  Or, you can also easily transplant your tomato plant into your garden!

Send us pictures of the plants you start during social distancing at the SAVMA instagram at @studentAVMA and make sure to include the hashtag #savmagoesgreen!

From Scraps to Soil: How to Turn Your Food Waste into Usable Earth for all Your Plant Needs

Collin Kramer, Colorado State University, International Exchange Officer for National SAVMA

What is composting?

Have you ever wanted to reduce your carbon footprint while saving time and money? Well, now you can from the comfort of your own home! Turn your leftover or unusable kitchen scraps into nutritious soil for all your planting needs by setting up a composting system. Composting is the natural breakdown of organic material into smaller particles that can be further used as fertilizer for plants. Composting is nature’s very own recycling system that has been perfected over millennia and can now be harnessed for your everyday use.

 

How does composting work?

For composting to work effectively, it needs three things: water, green organic material and brown organic material. Green organic material consists of kitchen veggie and fruit scraps, lawn/landscape clippings, and used coffee grinds. Brown organic material includes dead leaves and plants, sticks, and twigs. Paper-based products such as paper towels, coffee filters, to-go containers, and napkins can also be used as brown organic material for composting; however, these paper-based products should not be contaminated with any chemicals or have plastic lining on them. Chemicals and plastic can take decades to break down and adding that to your household plants or gardens would not be ideal for the safety of you or your plants.

What does it take to compost?

To set up your own composting system, all you need are table scraps, a composter, and a small space to start your system. Ideally, a sunny to semi-shady spot outside works well as heat and pressure speed up the composting process. Depending on outside factors and the natural breakdown of the organic material you are using, the ready-to-use soil from your composter can be ready in as little as a few weeks. The hardest part about composting is getting into the habit of doing so!

 

Types of composting.

There are three types of composting systems that can be utilized, and these include: self-turn piles, vermiculture (composting with worms), or tumbler/drum turning bins. Self-turn composting requires a small space to start a pile of organic scraps that requires turning, typically with the assistance of a gardening tool, once every week. Vermiculture, or composting with worms, requires a holding bin in which organic waste is added and worms are used to naturally break down the material. Mechanical turning is not necessary for this type of composting system as the movement of the worms breaking down the waste acts as a natural turning mechanism (pretty cool, right?!). Tumbler or drum turning composting bins are set up to spin so that once food scraps are added, a quick rotation of the bin once a week is all you need to have compost in no time.

If you still need more convincing, check out the EPA’s website for guidelines on how to compost!

https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home

Will COVID-19 Impact My Value in the Job Market?

Fourth year veterinary students, this one's for you!

Have you been stressed about how COVID-19 could impact your upcoming job? This webinar may be for you! Fear Free is hosting two webinars on April 14th, one at 7 pm and another following at 10 pm, regarding the current job market and recruiting strategies. Paul Diaz, founder of High Power Consulting, will be presenting on the topic.

Sign up for the 7 pm webinar here and the 10 pm here!

**Our sharing of links, images or videos provided/maintained by others does not constitute endorsement: SAVMA does not endorse products or companies. The content is being shared on this page because SAVMA feels this topic would be relevant or appealing to this community.**

Miles

So impressed by this submission from Danielle Hall, a student at Lincoln Memorial University! Danielle created this original piece of her first horse, Miles, from scratchoboard paper. Thank you for sharing, Danielle!

Getting Prepped for Clinical Year

Cassandra Hoy from Ross University speaking about her recent externship experience.

Over the semester break I had the opportunity to extern in a private practice with the help of a Professional Development Fund scholarship from the RUSVM SAVMA board. This was my second time working with them to gain hands-on experience. Overall, it was a wonderful opportunity to see the kinds of cases I would expect to see in a general practice setting. Morning appointments were covered by one veterinarian while the other veterinarian handled the surgeries of the day. Both were very welcoming and happy to explain their methods of diagnostics and patient work-ups. A typical surgical caseload included a couple of neuters, spays, mass removals and 6-7 complete dentals with or without tooth extractions. Most of the room appointments related to gastrointestinal upset, itchy skin, wound lacerations, tumors, or wellness exams. I acted as the technician by assisting in restraining pets for their physical exams and got to see how each vet established a strong rapport with their clients. 

Some of the more interesting cases involved a HBC Labrador showing neurological signs, an older dachshund who needed a canine tooth extraction, a geriatric shepherd mix with colorectal neoplasia and a rabbit neuter. Client communication was integral to ensuring everyone understood the plan going forward.  Throughout my externship, I was given the opportunity to perform blood draws, insert intravenous catheters and place endotracheal tubes. As I get closer to 7th semester, I feel much better prepared for surgeries and moving on to clinical year!