Rocks from Field

The top part of our field sits atop a large conglomerate of big rocks. Last year we did the no-till method of gardening and put mounds of soil on top of grass to plant our vegetables. We did have lots of success, and harvested pumpkins, corn, squash, beans in this same area where Pap has tilled and is now digging up large rocks. Wanting to go bigger in our efforts of farming we made the decision to till this year. As you can see in the pictures, Pap is building rock altars and I must say I love them!

We have many seedlings that are sprouting up in the greenhouse and inside our kitchen windows. They are patiently waiting until the soil warms up to be planted. In the meantime we are preparing the beds, the field and the tilled rows, and uncovering many beautiful rocks. Some of the soil amendments we are using are lava sand, cotton bur compost along with our own homemade compost, horse manure and corn meal. We are also purchasing beneficial nematodes this year with hopes it will control some of the insect problem we had last year. These are beneficial microbes in the soil that help control grub worms, larvae, fleas and other un-beneficial insects. I am sure our dogs will love being less flea bit this year too!