Sunday, January 5, 2014

Consider Growing Your Own...

Many of our customers already have at least one mango tree, and some grow an incredible amount of their own food.  This year we are experimenting with easy, low-labor ways to grow vegetables.  Yesterday Har and I put in some edible annuals including tomatoes, strawberries, collards, bibb lettuce and herbs.  Below are pictures of our quick project.

We used 14 bags of composted cow manure.  Some we dumped on top of an existed bed, some we mixed with composted mulch and used in large pots, and we planted directly in one bag.  "Black Cow" and "Timberline" brands seemed exactly the same, except for price.  Timberline is less than half the price of the name brand. 

One of our goals before next mango season is to convert a small grass area to raised beds.  Next winter we will probably grow and sell young plants and greens.

Happy and Healthy New Year to All!




Small raised bed... Mulch mounded for sides, composted cow manure for planting bed. 
Arugula and Tomato planted with herbs and lettuce in large pots.


An ornamental that didn't survive transplanting now is future support for tomato plant.
Three strawberries are planted on south side of tomato. 
Two bags of compost provide the planting medium, surrounded by one mulch ring.

Planted in a bag of composted cow manure are a strawberry plant and a young collard.
We poked lots of holes in the bottom of the bag for drainage.
Some people plant directly in bags of potting soil.  Composted manure is cheap...we'll see how well it works.

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