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Farm

Sustainability Assessment on Farms, Gardens, & Protected Areas in PA, NJ, & DE

This project aims to assess the sustainability and environmental impacts of farms, gardens, and protected areas in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. My prior research inspired this project with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), symbiotic fungi that provide crucial benefits to plants. Through this project, I would like to learn about the environmental impacts of farms, gardens, and protected areas in my surrounding area and even encourage the use of AMF as a biofertilizer.

Methods

01

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Survey Creation

A survey was created with Google Forms to provide a well-rounded and multi-faceted outlook on the sustainability and environmental impacts of the farm/garden/protected area while providing intersections between all studied criteria. The survey determines the size, purpose, farming/gardening methods, sustainability, and use/interest in implementing arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

02

Sample Curation

A total of 234 organizations were contacted: 50 farms and 50 gardens from Pennsylvania, 50 farms and 50 gardens from New Jersey, and 16 farms and 18 gardens from Delaware (due to its small size). An email was sent to each organization, asking them to complete the ten-question multiple-choice survey.

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03

Data Collection

After three weeks of data collection, I organized all responses into an Excel Spreadsheet. I made graphs and charts that summarized the survey results and provided correlations between all studied criteria.

Survey Results

Breakdown

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Enrichment

  • 85% of farms use biological enrichments, 44% use synthetic enrichments

  • 76% of gardens use biological enrichments, 67% use synthetic enrichments

  • 43% of protected areas use biological enrichments, 86% use synthetic enrichments

Size vs. Enrichment

  • As size decreases, the chance of using only biological enrichment increases

  • As size increases, the chance of using neither synthetic nor biological enrichments decreases

  • As size increases, the chance of using both synthetic and biological enrichments increases

Image by Dan Meyers
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Use of Microbes/Fungi

  • 52% of farms use microbes/fungi to aid plant growth

  • 67% of gardens use microbes/fungi to aid plant growth

  • 14% of protected areas use microbes/fungi to aid plant growth

Interest in AMF Implementation

  • 67% of farms that do not currently use AMF reported they would be interested

  • 71% of gardens that do not currently use AMF reported they would be interested

  • 0% of protected areas that do not currently use AMF reported they would be interested

Gardening

Organizations Contacted

Farms

​

Pennsylvania

  1. Redeemer Valley Farm

  2. Fox Chase Farm

  3. Erdenheim Farm

  4. Locus Ridge Honey and Produce

  5. Santana Valley Farms

  6. Nice Roots Farm

  7. The Farm at Awbury Arboretum

  8. Urban Farms Basil Growers

  9. Sanctuary Farm Philadelphia

  10. Think and Grow Farms

  11. Mill Creek Urban Farm

  12. Farm to City

  13. Thousand Acre Farm

  14. Earth’s Keepers Urban Farm

  15. As Promised Farms

  16. Meadowset Farm

  17. Red Hill Farm

  18. Red Hill Harvest

  19. Indian Orchids Farm

  20. Delchester Farm

  21. 3B Farms of Philadelphia

  22. On Point Farm

  23. Rose Bridge Farm

  24. Pennypack Farm & Education Center

  25. Friends of Playwicki Farm

  26. Old Windmill Farm

  27. Cherry Crest Adventure Farm

  28. Kreider Farms

  29. Perrydell Farms

  30. L’il Country Store and Miniature Horse Farm

  31. Linvilla Orchards

  32. September Farm Cheese

  33. Merrymead Farm

  34. The Land of Little Horses

  35. Klein Farms Dairy & Creamery

  36. Shady Brook Farm

  37. The Historic Round Barn & Farm Market

  38. Verdant View Farm

  39. Solebury Orchards

  40. Paulus Farm Market

  41. Rolling Hills Farm

  42. Eastland Alpacas

  43. The Lands at Hillside Farms

  44. Ryerss Farm For Aged Equines

  45. Springton Manor House Farm

  46. Strites’ Orchard

  47. Rohrbach's Farm

  48. Flint Hill Farm Educational Center

  49. Mt Airy Orchards

  50. Triple B Farms

​

New Jersey

  1. Jersey Shore Alpacas

  2. Duke Farms

  3. Delicious Orchards

  4. Johnson’s Corner Farm

  5. Terhune Orchards

  6. Abma’s Farm

  7. Alstede Farms

  8. Howell Living History Farm

  9. Holland Ridge Farms

  10. The Celery Farm

  11. Schaefer Farms

  12. Demarest Farm

  13. Hacklebarney Farm Cider Mill

  14. Silver Fox Farm Alpacas

  15. Sun High Orchards

  16. Heaven Hill Farm

  17. Ort Farms

  18. Melick’s Town Farm

  19. Donaldson Farms

  20. Bluebird Farm Alpacas

  21. Bobolink Dairy & Bakehouse

  22. Readington River Buffalo Farm

  23. Riamede Farm

  24. Stony Hill Farms

  25. Four Sisters Winery

  26. Cherry Grove Farm

  27. Clement Blueberry Farm

  28. DiMeo Farms

  29. Field & Flock Lavender Farm

  30. Fulper Family Farmstead

  31. Hawk Ridge Farm

  32. Lusscroft Farm

  33. Orchard View Lavender Farm

  34. Pleasant Valley Lavender

  35. Stormwind Alpacas

  36. Sunset View Farm

  37. Timberline Farms

  38. Von Thun Farms

  39. Wagner Farm Arboretum

  40. A. CASOLA FARMS

  41. Anderson Farms

  42. Anne Ellen Christmas Tree Farm

  43. Atlantic Farms

  44. Bullock Farms

  45. Coombs Barnyard

  46. Doyle's Farm

  47. Eastmont Orchards

  48. Etsch Farms

  49. Farmstead Estate

  50. Giamarese Farm & Orchards

​

Delaware

  1. Hopkins Farm Creamery

  2. Lavender Fields at Warrington Manor LLC

  3. Filasky's Produce

  4. Coleman's Christmas Tree Farm

  5. Magee Farms

  6. Greenbank Mills & Philips Farm

  7. Red Barn Farm

  8. Cook Family Farms

  9. Story Hill Farm

  10. Liblolly Acres

  11. Four Acres Living

  12. Kingsley Orchards

  13. Roots Youth + Development Program

  14. Highland Orchards Farm Market

  15. Coverdale Farm Preserve of Delaware Nature Society

  16. Willey Farms

  17. Sparkle Farms Delaware

  18. Powers Farm

  19. Hazeye Farms

  20. T A Farm

  21. Bright Spot Farm

  22. Cook Family Farms

  23. Whimsical Farms

  24. Pine Hill Farms

  25. Magee Farms

26. Legacy Farms

Gardens

​

Pennsylvania

  1. Painted Garden

  2. Morris Arboretum & Gardens of the University of Pennsylvania

  3. PHS Pop-up garden at Manayunk, PHS Pop-up garden at South Street

  4. PHS Meadowbrook farm

  5. Taft Garden

  6. The Hansberry Garden

  7. Fairmount Park Conservancy

  8. The Spring Gardens

  9. The Woodlands Community Garden

  10. Dorrance Street Garden

  11. Bartram’s Garden

  12. Schuylkill Nature Reserve Community Garden

  13. Conshohocken Community Garden

  14. Greater Valley Community Garden

  15. Upper Merion Community Garden

  16. Botanical Society of Lower Merion

  17. Marian Coffins Gardens at Gibraltar

  18. Longwood Gardens

  19. National Historic Park Pennsylvania 18th Century Garden

  20. Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens

  21. Curtis Arboretum

  22. Merion Botanical Park

  23. Phipps Conservatory

  24. Hershey Gardens

  25. Chanticleer Garden

  26. The Arboretum at Penn State

  27. Shofuso House & Garden

  28. Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve

  29. Pittsburgh Botanic Garden

  30. Stoneleigh: A Natural Garden

  31. Creekside Gardens

  32. George Nakashima Woodworkers

  33. Hortulus Farm Garden and Nursery

  34. Paxson Hill Farm

  35. Wyck Historic House Farm & Garden

  36. Renziehausen Rose Garden

  37. Andalusia Historic House Gardens & Arboretum

  38. Goodell Gardens & Homestead

  39. The Highland Mansion and Gardens

  40. Welkinweir

  41. Rhoneymeade

  42. The Shrines and Sunken Gardens at Mount Assisi

  43. Rodef Shalom Biblical Botanical Garden

  44. Gardens of Grace

  45. Remember Me Rose Garden

  46. The Bower Garden

  47. Olde Allegheny Community Gardens

  48. Louise Arnold Tanger Arboretum

  49. Liberty Forge Gardens

50. Tyler Arboretum

​

New Jersey

  1. The Frelinghuysen Arboretum

  2. Sayen House and Gardens

  3. Van Vleck House & Gardens

  4. Skylands New Jersey Botanical Gardens

  5. Deep Cut Gardens

  6. Rutgers Gardens

  7. Leonard J. Buck Garden

  8. Greenwood Gardens

  9. Presby Iris Gardens

  10. Macculloch Hall Historical Museum & Gardens

  11. J.A.McFaul Environmental Center

  12. Cross Estate Gardens

  13. Camden Children’s Garden

  14. Peony’s Envy

  15. Well-Sweep Herb Farm

  16. Back to Nature Home & Garden

  17. Laurelwood Arboretum

  18. Bob’s Garden Center

  19. The Morristown Green

  20. Black Shed

  21. Cross Country Nurseries

  22. Grounds for Sculpture

  23. Reeves-Reed Arboretum

  24. Willowwood Arboretum

  25.  Thielk Arboretum

  26. Camden Plant-A-Patch Community Garden

  27. Barclay Farmstead

  28. Herb Gardens at the Historical Society of Haddonfield

  29. Cape May Emlen Physick Estate Gardens

  30. Wetlands Institute Gardens

  31. Avis Campbell Gardens

  32. Branch Brook Park

  33. Brookdale Park Rose Garden

  34. Cora Hartshorn Arboretum

  35. Durand-Hedden House and Garden

  36. Greenwood Gardens

  37. Howard Van Vleck Arboretum

  38. Presby Memorial Iris Garden

  39. Hunterdon County Arboretum

  40. Drumthwacket Gardens

  41. Grounds for Sculpture

  42. Marquand Park

  43. Prospect Gardens

  44. Sayen Park Botanical Gardenn

  45. Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Arboretum

  46. Washington Crossing State Park

  47. William Trent House Kitchen Garden

  48. Buccleuch Mansion Gardens

  49. Erlanger Memorial Gardens at Monmouth University

  50. Acorn Hall

​

Delaware

  1. Nemours Estate

  2. Mt. Cuba Center

  3. Delaware Botanic Gardens

  4. Zwaanendael Park & Herb Garden

  5. Marian Coffin Gardens at Gibraltar

  6. Lord's Landscaping

  7. University of Delaware Botanic Gardens

  8. Mill Pond Garden

  9. Dave's Garden

  10. Jasper Crane Rose Garden

  11. Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village

  12. Read House & Gardens

  13. Milford Community Gardens

  14. Longwood Gardens

  15. Winterthur Enchanted Woods

  16. Seaford Community Gardens

  17. Hattie’s Garden

  18. Lavender Fields

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