Okara and making the soil better in the new greenhouse

Fresh, free, local, nitrogen rich, organic, tofu byproduct delivered by a friendly driver.




















(action shots)

Experimenting with Blue OMB's

(the full acronym might invite inspection right?)

The most popular hangout for egg laying blue orchard mason bees. True to good advice, the nursery facing southeast is the most occupied. Early day warmth is supposed to get the bees going.



Nest box no.2






No.3


No.4


What is the chair industry like in Tacoma these days?

happenings these days...

The best help around, at least we think so, Whitney and Jamie putting out the corn starts a couple of weeks ago. Jen has gradually gotten use to the idea of transplanting certain crops that she's always direct sown, corn being one. Farmer's with a longer recent history here practice what she would never dream of, but the touchy past two springs have forced her to try the local way. And if there is an award for apprentice of the year... we have a nomination.



The other male on the farm, and we pretty much can't stand each other - I mean, he started it. And now its just ridiculous. He left the run to follow me the other day - just to attack me. I had to defend myself, but then I felt guilty. Good news though: I carried a machete into the run the next day during their feeding. My aim? If he attacked me I'd only just let him feel the tip, nothing heavy, no problem. But he kept his distance - as if he's been around and knows what a machete is. Speaking of him being around, I sometimes think that his flamboyant colors are related to his aggressive behavior, as if he grew up in cockfighting land and someone bred him to look wild and fight the same. But he didn't. His ancestors maybe? Where did we get that egg?



Robin eggs accidentally stumbled upon. Cover 'em up and walk away.



new dockton road bling.







The other farm all-star, sister extraordinaire, shelling pea, checking the latest standby lists for a flight home.



Farmer Jen working an angle.



the sensitive muddy five toed prints of our strawberry eating friends Procyon lotor, northern racoons. Procyon, I hear that water aids your ability to feel textures with your hands. That is great. So you like strawberries too? That's cool, its something we have in common. They're sweet and good. But I prefer it when you eat our compost, or when I see you running down the road away from here.

In the poly tunnel update

2 weeks ago: the tomatoes are starting to bush out and grow up.


In the new beds - basil varieties. Hot and sweet peppers and eggplants are growing in the beds to the right.



Jen, Whitney and Jamie have been raking the fields for grass mulch.



We got the trellis structure up over the outdoor tomatoes but the guys just looked shocked for two weeks - wilting, purpling, looking sick. Some caught early blight, others looked like they had bacterial canker. We swapped out over 40 with healthier starts over a two week period. Finally now the current crop seems to be holding its own and responding to the bright skies and warming days and night. Leaf colors look even and healthy and fresh.

Tomato plants early on

This past week on the PCF

Eggs that never were, brought to us by the actions of bald eagle.



Chorus frog keeping it real over the eastern pond



a questionable location for a field perhaps?



The farm's own first stall of this year

Greenhouse pt.3

The location of the new greenhouse is ideal for the farm's layout but the soil will need a lot of work. Parts of it are a pretty nice dark sandy loam, but about half of the site is depleted mineral soil and clay. We grew a cover crop straight into it over the winter, before the greenhouse went in. After plowing and tilling it in, we'll plant another one and till it in along with a 2" layer of okara, a tofu waste product from the island. Two inches is pretty thick (10 cubic yards) but we think the soil can take it - and we aren't in a hurry to get a crop in so we can let the soil digest the inputs.

Greenhouse pt.2