Sheep

In class on Monday, we had a guest speaker come happened to be a Redwood alum and former student of Mr. Stewart to speak with each Sustainable Agriculture class. This impressive and fascinating speaker, Aaron Gilliam, spoke about his land stewardship and management that redefines "good" and "healthy." He argued that animals such as sheep or goats and cows are not the problem, but simply the way we manage them is. His big technique of the company he works for, Sweetgrass Grazing, is to rotate the livestock continuously hitting all sorts of grassland areas. By being mobile and adaptable, he recreates real life animal situations and mimics nature. The two large goals for what he works for is to take down grass that are fire concerns and the thistle populations that are widely disliked. When his company is hired, the majority of the jobs he gets is to maintain specific species that other customers want managed. As he works for a variety of different people, he spreads his idea of the bigger picture of his passion and occupation, which is to create more plant diversity and increase soil health. With the focus of soil health, abundance and productivity, and biodiversity we can use these values in our farm here at Redwood and apply them to jobs and techniques for the future to maintain sustainability in our community.—mary

Mary Tarantino

Artichoke farm to fork

Artichokes are apart of the Daisy family and many historians believe it originated in Sicily. One artichoke plant produces on average 15-20 pounds of artichoke, depending on type of plant however. The heart of the artichoke is one hundred percent edible, he other parts of the artichoke including its leaves, the stem and the furry stuff should be avoided while eating. These artichoke plants are able to reach over 6.5 feet in some cases, however the artichoke plant on out farm is about 5. The B6 bed has an artichoke plant in it and it has been producing its artichokes for the past weeks. I was able to get my hands on one of these artichokes at the last farmers market (4/19/19), at a price of 2$. My artichoke was a little bit larger than a baseball and tasted amazing. I started off by cutting off the small leaves at the top, then slicing it in half. I removed all the hairs and purple flowers on the inside and placed them in a bowl to steam in. I added a little but of lemon juice and let them steam for 15 minutes, while prepping my grill at 350°F. I removed the artichoke halves from the steamer and threw them on the grill, giving each side about 5 minutes (or until there are grill marks). Just before taking them off I melted some butter and added garlic, salt, and some other herbs.—damon

Sustainability for the Community

This week in class we all participated in our final projects of the year, shooting towards ways to make the community and farm more sustainable. In groups of 1-3, we have the rest of the year to create one project that promotes sustainability. Many groups chose tasks around the farm while others chose internships off campus. One group is restoring and providing chickens for the chicken coop we have on our farm. With chickens on our farm, we could use their poop as fertilizer and eggs to sell at our markets. A few groups are restoring class beds like the strawberry and flower bed by weeding, adding compost, and planting. My group will be restoring the hoop house beds and adding various peppers and pumpkins. In order to do this, we will need to completely strip and weed both beds adding compost and more soil. We have already planted started and it looks like we will be planting jalapenos, bell peppers, poblanos, habaneros, and pumpkins. We are growing these peppers and pumpkins in the hoop house because of their need for heat and a lot of sunlight. With the sun starting to really show this is the perfect time of the year for peppers to take full advantage of the sun and grow to their full potential.  —cooper 

Two weeks ago

My name is Oliver, and I am going to talk about what we did two weeks ago.

The project was about to visit a farm and ask a bunch of questions about how their farm work, and what benefits come with it. My friend and I went to J and J Ramos farm, at the local market at the town center at Corte Madera. The Farm focus on fruits, like grapes, peaches, cherries, nectarines, etc. The farm is 350 acres bigger, and they started with 20 acres. They used a lot of hand labor, and they don't use any pesticides.

There are a lot of organic and local markets that you can buy fresh fruit and veggies, and the way also everybody can contribute to the change of the world.

Weeding

This week in Sustainable Agriculture we weeded and planted new spring crops! Weeding is a very important part of farming, though it can be physically demanding it greatly improves the life of the plants.

Weeding is beneficial because it decreases the amount of plants competing for space, water, and nutrients. Weeding allows for crops to be able to absorb the most nutrients and water that they can, so they can grow efficiently. To weed efficiently  hula hoes, weeders, and pulling the weeds out manually can all be effective. Hula hoes are used to cut down weeds and cut them at the root. Using a weeder or your hands can help pull the weed out at the root decreasing the probability that the weed will grow back and steal nutrients. Weeding combined with close plant spacing is a great to ensure efficiency with crop growing. Close plant spacing is important because it maximises the use of available land and creates a microclimate which also improves plants ability to grow. Without the use of close plant spacing crops might not grow as quickly or be able to mature fully resulting in loss of crop harvest.

Since it is spring we are able to grow a variety of crops such as strawberries, onions, carrots, and radishes. This season we decided to plant mostly onions. Onions are a great source of vitamins and minerals, and mature between three and four months. In order to plant these onions we harvested the remaining bok choy and broccoli we had in our bed. We also harvested our bell beans at the top of our beds and replaced them with chard and kale. Chard and kale are also high in minerals and vitamins. We planted these crops where we previously had bell beans because bell beans are givers and return nutrients to the soil while also providing edible beans. Because of this we are able to plant our crops knowing that they will receive the most amount of nutrients they can and that they will grow sustainably without damaging the soil.

Weeding and knowing which plants to plant seasonally is a great thing to know. Knowing which plants can be planted is a great for ensuring that the crops will grow healthily. Knowing why weeding is important is also beneficial. Weeds are competition for crops and can cause them to have a harder time growing and producing fruits and vegetables. So knowing how to deal with them is important. —Niki

Farm Report - Say Hay

A few weeks ago we got assigned a farm report. The project was about visiting a farm of our choice and learning more about it. Me and my partner who I worked with spoke to a man from Say Hay Farms which is located in Yolo county. Yolo County is in Sacramento, where a lot of other farms are located. We asked him some questions about the farm, and what it is like to be a farmer. Some of the questions we asked him were about the size of his farm, what he grows, and his preferred farming methods. He explained what kinds of fruits and vegetables they grew as well as the methods that are used for farming. The farm uses organic compost and also uses cover crops. The manuare collected from their hens is used for fertilizing their crops and it also reduces their need for external outputs like organic fertilizer. This farm uses drip irregation to use less water and also uses dryland farming. Dryland farming is a method of farming in semiarid areas without the aid of irrigation, using drought-resistant crops and conserving moisture. He also told us that if you want to be a farmer you will really have to love it, there are lots of very long days. —Kate

Transplanting

TRANSPLANTING 

Here we see our sustainable agriculture students capitalizing on a sunny day and transplanting some healthy fresh starters, like lettuce, cabbage, kale, and celery. Although it may seem a tad early to be transplanting these vegetables, weather in Marin has been very bipolar, so the Sust Ag class decided to advantage of the sunny week. Transplanting is very important for any good farm. Transplanting is an economically and environmentally ideal alternative to seeding. In fact, transplanting increases the quantity and quality of yields, while at the same time keeping costs and inputs low.  —Ollie

Mr Stewart’s Mom, Farm Visits and More!

This week started off with a visit from Mr. Stewart's mom, Susy. With her guidance, each student shared a little bit about themselves and their names. She shared her knowledge about the social aspect of sustainability. We learned that in order to do quality work efficiently, it's important to feel connected to those working with you. By connecting with each other, it was easy to see that working with and knowing about our community brings purpose into the work we're doing. Later in the week, we presented about the farm visits we did a couple weeks before. We reached out to local farms to explore how people in our community are able to produce goods while being sustainable. It was cool to see the variety of farms in the bay area as well as visit the farmer's market to learn about local farms. Lastly, out on the farm we have been continuing to tend to our new seedlings and work on our management jobs. The shift from winter to spring brings rain which has been good for the new crops we planted in our beds last week. —Kotone

Community Building

This week we had a super special guest visit our classroom, Mr. Stewart's mom! The goal of her lesson plan was to build our community inside our classroom which would directly relate to how we worked together on the RHS farm! This class time helped us learn not only about our fellow classmates but about ourselves as well!

When we work together during class, we simply call our group members by their first names because that's just how we know them. However, the first activity Mrs. Stewart conducted with us allowed us to understand more about the names in which we are speaking to. Each student went around and went into depth on their first name, middle name, last name or even a nickname! Each student covered where their name came from, what ethnicities they root from, and what the name means to them. It was so interesting to hear about the unique stories that formed something so simple like a name.

The last activity that we took part in was very eye-opening! Mrs. Stewart cut out around 100 different images from magazines and spread them along the tables inside the classroom. Our goal was to pick 2 images, one of which we thought represented how we view ourselves, and one that we believed is how others viewed us. Some examples of the type of pictures we had available to us are attached below. When we shared what images we chose for the class, every single student seemed very engaged with what the other students were sharing. It was interesting to see how others interpreted themselves and how they thought others viewed them because sometimes it would be the exact opposite of what I saw!

Overall, this experience really brought our group of students together in a different way. We usually just know each other from talks on the farm, but we got to know our fellow classmates on a completely deeper level. On behalf of me and many other students, we hope Mrs. Stewart can come again! —Nina

Farm Report - Hidden Star

Hidden Star Orchards / Smit Ranch is a certified organic farm with their 80 acre orchard located in the Sierra Nevada Foothills. Their 2,000 square foot kitchen and cidery located in San Leandro, CA is their newest project completion. They currently have three generations working on the farm. Hidden Star Orchards have been around for over 20 years producing apples, cherries, blueberries, stone fruit, citrus and pomegranates can be found at farmers markets and independent grocery stores across the Bay including the Marin Country Mart Farmers Market at Larkspur Landing. With a unique mix of talents, Wendy Holm (financial and design expertise) and Johann Smit (farming expertise) have collaborated to bring their fruit grown in the Sierra Nevada Foothills to the Bay Area and throughout California. They squeeze a variety of fruit juices and ciders as well as produce extracts, fruit butter, and preserves. Each week a team of four of their workers gather a blend of apples and other fruits (apple cherry, apple lemon, and apple pomegranate) and prepares them for juicing. After they press their juices, the juices are then flash frozen to preserve the rich, true flavor and to expand their shelf life. Their commitment to a zero-waste philosophy has driven the development of a line of innovative and delicious value added food products, such as their apple chips, apple sauces and butter, fruit preserves and extracts, and raw honey. Their juices come in containers of 8 ounces, 16 ounces, 24 ounces, and 32 ounces.

Hidden Star Orchards, Linden, CA

—Milo

Spring

Wednesday, March 20, marked the first day of spring. Therefore, the next day all students took the time and effort to plant starters in our one beds for the Spring growing season. Before planting, we all created a Spring Plan in which we wrote down the crops we planned to plant and calculated the expected pounds and calories we would yield from our crops when they become mature and ready to harvest. In my groups one bed, we planted lettuce and spinach in our available bed space which are good spring crops. Lettuce and Spinach are typically fragile crops that are not fit for growing during the winter and most often die during the winter season. Although, Spring brings a lot of precipitation as well as sunlight to provide great growing conditions for a lot of plants such as leafy greens such as lettuce and spinach. Our goal is to plant more of our planned crops to fill our bed and produce full potential yield. In addition to planting, many groups have been working on weeding their beds around their new plants to reduce the amount of competition between the weeds and the plants that are intended to grow and take in the soils nutrients. Fortunately, with it just being the beginning of the Spring season, there is expected to be a lot of sun as well as a good amount of rain which is overall beneficial for our plants growth and the farm in general.

- Alex Aguero

Ladybugs

This week the Redwood Sustainable Agriculture class was able to get a week of good weather which allowed us to be able to spend class on the farm preparing for spring. The good weather brought out several ladybugs on to our bell beans and other plants that were having pest problems. Ladybugs are a beneficial companion on our garden and eat many smaller insects that are pests to our garden. They are attracted to aphid infested plants with moisture and our garden at the moment is a great area for them to stay. The main prey or food of the ladybug is aphids and their eggs. One lady bug can eat over 5000 aphids in their life time and be a great way to reduce these negative insects. Ladybugs also eat on scales, mealybugs and other parasitic pests like white flies that are known to negatively affect plants. Having ladybugs in your garden is a great way to reduce these pests without the use of pesticides, which is something we try and do on the farm. These little red bugs are one of the most beloved insects of gardeners and farmers who do not use pesticides and this is why we try to encourage and support them on our farm.

-Cole Rehm

New bed planting

Recently the SUSTAG students have had an real eventful week. With the new upcoming season they are finally implementing the plans of what new crops to plant. The days on the farm has been chalk full of digging, weeding, and watering. Spring is the perfect season to take full advantage of planting lettuce, squash, tomato, and onions. The perfect balance of sun and rain provide optimal conditions. In addition to spring planting, the sustag students had to study for a midterm this week as well. The content consisted of how we can improve our farm to better efficiency and sustainability.  —Qian

 

Transplants

On the farm this week, we planted some seedlings donated by the Indian Valley Campus Farm. Some of us visited the Indian Valley Farm last week, and volunteered on the farm. My group, in particular, transplanted seedlings into pots, so it was cool to see some of the seedlings that we transplanted come to our farm. The Indian Valley Farm is a certified organic farm, just like ours. They grow all sorts of crops from olive trees, to strawberries, and lettuce. The fact that the IVC farm gave us their extra seedlings is very sustainable because it minimizes waste and boosts the crop diversity on our farrm. It is also good that we are trading with the ICV farm because it is ideal to form strong realtionships with other organic farmers, in order to exchange information with each other on how to make the most out of sustainale farming. The IVC farm gave us a variety of crops: mixed letucces, eggplant, cucumber, roma, and kale. My group planted some mixed letucces in our bed because it is a calorie crop and we needed to balance our calorie to carbon ratio in our bed. I think it's cool how an organic seedling can be raised in one enviroment, and then flourish in another enviroment.

Mak L.

Nick's summary

This last week in Sustainable Agriculture not all that much happened. This was because of the awkward scheduling from the standardized tests that underclassmen had to take this week, as well as the fact that we had to take our mid term on block day which kept us inside an extra day. The one day that we were able to get out onto the farm every groups job was to plant the new seedlings that came from IVC over the weekend. Planting all of these seedlings this week was very important because we need healthy pre-started plants in our soil beginning to grow over spring break. Our classes beds are all very wet and don't have the best soil, so trying to start plants in bed from seed is extremely hard. The seedlings are all different kinds of plant types and crop varieties which will benefit us a lot as the season goes along. Our markets will be full of a mix of good spring and summer crops that have hopefully grown in well. On the last day of the week we chose our books to start our reports on. Wishing everybody a good spring break and please do try and visit your bed once or twice this week!!