http://ucanr.org/blogs/IndianValleyFarm/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed Our blog is about the development of the Indian Valley Farm at the College of Marin en-us UC ANR http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/rss/ Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:00:29 PST Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:00:29 PST Ok, sorry for the absence. Spent a great day harvesting tomatoes, melons and corn with Steve Quirt. Past and new students can be involved with the IVC farm through the newly formed "Dharma Farm Club."  The greenhouse is housing brassica seedlings, more seeding later for winter planting.  IVC is in process of being a registered organic farm, more on this topic later too.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.  Oh, and I picked zucchini blossoms.  Going to stuff with polenta and goat cheese......
]]> Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:00:29 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1620&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kmarando@co.marin.ca.us(Kat Marando) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1620 Lecture notes/classroom We enjoyed a talk given by Anita Sauber, who is an organic inspector with the County of Marin Agriculture Weights and Measures Department. Anita spoke about the Marin Organic Certified Agriculture (MOCA) program that was launched in 2001. The Marin County Agricultural Commissioner's office was one of the first counties in California to offer an organic certification program to qualified agricultural producers and handlers. There were several entities that got MOCA......
]]> Thu, 14 May 2009 14:02:44 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1285&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kmarando@co.marin.ca.us(Kat Marando) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1285 Class reminder - Your journals are due on May 13th and it's a long work day at farm. Lecture recap - Managing Bugs and Blight Wendy always centers us on what's important on keeping the farm functional by "working for the fertility for the life of the ground." Our class is already feeling the flush of success while gazing at our greens that only seem to have beneficial lady beetles. Steve said it would be interesting to perform another soil test at the end of season to map out......
]]> Thu, 07 May 2009 17:57:38 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1246&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kmarando@co.marin.ca.us(Kat Marando) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1246 Irrigation Steve Quirt and visiting guest Patty Hamilton from Harmony Farm Supply and Nursery gave a lecture regarding the variables of providing water to plants. Patty said the first thing to consider is a filter. Water quality from either city, well, pond, or spring water determines the components to choose. The disc filter shown far right has 26 times more filteration then a screen, plus the it's removeable and easy to clean mineral buildup. It can be placed in different positions as......
]]> Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:06:14 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1244&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kmarando@co.marin.ca.us(Kat Marando) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1244 At the IVC farm, West Marin grower Peter Worsley gave the class a lecture on discing, ripping and rotilling with a tractor. We learned about the universal 3 point hitch and spacing of row crops. He then proceeded to disc and rip our field, spread manure in readiness of our new herb and benefcial insectary plants bed. Below, Liza notices the pupa and adult ladybug stage Below creating bark walkways between tomatoes Building addtional tomato trellis fence, melons will go in to the......
]]> Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:24:21 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1233&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kmarando@co.marin.ca.us(Kat Marando) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1233 IVC workday involved weeding extisting beds, adding bark to paths and deep digging of four 80 foot long tomato beds. Oyster shells will be delivered April 21st and will help complete the road and additional pathways. Pictured below in the IVC greenhouse are Marins Master Gardners' tomatoes grown for their annual plant sale. The greenhouse will be filled by the end of the week with melons, eggplant, herbs, flowers and vegetables....
]]> Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:13:46 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1202&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kmarando@co.marin.ca.us(Kat Marando) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1202 Fieldtrip day " Farming is both repose and active" spoken by Wendy Johnson, our instructor who led us through a personal and insightful tour of the Green Gulch Farm and Zen Center. Our Indian Valley College Farming class has yielded a communal identity. And with this collectiveness we enjoyed experiencing what a continuum of farming could produce. Our day of "repose" also included tours of Slide Ranch and Star Route Farm. Pictured below: Vacum seeding lettuce at......
]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:28:27 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1171&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kmarando@co.marin.ca.us(Kat Marando) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1171 Checking our compost, melons and starting a farm plan... Lecture began with the making of a farm plan. What you can and can't grow. What are you going to do with your end product? Planning, germination, spacing between rows, irrigation, mulch, ground temperature. We have our homework to do. On to melons, In the greenhouse we started the following melons: Hime Kansen Watermelon, Imperial 45 Cantelope, Hales Best Jumbo Cantelope, Mickeylee Watermelon, Old Orginal Melon and Moon & Star......
]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:45:59 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1151&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kmarando@co.marin.ca.us(Kat Marando) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1151 Lecture - Building our compost piles. Wendy and Steve discussed choosing our spot for compost. Ideally you want not too much sun or wind exposure. The lecture took place as we built our four piles. 5 feet x 5 feet x 5 feet is a good minimum pile size for benefits of creating hot compost. Step one is to break up the ground (don't turn) this allows for the microbes to travel to and fro from soil to compost. We started with a light dusting of manure followed by roughage material. The......
]]> Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:07:37 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1133&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kmarando@co.marin.ca.us(Kat Marando) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1133 Wendy went over the structure of the soil elements involved in farming and gardening, and Steve gave a presentation on organic matter in the soil, from green living, to decomposing compast and natural plant decay to humus. Students went into the field to apply what they learned through adding compost mulch to the existing beds, digging in compast, and planting starts in the new and existing beds. Excercises in watering in, hose management and general plant maintainence were......
]]> Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:46:05 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1121&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed erilla@ucdavis.edu(Ellie Rilla) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1121 Eric Wilder of the Graton Rancheria blessed the land and gave a natural history overview. Wendy taught a soil science basics class from the field, drawing examples from soil samples provided by students. The class joined in teams to dig and compost long beds, followed by direct seeding demonstrations of sugar snap peas, chard and calendula, and transplanting brassicas. I've attached a drawing of the correct method for transplanting....
]]> Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:17:05 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1096&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed fhealey@co.marin.ca.us(Frances Healey) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1096 Dear students of ELND 139F-010, Principles and Practices of Organic Farming & Gardening, Spring 2009. Welcome to our class blog. Wendy and I will be posting your homework and course assignments here. This is the best location for students and instructors, and Indian Valley Farm friends and supporters to share information....
]]> Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:00:39 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1072&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed fhealey@co.marin.ca.us(Frances Healey) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1072 Dear friends and supporters of Indian Valley Farm: Class started this Wednesday! Many thanks for the roles you all played in getting us to this point! Your donations of time, cash, tractor hours, hoophouses, and just plain enthusiastic support has been great. Stay tuned for a lot more to come. Steve Quirt, Indian Valley Farm Class Co-Instructor...
]]> Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:43:02 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1071&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed fhealey@co.marin.ca.us(Frances Healey) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1071