Mid-season fertilization

Plant health varies throughout the campus terrace garden. Some of this variability seems to correspond with different compost applications.

Plants are generally healthy in the section of the garden that received compost during the first week of March. These include potatoes, peas, beans, kale, and pac choi.

The section that received compost in the first week of April is less healthy. It was seeded to carrots, parsnips, and beets. Germination was poor, so some of this section had to be re-seeded. Growth has been slow throughout. We see bright red beet leaves, suggesting phosphorus deficiency. Even the purslane grows much more slowly here than in other areas of the garden.

The final compost application was made in late May. This area was planted to tomato, pepper, basil, squash, cucumber, beans, corn, and sunflower. Most of these crops look OK, but there are some signs of nitrogen deficiency.

We decided to side-dress with organic fertilizer. We blended 25 pounds of bone meal (2-14-0), 50 pounds of alfalfa meal (3-0-2), and 50 pounds of kelp meal (1-0.15-2). This amounted to 125 pounds of fertilizer with a 2-2.9-1.6 analysis.

On June 16th the students side-dressed plants in the green shaded areas on the map below with the dry fertilizer blend. These same areas were also fertilized with 1.5 liters of fish fertilizer (2.75-1-2). The total fertilized areas was 171 square meters, or 0.042 acres. The additional fertilizer should eventually add about 62 pounds of nitrogen per acre, 86 pounds of phosphorus per acre, and 50 pounds of potassium per acre.

Tools of the trade

Several recent classes have been spent at the orchard on Gilbert Road, where the students have been learning to use appropriate machinery for small-scale farms.

They have been cultivating and making beds for potatoes, pumpkins, and corn.

The little Kubota tractor has provided practice in mowing and using the front-end loader.

In areas where the soil was compacted the students tried deep cultivation with shovel and broad fork before making beds.

Re-imagining the campus landscape

On Thursday I toured KPU's Langley campus, which is being rapidly transformed by Dr. Kathy Dunster and her Urban Ecosystems students. They have created living walls of plants, a labyrinth in the lawn, and a garden dedicated to music.

A planting of multiple hops varieties is a precursor to a fermentation garden featuring ingredients for brewing and wine making.

A rainwater collection tank for irrigation is nestled behind one living wall.