by: Laura Simpson, Programs & Distribution Coordinator, City Sprouts
ID: Spring Interns Indica and Lily transplanting seedlings into the ground at the City Sprouts Urban Farm.
[Omaha, Neb.] - In 2023, City Sprouts adopted a new season-specific urban farming internship schedule. This was the first time we ran a spring internship session designed primarily for college-aged students. It was a great success and we accomplished a tremendous amount of work. The flexibility of the interns' academic schedule allowed us to work with them individually as well as in a team environment. At the same time, the schedule allowed them time to complete their academic responsibilities all the way up to the semester's final exams and projects.
The eight week spring session began April 1 and ran through May 24th. During this time interns were provided hands-on training to a number of tasks necessary to prepare for our spring and summer growing seasons. This was paired with a classroom style curriculum that dove deeper into topics such as soil health, greenhouse seed germination, integrated pest management (IPM), and several other topics contributing to the success of our spring growing season.
Over this time, we:
Started nearly 50 varieties of plants for spring and summer production
ID: Spring Intern Indica and City Sprouts Staff Member Edgar soil blocking to prep for seed starting.
Prepped 60 percent of our fields by incorporating cold season cover crops in the soil, applying compost, setting up irrigation, covering our fields with biodegradable mulch to help with water retention and weed suppression
ID: Spring Intern Lily tending to the fields.
Transplanted spring crops and directly seeded roots crops into newly formed beds
ID: Spring Interns Kaitlin and Indica direct-sowing seeds into urban farm in-ground beds.
Cleaned up the Sherman Center Community Garden
ID: City Sprouts Farm Crew and Spring Interns crouched and weeding raised garden bed.
Planted fruit and nut trees on the perimeter of the City Sprouts Urban Farm fields
ID: City Sprouts staff member Rocky digging a hole to plant a tree. Spring interns are in the background also digging holes to plant trees.
Constructed shelving at the City Sprouts office for additional and improved storage
ID: Spring Intern Indica using a power drill to insert screws into wooden shelving units.
Painted and installed a new sign for the Urban Farm
ID: Rocky, Indica, Edgar, Laura, Lily and Kaitlin standing next to a hand-painted wooden sign reading "City Sprouts Urban Farm" with phone number 402-504-1910.
We feel incredibly fortunate to have worked with such an awesome group of young adults this spring, and can't wait to share more information about the summer internship later this season. Stay tuned!
To learn more about current City Sprouts happenings and ways to get involved, please contact the City Sprouts team at info@omahasprouts.org.
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