GREEN MANURE

The trees in the orchard area are doing well. The alfalfa even though small has already provided a green appearance in front of the administration buildings. The sowings in the bare areas that can have access to water have germinated in a week, rest of the areas can be sown next spring when we will have the sprinkler system installed.The alfalfa which has been sown as a green manure, to be cut before flowering and mixed in the soil, has a slow growth like most other seedlings due to the cooler than normal temperatures this season. Leaving it to grow and flower is another alternative with which the staff would be happier. Perhaps in time it can be turned into a wild flower meadow.

Nepeta floccosa growing between the irrigation and domestic tanks, it formed a line where it can get a little bit of run-off water.

The wild chicory is blooming happily on the edge of the nursery beds and other dry areas.

COMPOST

The compost heap is developing fast with the kitchen waste coming in daily. In the last few weeks we had very little woody waste added in. So in order to maintain a good carbon to nitrogen ratio we added two wheelbarrows of sawdust to the heap, spreading it over. I tried to make sure that the staff understands that we need both the leafy soft vegetable waste and the carbon rich woody waste to achieve a balanced good quality compost.