The Moment We've All Been Waiting For!

       Currently the hoop house is being renovated by Declan, Max and with the help of James and Miles. Before the new covering went up the hoop house was being covered by a white tarp. The tarp was ripping where it had been resting on the bars that shaped the 'hoop' house. 

       When the tarp was off the hoop house the farm looked oddly naked. The new hoop house covering is a strong sheet plastic that is being set in place like shingles so that no water can leak inside and instead runoff the sides and soak into the soil.

       The renovation is also part of Declan and Max's final project, which I think was a great idea to upgrade our farm. The purchasing for the items used in renovating the hoop house completely dried our Sustainable Agriculture funds, so it is crucial that our seedlings and young plants flourish in the new hoop house. 

       - Dezire Celis 

On the Farm

Lots of things happened on the farm this week.  First off, there was lots of weeding that needed to be done.  Tall grass, bermuda grass, and all sorts of other weeds had sprung up all over the A beds as well as the first couple E beds.  Although we put lots of effort into pulling them out and hacking them away with grass whips, there is still much to be done.  There were were also a couple of small wasp nests forming under the benches as well as a rampant aphid infestation in a couple of the A beds (especially A13).  We worked to clear out the wasp nests and killed lots of aphids both by hand and with ladybugs.   Lots of our crops like the squash, melons, and strawberries in the A beds and the Strawberries in the hoophouse have been growing very well, and many strawberry plants are bearing fruit.  This week was a little more windy and less hot than last week, but students still came prepared with spring clothing, sunscreen, and water bottles.  

We have also been continuing to work on our final projects on block days.  A couple of students have been working on renovating the hoop house, and a couple others have been building an awning to provide some more shade on the farm.  Me and Don are continuing build our wooden bench and are getting permission slips signed to use electric saws.  

Altogether it's been a very productive week, but there's still much to be done.  

- Charlie

Good News

When I arrived at the FARM this morning, a red shouldered hawk flew off from the arbor with a vole in its beak.

It is nice to see the vole population being kept in check (and wary of predators) and the ecological system at work.

Not my picture, but this is the idea:


--Mr. Stewart

Springtime Push at the Farm

Springtime Push at the Farm

This week at the farm has been pretty hectic. This week the farm has sprung to life and a lot of Spring cleaning was needed. We had to help clean up the Ecology Garden and the Greenhouse which has been infested with wasps. Also, given all of the growth that has been going on we've really had to clean up our one beds. Some of our crops have been looking good on the farm which includes, strawberries, melons, and squash. This week also was very hot and the sunglasses, hats and sunscreen were brought back into action after the long winter.

During this week of studies we also have been keeping up with reading one hundred pages of a book of our choice. We got to choose the books on subjects of farming that we thought were interesting. Next week we will undergo a seminar and discuss what we've learned from these books.

Another assignment that has recently begun is our Final Projects. These projects will last us for basically the remainder of school. Some great progress has already started during this weeks allotted time. During this week we saw one of our students begin the process of bringing some much-needed shade to the Farm. Also, the hoop house is in the process of being renovated by a couple of students. 

Overall, it has been a great and productive start to the Spring season on the RHS Farm. 

—Josh