Apart from being a VERY wet week, we've had fun. Especially with the new addition of six pigs! They seem to be enjoying their lives outside, rooting in the mud, frolicking in the grass, and running away from us. But they're warming up to us already. They are yet to be named, so if you have any good ideas, let us know!
We also started our compost this week. We layer the proper combination of green manure, brown manure, and an inoculate (in our fist case, rotten squash from last season, but usually soil or other compost), making sure that it is covered in straw last. This pile will keep growing until we can no longer reach the top- then we'll make another one. The compost will be ready for next season.
We are enjoying the rich compost from last season!
The Colorado potato beetles are multiplying everyday! Here is communal farmer Dwyane spraying Surround on the Potato plants
Surround is a kaolin clay (white powder) mixed with water and a bit of vegetable oil. We spray each plant with a hand pump sprayer, coating each plant with the milky looking substance. This organic residue is very abrasive to the pests, and when they eat the plant or crawl around, the clay scratches the pest and their contents seep out, slowly dehydrating them to death. We've heard it works quite well! We hope to see results in about a week. Though with the unexpected rain today, a lot of our hard work yesterday ran off....bummer.
No comments:
Post a Comment