Fore and Aft

Thought maybe it was a good time to measure progress at the 90 day mark. The pics say it all.

Sunflower Condo

A new subdivision has sprung up out at SWOSU Farm...Row-Crop Roundhouse Developers have created a cozy structure with a sustainable footprint that incorporates a flow-thru design to supplement heating and cooling during the arduous OK seasonal extremes. Sales have been brisk with a wide variety of sunflower and squash taking advantage of the first-time buyers program.

Disregarding the Heat

SWOSU Farms is onto something with regards to the shredded cardboard mulch we are using as weed suppression in the alleyways. It seems that the mulch has some wonderous insulative qualities. The soil temp at the Farm has been relatvely stable during the triple-digit temperatures we have been experiencing. The cooler soil has prevented any heat induced stress from occuring within the established row-crops.

Stake and Tomatoes

A few weeks ago the tomato plants looked scrawny and had a blue tint..I have applied small doses of compost tea and worked compost in the surrounding soil. They have demonstrated their appreciation by flowering and issuing forth a tomato here and there. The stakes are salvage construction material and the strips of cloth are the remnants of last winters knitting project, that come to think about it...remains unfinished. Hmmm. Rumor has it that I have to cut back additionally on irrigating due to the wonderous H2O rententive properties of the shredded cardboard. Fantastic.

A Day at the Farm

On most farms there are generally traces of strawbales in the barn or field; and today SWOSU Farm progressed to the " got straw " stage, with an afternoon of strawbale fielding and stacking. RA's Ben, Holly, LaurAn, Erin, and Luke lent a hand, and have the straw knicks on the shins to prove it. Thanks Gang! It appears that SWOSU Farm seems to be developing all the appropriate ancilliary elements of a sustainable farm system, and the straw is a welcome addition to the bio-diversity of the farm in it's infancy.