The Highlands EC is starting to take shape!  The long-awaited shed defines the far left corner and Monday the rest of the EC will come into focus thanks to the installation of a beautiful, new split-rail fence.  By Tuesday, the place will have form and substance. Next steps include moving the reclaimed chicken coop into the EC, laying out the beds and, if weather permits, digging the discovery pond.  By the time Spring rolls around, we'll be in great shape for Seeds and Sprouts classes.  We are also looking at the possibility of offering a 1-week camp during the summer.

Over at Horsham, I've cleaned out most of the summer stock and planted 2 beds with a cover crop mix consisting of ryegrass and clover.  In the Spring, I'll incorporate the cover crops into the beds.  The ryegrass will add organic matter to the soil and the clover, a member of the legume family, will add nitrogen via its nodules.  Look here for an image of the nodules.  The basic job of the nodule is to convert nitrogen from unusable form to a usable form.  Check out this link for a brief description of nitrogen fixing clovers.

For me, working at the farm brings back fond memories of my years as a camp counselor.  If you're a camp person, you know what I mean.  This week that memory came storming to the fore as high winds and rains wreaked havoc at The Highlands.  On Friday, we were heading to the far brassicas to harvest when the wind and rain kicked up.  I glanced up toward the wash station and noticed the canopy covering the pickup area was on edge and being whipped around by the wind.  We raced over, removed the canopy to reduce the "sail" effect and, on the count of 3, righted the canopy structure.  Upon close inspection, Katie notice one of the 6' metal stakes anchoring the structure was sheared off.  Everyone worked together and the pickup area was good as new by lunch.  Just like camp, people pitched in and did what needed to be done.  A huge thank you to Katie F, Lauren and Katie E for calmly leading the clean-up efforts.

Last minute garden to-dos: clean out your beds, mulch as needed and plant some garlic.

We have 2 hands-on classes scheduled for November:  learn to make chutney on Thursday, Nov 7 and on Tuesday, Nov 19, join us for a fermentation class where you'll learn to make your own sauerkraut!  Register here for classes.

Have a good week.