IVC Field Trip

On Friday the 15th. Both sustainable agriculture classes attended a field trip at Indian Valley Campus Organic Farm and Garden. Here we engaged in numerous activities to help the farm and its members out. One of the most unique and applicable moments for our class was the process of making organic soil. We used different soil amendments such as perlite, peat moss, vermiculite and compost. We then sifted these ingredients through a table to create a refined soil. This contrasted our farm we have back at Redwood, although we do partially make our soil by using our own compost, we tend to use pre made soil. So being able to see the full process was very insightful, and is something we can take away and add to our inventory of methods. In addition to the soil amending we also engaged in Mulching. Mulch is a layer of material applied to the surface of soil. It helps soil moisture, improving fertility and the overall health of the soil. Overall the experience at the IVC farm was tremendously rewarding and directly correlated to what we were learning in class. -LL