Week 3 - Out With the Old...

Time in: 5pm
Time out: 7:15pm

The time has come to dig out our tomato patch and to start preparing for the next season. I'm looking forward to it because Fall is quite frankly my favorite time of the year. I can't wait to feel the cool, fresh air after the very warm, very firey summer we had here in the San Gabriel Valley. I'm also interested in experiencing Fall through the natural perspective: the baring of deciduous trees and plants that simultaneously feed and slumber through winter's end, the prepping and replenishing of the soil to help enhance the following season's crops.

With Jared's help, we were able to clear away all but one tomato plant, keeping the last one rooted until its remaining fruit was ready to be picked (as per mom's request). I also decided to keep one Gopher Purge plant since it is still looking quite vigorous and healthy.


I believe the trickiest process will be the reconfiguration of the drip irrigation system to fit the needs of the current project. I have a few ideas in mind: one is to change the mini inline drippers into mini sprinkler heads. Another is to scrap the existing system entirely and go with a larger hose drip system I once saw at the local nursery. I have a feeling that a 360 degree sprinkler head would be the best scenario for this particular project since I need to evenly cover a large area as oppose to focusing in on a particular root system. Plus, it would be more cost effective.


Additional steps consist of :

• Deeper tilling of the soil to enhance aeration
• Creating a makeshift wall on the north side of the plot due to the inconsistency of the lawn sprinklers (more on that later)
• Adding compost and soil to the two narrow plots to even out the soil level
• Also adding compost to the plot with the grape plant to increase the nutrient value.

On another note, the seeds came in sometime last week, I was very impressed by the quantity of seeds I received and customer service was incredibly helpful. Thank you, Sustainable Seed Co., I believe I just became a life long customer!