Urban Farming Externship - Week 2

Good News!

This week was all about digging since the reservoir portion of our wicking bed will be underground. I was shocked at how easy (by Arizona terms, that is!) that breaking up the ground and digging ended up being. I'm thinking that at one point someone had grass or other plants growing in our yard because the soil wasn't as compact as I was expecting. We're also right in the middle of monsoon season and we got one good storm before we began digging. Even with these helping factors, I had to water the ground quite a bit to help soften the soil. It's not something I was particularly happy to do, as water conservation is very important in the desert, but I went ahead and did it since it was a one-time thing.

I also did some research and compiled a list of materials that we're going to need in the coming weeks:

• Plastic Lining (Builder's Plastic)
• PVC Pipe and Elbow Joints
• Gravel
• Compost
• Soil
• Cover Crop Seeds
• Shade Cloth or Similar

We will probably buy the plastic lining, piping, and shade cloth from a hardware store. I think we'll be able to get gravel for free from Craig's List. We'll be able to get some compost from our worm farm, but we'll probably supplement it with compost bought at a nursery. We're going to mix that compost with the soil we dug out to install the reservoir. I ordered the cover crop seeds this week from Johnny's Selected Seeds. I picked a nitrogen fixation mix made up of winter rye, field peas, rye grass, crimson clover, and hairy vetch. Some of the cover crop will be edible, like the field peas! It's also very pretty. Here's a picture from the website:

Here's a picture of the reservoir for the first bed; it still needs a little more work. The reservoir will need to be a foot deep. It's that deep in the middle, but more work around the edges is needed. Next week we'll focus on finishing the reservoir for the first bed and beginning work on the second bed. 

Look at all that healthy dirt! Thank you, Mother Nature!

A picture of my exhausted self; digging in the July Arizona heat is no joke! Don't forget to drink lots and lots of water anytime you're doing outside work! 

Blessings to all! Look for an update next week! :)