Farm Update Post Storm

Over the last week the North Bay has experienced heavy rain storms paired with high winds. Both the wind and the rain caused for large pools of water to form all over the north bay, with winds blowing branches and debris all over the place. In the past, the RHS farm has turned into a mud bowl when faced with rain, as the pathways flooded and open areas became mush.      This time however, the farm held up very well with little to no damage to important areas of the farm. Preparing for the storm, Mr Stewart had his classes lay down organic matter in the trouble spots of the farm, to help soak up the rain water and eliminate flooding. This worked well and the paths proved to be in great condition after the storm, showing little signs of damage. The school side of the hoop house, which had been a problem area in the past, looked great after layers of carboard and wood chips were added. A culvert runs along the entire east side of the farm, it is designed to be the low point on the farm, so water will pool naturally and flow out. The culvert really helped drain water that could have pooled on various parts of the farm into one easy to control area. The only problem spot in the garden seemed to be the class gardens along the tennis court fence, which pathways between beds had not been forified well enough and tuned to mud. The plants in the class beds looked fine for the most part, except that some wind had tipped over some of the more tall Kale plants.      The farm actually looked pretty good after the rain fall, with all of the plants looking very green and healthy. With just a few improvements to the farm before the next rainstorm, we will be ready to handle anything! By: Stephen Nelson (6th)