What's Next?

After the Frost

So now that we are winding down at the farm you might be wondering what we’ll be doing over the winter.  I always think that the winter will be a time to catch up on that stack of papers that’s been pushed to the corner for the past six months (piling precariously higher and higher).  BUT, we have got so much planned for the next couple of months that I will again be turning a blind eye to that stack!

First of all we are planning on doubling the amount of cultivated space for next year allowing 5 of our farmers to increase their plot sizes to 1/4 of an acre.  We will be starting an educational CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) this coming Spring to start teaching our aspiring farmers marketing and business skills.  During January and February we will be teaching 8 agricultural and marketing classes for our refugee farmers.  This will allow us to go more into depth on important agricultural and marketing topics, thus better preparing folks for managing next years 1/4 of an acre successfully as well as one day managing as farmers on their own.  We also have a  second round of ESL (English as a Second Language) classes starting with the Orange County Literacy Council and  I’ll be making a trip to San Diego in December for the annual Refugee Agricultural Partnership Project conference.

Rows of Autumnal Greens

The way these different greens were growing reminded me of an autumnal bouquet

Also, thanks to a grant from the generous Strowd-Roses foundation we will be building a greenhouse/hoophouse to allow for season extension as well as some ginger and turmeric production.  Before we know it February will be here and we’ll be ready to seed and plant again.

I wanted to post some pictures of what the frost has done as well as all that we still have growing.

Frosted gourd leaf and its' remaining curled yellow flower

Red cabbages looking like roses

Luffas drying in the sun to be peeled later and used as scrubbies in the shower

The Frost

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