August of 2020 Update

One of the many bountiful harvests of August 2020

August was a blur as the harvesting and preserving game continued.  When the last day of August rolled around I was in disbelief and it felt like August 1st had just been the day prior.  The weather continued to be hot, the plants kept producing bountiful amounts of delicious food and I attempted to keep up with everything as I harvested like a mad man and preserved what wasn't going to be used right away.  One downside to the landscaping fabric that I use is that the soil health underneath the landscaping fabric appears to be unchanged and is vastly different from the rows I have cut into the landscaping fabric where I plant the vegetables.  I attribute this to not putting any compost or old plants underneath the landscaping fabric, I've always just let it be.  Which really makes total sense, if you're not adding anything to it, why would it change?  I came to the realization that I really need to balance that out and it should result in more productive plants in the long run if I do so.  I started spreading out mulch (that I get for free from the city of Longmont, woohoo) as well as old plant residue UNDERNEATH the landscaping fabric and in-between the rows.  This should put more nutrients and food back into the soil for all of the critters and decomposers living in the soil to enjoy, which will keep them happy and the soil more healthy overall.  The landscaping fabric is permeable, so water gets through it, but it does block out light, but it should still decompose back into the soil just fine as it gets water and air.  Go consistent soil health leading to healthier and more abundant plants!

July of 2020 Update

Aerial View of the Urban Farm

It's about time I get around to writing the update for July of 2020!  It's amazing how quickly time flies when there's an endless to-do list for the urban farm.  July is really when the fruits of my labor start showing, I spend so much time picking and preserving food along with trying to keep up with composting and just the general hustle and bustle of all of the plants growing.  There's a noticeable difference in the growth of the plants from morning to evening as well as from when I go to bed and wake up.  The veggies never stop growing, which means I can't stop tending to them.  Between harvests, my time is spent figuring out what I'm going to eat soon and what I need to preserve for the winter and how I'm going to preserve it.  I'm really starting to get this dialed in but it comes down to if something doesn't keep well in the fridge, I either eat it right away or preserve it for the winter.  Minimizing waste is one of my main focal points this year.