Our new batch of compost has arrived!!! We get an all natural mix of recycled and composted wood, lawn, landscaping and other yard debris to top off our beds. It not only helps suppress weed growth (when applied in a thick layer) but it helps keep moisture in, add a bit of nitrogen and other nutrients and ups our organic matter. We started applying larger amounts of compost about two years ago and have noticed a huge change in our soil. It not only has better ability to keep the weeds down, but it is host to tons of earthly creatures. Worms, fungal mycelium and mushrooms are found in our soil and our soil tests over the past two years have shown a higher organic matter content and more nutrients. We also amend our soil with a mix of Certified Organic nutrients like fish, kelp, feather meal, lime, azomite, and micro-nutrients like sulfur and boron. With such wet winters it is very common for nutrients to wash out of the soil. To prevent this you can make sure to keep the soil growing/covered all winter and you can increase your organic matter so it doesn't flush out as easily. We also use silage tarps to cover the soil to help us keep it protected and also keep the rain out so we can work the beds earlier in the spring. Covering with tarps for longer periods also kills grass and weeds. It's one of our favorite methods and has a much more reduced impact over tillage. Below is an example of a composted bed and one that is not:
On another note- our main season CSA starts next week!!! So exciting! We look forward to seeing everyone soon :)
Your farmers,
Kelly & Patrick
