water update
well it has not rained in some time and we are in the middle of a big heat wave. we started out the weekend using our sprinkler setup pumping from our water tank that was pretty much full. On friday evening our well water went murky. we suspect that we might have run it low […]
bangin!
we have been working really hard… a lot is happening. will work to fill in pix and posts, but the truth is we may have forgotten half of what we have done. a few highlights.: 3 people planted their first seeds expert seed blocking continues to keep us on schedule path cutting to the train […]
we have a truck
our friend alan made the 8 day journey across reno with his crazy co-pilot steven. the discomo is now happily parked in the barn as with her roof rack she does not fit in the garage – to say nothing of still being soaked in playa dust. hopefully the weather cooperates and we can take […]
"seed blocking"
we taught ourselves how to use our new seed blockers, but then amber found this video. the video explains all the reasons the soil blocker is so sweet. our friend simone at stone barns also gave us a number of great tips. looks like we may not have done everything right, but lets hope for […]
indoor compost, a visit from ARK, and recycling
we took some old recycling containers and used them to get our indoor compost going with the help from some carbon sawdust from the stable. so far we are generating a grocery bag of trash per weekend – not terrible considering we are mid move and unpacking like crazy. ARK came to visit today and […]
Soil samples
We got soil samples tested at U Penn. Cornell Cooperative Extension does nutrient testing as well, but Penn has a wider variety of tests for contamination. In addition to testing for lead and mercury, we tested for PCBs, arsenic, cadmium, and other heavy metals. This is overkill for most properties, but the farm is close […]
Soil types at the farm
Using a Soil Survey of Dutchess County, NY, we made an overlay of soil types with a google maps pic. The brown outline is the property line; the pink boxes are the house/barn/etc.; the bright blue is the pond. Here’s a brief explanation of what the letters mean (overall the soil survey averages about 20% […]
