more about compost tea

We are just loving the new compost tea brewer! It was built by our friends Jason and Dan at Living Soils Compost Tea. They can be found at the South of the James Farmer's Market selling compost tea by the gallon or half gallon. More information about them can be found at www.liviningsoils.net. For us they suggested a tea recipe that Harvard University's maintenance department is using to care for the vegetation in their landscaping. This recipe is designed to promote the growth of both beneficial bacteria as well as fungi. What is beneficial bacteria you may ask and why would someone want fungi in their soil? Well, good bacteria is sort of the same concept for the plants as the now popular probiotics are for people. Just as we need good bacteria in our systems so do plants. In short, these bacteria and fungi lock up plant nutrients until they’re needed, making nutrients for the plants more readily available and less likely to be leeched from the soil. They are also excellent decomposers, by breaking down plant material they are able to make food and nitrogen available for plants. When sprayed on the plants the fungi and bacteria also help prevent diseases. Artificial insecticides and chemical fertilizers can kill bacteria, fungi, and other beneficial microbes. We're using a combination of homemade compost and vermicompost, molasses, kelp meal, fish emulsion, alfalfa meal, and rock phosphate in our tea. Our new brewer is able to make 50 gallons of tea at a time, so we should have plenty of this good stuff for all of the plants.



We've had a broody hen sitting on her clutch of eggs for a few weeks. They only need a 21 day incubation period and then they'll hatch. It's hard to really say how long she's been sitting on them. I have to admit, I wasn't paying too much attention to her for the first week she was on them. I don't know how many she's sitting on, but I can tell you our slightly lazy Buff Orpington was laying eggs beside her so that she could have little miss henny penny (that's what we call her) hatch a few out for her. Henny P is a bantam chicken so she's a pretty small bird, I don't think she's sitting on many eggs. But like I said, it's been a while, I don't even know if they're fertilized. Our rooster just hasn't been as randy since his last flock was lost to a dog.



The bees look like they're doing well. There's been a lot of activity!

bees on a frame with capped brood
looking down at bees in a brood box

I think that's it for the excitement this week. Please enjoy the rest of the pictures!

zephyr


summer's first tomato

garlic scapes

washing radishes

bagging lettuce

This week our shares will receive (a variation of)
spring onion, squash, cukes, collards, cabbage, escarole, beets, chard, and green garlic
We will also have salad mix, sungold cherry tomatoes, tomatoes, okra, basil, beans and broccoli at the farmer's markets.