Foto Friday - Garlic planting!

Thanks to our dear friend David, we utilized the vodka/compost pre-planting wash with garlic from his farm.  Crossing our fingers we have excellent germination next spring!

Each clove gets a quick 'dunk' in the vodka/compost mixture before planting

Garlic should be planted at least 2 inches under ground, with pointy end up.

Cover garlic with a good amount (6-12") of mulch to protect it through the winter. 

Mulching for Plant Health

In our last post, we mentioned mulching. Mulching is when you add a certain material to the base of your vegetation for protection. Mulching materials that can be used are leaves, sawdust, hay, straw, etc. In our case we used straw.  

One of the effects of mulch is to maintain soil temperature. So in the warm season this means extra moisture for the plants by preventing quick water evaporation. Consequently, it will also reduce the amount of time you would spend watering. In cold seasons, the mulch will insulate the soil from the cold and cause frost damage to the roots. In both cases this will prolong the life of your vegetation.

Additionally, by covering the soil around the base of the plants will also prevent light from reaching weed seedlings. For this purpose it is better to use at least 4 to 6 inches of mulch.

Summary: Mulch = less weeds, less watering, and healthier plants!

Planting Seeds for our Future

This year was one of many 'firsts' for CORE/El Centro's Garden and Nutrition program, including our first annual Kids Camp, held August 5-9th.  The 40-hour camp covered a number of topics through a variety of activities - from videos and coloring pages, to hands on soap making and composting.  Our 18 participants learned a lot, made new friendships and all left eager to return next year.

I'm including just a sampling of photos from the camp - more to come via video.  Enjoy!

Getting their hands dirty with Kompost Kids

Campers work to cut out pictures for their MyPlate project.

Finding pictures of the 5 food groups: Dairy, fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein.

All Finished! 

Painting the inside of their pizza box with black paint to absorb the sun's heat

Campers fill their solar oven pizza boxes with paper for insulation.

Solar oven pizza melting in the sun

A group shot after a presentation by Charlie, from Beepods. 

Decorating seed pots in preparation for planting

Open House March 24th - and Update Pictures

It's officially move-in week for CORE/El Centro at the Clock Shadow building and the excitement is definitely palpable!  We open our doors next week, Monday the 19th and you are all welcome to stop by for a tour!  Our first community open house will take place next Saturday, March 24th beginning with a ceremonial parade from 611 W. National Ave at 2pm.  Join us in the Clock Shadow building around 3pm for a ribbon cutting ceremony, dance performance, and music.

But here are some updated shots of the new building.  Rooftop construction is still underway, but the inside of the building is ready for business!

Recycled bathroom doors! 

Great artwork in the 1st floor lobby

The lobby view of the staircase banner - this floor focuses on "bio" (in honor of the geothermal)

This art ribbon runs throughout the building showcasing the various elements and how they are used for energy.

The top of the banner, on the rooftop floor - showcasing "solar"

View facing east - you can see the garden tool shed on the left, standing on the yoga patio.

These beds are ready for soil! 

Planting Beds are Taking Shape

I visited the Clock Shadow building today for some inspiration as I continue to put together the farm plan and start to set-up operation systems for our first year.  The rooftop - a long with our indoor office spaces - is really starting to take shape.  We are exactly FOUR weeks from moving in and it's exciting to see the walls going up!

You can see in the pictures, we will have four long planting beds, as well as one L-shaped bed surrounding the deck/movement and meditation space.  In addition to the beds you see here, which are built into the rooftop, we also have the recycled Earthbox planters that I highlighted last August. This will give us a total of over 3,000 sq feet for vegetable, herb, and (in future years) fruit production!!!  Let the planning begin!