A Short Update

NEWSFLASH
You can now come to the farm on volunteer days (Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays) to buy food! Come see how it’s grown, help harvest and take home to eat! We have kale, collards, lettuce heads, spicy and regular salad mix, a lot of turnips, spinach, swiss chard and more.

Christian reviewing the farm jobs of the day with some of the volunteers.

Mikey and Natalya making new potting mix, at the entrance to the farm. We use a ratio of 2 shovels compost, 1 shovel coir, 2 cups vermiculture and 2 cups of fertilizer made from fowl droppings.

Two of our intern farmers figured out a new way – using elevation – to more efficiently turn the compost!
(Do not attempt, unless you are a sure-footed farmer.)

Our volunteer Kun is attaching a 50% shade cloth to hoophouse #4. The pea and sunflower shoots have been struggling and we suspect that they will grow better when kept out of direct sunlight.

Volunteers from University of Maryland’s Terps for Change program sifted coir (shredded coconut skins) for the sunflower and pea shoots in hoophouse #4. Growing shoots requires very fine medium.

And here are the shoots.

In closing, here’s a view of the Anacostia River with ECO’s hoophouses peeking out on the left.

After work, you can take a relaxing stroll along the River, where you’ll encounter joggers, bikers and the occasional horse riders. Here’s our volunteer Marleen doing some recruiting!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
Peace and Carrots,
Natalya and the ECOcrew