Mulching

With the official arrival of spring this week, the farm is undergoing some big changes. Almost all of out tomatoes are in the ground, totaling 15 beds planted this week with 5 beds left to be planted. As temperatures rise, we have to manage our greenhouse carefully. We monitor conditions with a gauge that helps us by recording the maximum and minimum temperature and humidity reached. The greenhouse is so efficient at trapping heat, a comfortable morning can tun in to dangerously high temperatures in a few hours. By removing the sides and opening the doors and vents for air flow, the temperature can drop dramatically in a matter of minutes.

We removed a large section of lettuce with the walk-behind tractor to make way for the tomatoes and other spring crops. By using the flail mower, we can chop up the lettuce and leave it in the bed as mulch with also adds a key soil amendment - organic matter. Using mulch is a sustainable way to keep soil-dwelling micro-organisms cool, moist, and healthy and to suppress weeds.