Spreading Mulch & Testing Watermelons

Village Farm Team,

Summer maintenance continued on the farm this week as the heat showed no signs of mercy. We were able to get both the vineyard and the orchard mowed and weeded in order to give our clover cover crop a chance to thrive. Speaking of cover crops, our sunn hemp on the North Farm is swiftly growing! Since it is native to the tropical regions of Asia, it’s been loving our weather. We’ll soon be seeding more in the adjacent field in order to maximize the health of our soil.

Once a year, we add a new layer of cedar mulch to the goat and chicken pens. The mulch has numerous benefits like keeping the pens from getting mucky when it rains, discouraging weed growth, and in the case of cedar mulch, deterring pests. When our chickens take dust baths in the cedar mulch it helps to discourage mites. This new layer of mulch is part of the deep litter method we employ in the animal pens along with frequent raking. Instead of scooping out and replacing the mulch often, we are allowing the manure and mulch to accumulate and decompose inside the pen. This process creates beneficial microbes that control harmful pathogens like coccidia.

Have you had a chance to visit our veggie wagon lately? We’re open every Saturday from 8am-12pm with a selection of produce grown on the Village Farm. After personally testing out one of our ripe Sugar Baby watermelons and giving it our seal of approval, we’ll have several to sell on Saturday. We will also have muskmelons, summer squashes, and a variety of cut herbs like mojito mint, tulsi basil, Mexican mint marigold, and thyme available. If you’re able to stop by, make sure you pick up a melon and some mint then give this agua fresca from our seasonal recipes a try! It’s a refreshing treat to help keep you hydrated and cool despite the summer heat.