Happy New Year to all our faithful FarmBlog readers!
In the past few weeks we have made great strides in the development of the farm site.
Firstly, a huge thanks to Jacob Kissack and the CRU crew for making a fantastic contribution to the EarthLab project! With their help we were able to prepare the farm site by flattening the field, cleaning up the trash, moving tons of gravel and generally being all-around swell folks. Their assistance moved the farm that much closer to completion and we will always be thankful.
Secondly, our farm progress is moving right along! In the past few weeks we have lined out the planting rows with twine, run the sub-surface irrigation and started the weeding. So much weeding. Did we mention the weeding? Luckily, when that is finished the next step is to install the drip irrigation, build a fence to keep out varmints (I’m looking at you, gophers), fluff up the rows with some compost and then actually plant something! Then, probably do some more weeding. This farm has only been possible because of the excitement and momentum provided by the community, and we are all looking forward to growing some delicious and healthy fruits and vegetables to share with everyone.
And finally… a note about an internship opportunity for students or professionals interested in sustainable urban agriculture. EarthLab is offering a few internship spots that will qualify for course credit at San Diego City Community College! This internship requires a commitment of at least 12 hours a week and enrollment in AGRI270. Additional internships may be offered for lesser hours or non-course credit on a case-by-case basis. Interns will be asked to make a multiple month commitment and will learn the basics of building and running a small-scale urban farm (including crop/farm planning, irrigation, marketing, the certification process, and more.)
If you are interested in applying please contact Adam Graves at adamrgraves@yahoo.com by January 19th. Please attach a current resume as well as a brief note about why you’re interested in sustainable agriculture in an urban setting.
I will leave you with an inspirational photo of… an empty farm site. But it shall not be empty for long…
Look at all that cheeseweed! Contrary to the name it is not delicious.
Stay tuned for the next FarmBlog!
