Join us this Holiday Season! |
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As we approach Giving Tuesday on November 30th, we hope you'll consider joining us as a Friend of the Farm sustaining member. In addition to member benefits, you'll know that your dollars are empowering SLO County youth with farm-based education - growing the next generation of sustainable farmers, scientists, and change makers. |
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FARM CLASS STARTS A NEW GARDEN |
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Check out the new Pacific Beach High School Market Garden at City Farm SLO! PBHS Students enrolled in our Farm Class have been busy planning, planting, harvesting, and cooking the vegetables produced in this plot. They will also learn to wash, pack, and market their produce - part of our comprehensive skills training. Along the way, students are learning about soil health, carbon cycling, agricultural business administration, and nutrition. Follow along on our instagram, @cityfarmslo. |
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We are ready for rain thanks to a recent installation of an all-weather road! Historically, our education programs and farming have been interrupted by muddy road conditions... not anymore! This improvement was made possible by generous donations of labor and funds. Many thanks to our supporters for enabling all-weather access to the farm! |
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The results are in: We made some pretty great compost. We make several types of compost at City Farm to increase the biological diversity in our soils while eliminating waste. We make thermophilic compost (hot compost) with most of our crop residue, and we have a worm bin to generate vermicompost (worm castings). Both of these types of compost are rich with biology, and they are great for the gardens, but they don’t provide the ideal habitat for the growth of populations of fungi. Since fungi are a vital part of the soil ecosystem, we decided to make a fungal-rich compost using a method known as a Johnson-Su Aerobic Bioreactor. It’s a static composting system that uses high-carbon inputs (mostly wood chips and leaves), and it takes about 14 months to fully break down. Recently, Dr. Tim LaSalle took some samples of our finished bioreactor compost to get it analyzed and compared against others that are doing this same type of composting. Out of the 17 samples that were collected, our compost had the highest counts of total fungi, and it had the highest fungi to bacteria ratio. Basically, this means that we succeeded in making a compost rich in fungi, so adding it into our soils will help establish native populations of fungi and it should substantially increase our plant growth and yields. We look forward to collecting more data like this to improve our growing practices and to teach the next generation of farmers how to increase yields while working with the natural ecosystem. |
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Meet Dena Dowset, Volunteer Extraordinaire Whether it’s pulling weeds in the food forest, moving compost, planting the next season of vegetables, or feeding the sheep, you’ll find Dena with a smile on her face when at City Farm SLO. There is no task too large or too dirty for Dena, including cleaning the chicken coop! Dena started volunteering in January and quickly became a regular at the twice-monthly volunteer days and also at fundraising events. If you ask her why she volunteers, her answer is always, “I like to play in the dirt.” Dena is currently the Assistant Dean of Admissions and Recruitment for the San Luis Obispo College of Law and she brings to the farm a great deal of gardening experience gained during her childhood in Illinois where she helped her parents and grandparents with their gardens. When Dena isn’t working or volunteering at City Farm SLO, you can find her on the ocean paddling her 1-person outrigger canoe or stand up paddle board, or hiking one of the beautiful central coast trails with her friends. |
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We grow beets year round, but in the cooler month these beauties take center stage! There are so many easy ways to prepare and eat beets - our staffs' most favorite is PICKLING! Check out this easy pickled beet recipe. Order fresh bundled beets and other goodies on Harvestly. All sales support our youth education programs. |
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City Farm SLO's monthly newsletter is archived here. Forward this newsletter to a friend! |
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