Last Monday group of interns came out to visit us from Pickard's Mountain Eco-Institute. We spent a little time going over the basics of Biodynamic Agriculture.
Then they pitched in and provided some much appreciated help. One of the things we learned about was keeping the insect population in balance with fermented nettle tea and milk and honey. This is me setting out containers of nettle to be flung in the garden to discourage munching insects.
And here is Lindsay flinging droplets of nettle over the garden with a paint brush.
While some of us flung the nettle, others stirred the milk and honey prep.
Milk and honey prep is exactly what it sounds like, milk and honey mixed with water and then sprayed over the garden. The honey attracts pollinators and the milk attracts predatory bugs. As if in testimony to this prep, we had a huge hatching of assassin bugs in the garden the week before. While spraying , we could see groupings of assassin bugs hanging out on the tomatoes and green beans just waiting for a tasty muncher to become their lunch.
After both preps were sprayed, the interns made short work of harvesting the potatoes.
I had to include this picture of the potato harvest because we had just finished week after week of what seemed like endless rain when this picture was taken. Blue sky, what a blessing!
And here is the harvested crop laid out to cure in the greenhouse. These are All Purple potatoes, smallish and packed with flavor. Yum!
We also harvested garlic and made garlic braids.
Beautiful finished braids.
Thank you Pickard's Mountain interns for all of your enthusiastic help!!
