Things are really slowing down on the farm, especially with the frosty nights over the past few days. All of the garlic and shallots are tucked in and ready to be mulched today before the rains return later this week. We are continuing with fall clean up and getting soil tests done so we can properly amend our soils for the next growing season.
Our section of the valley is naturally very sandy, but with lots of compost and many rounds of cover crops over the last three years, we have been able to raise the organic matter less than 1% to 2.8%! Organic matter helps with water retention, promotes healthy populations of soil microbes and other beneficial insects, creates more friable, better textured soil, and the soil warms more quickly in the spring, leading to a jump on the growing season. When we started growing here, I rarely saw any earthworms, but now see so many, in addition to many beneficial insects like praying mantises, lady bugs, any many types of native bees. We hope to continue this work for many years to come.
