On Tuesday, December 17, a new workday took place at the UNSAM Community Garden, featuring significant improvements and various maintenance activities. The day included the presence of Angelly Sánchez and Sabrina Rendon, members of the “Rescuing the Creole Tomato” team from the Faculty of Agronomy at the University of Buenos Aires (FAUBA).
The main activity of the day was the installation of an irrigation system that supplies both the two garden beds and the bed dedicated to collaborative evaluation of creole tomato varieties. This improvement will not only ease the daily care of the plants but will also optimize water use through the installation of a timer that regulates irrigation schedules.
The irrigation system was collectively designed and built with the collaboration of Jorge, a maintenance worker at UNSAM. It consists of a central pipe connected to a water source—an outdoor faucet at the Nanoatelier building on campus (“Casita Astro”). From the central pipe, branches were extended to supply each of the three beds: the two for the garden and the experimental bed. A special irrigation hose was then installed in each bed; these hoses have micro-perforations that release water in droplets, distributing it evenly.
In addition, throughout the day, maintenance and crop care tasks were carried out. Large bunches of basil were harvested from the experimental bed. Due to their rapid growth and size, the basil plants had begun to “crowd out” the tomato plants, limiting their space to grow. Cherry black tomatoes, fennel, and lettuce seeds were also harvested from the garden beds.
The tomato plants in the experimental bed were pruned and staked so each plant could grow with enough space. Mesh bags were placed over the youngest flower clusters on every plant—a key technique to prevent cross-pollination between varieties. This ensures that pure seeds can be collected from each plant for future planting.
To learn more about pruning techniques, we invite you to watch [this video].
We thank everyone who joined us despite the heat and shared such a wonderful day. Special thanks to Angelly and Sabrina for joining and sharing their knowledge, and to the UNSAM maintenance staff for their help installing the irrigation system. We hope to see you next time!
If you’re interested in participatory plant breeding, don’t hesitate to reach out to us through our social media.
