Season of the Lambs

New lambs!  Very exciting!!  And triplets!!!
-Photo by Venus

February Farm Life 2016

Lots has happened since the last post.  Here's a brief mention of a few of the projects and activities as well as a few photos.

Strawberries!  Yum, a market favorite.  The berries seem to come in heavy every so often, and now is strawberry season.  All berries vines in the two large patches started from a few plants given to Scot a few years back from our dear neighbor Victor.  Thank you Victor.

Strawberries, so ono!

Several construction projects have been completed.  The shop, with tools and spare parts, has been moved out of the mail greenhouse and into a newly constructed hoop house.  This will open up more space for plant beds for delicious veggies.  By the way, greenhouses are used here to protect delicate plants and the raised beds from wind and tropical rainstorms.

A new section of the lanai at the main house
 has been added making for space for meetings and meals.  You'll find dog Sadie lounging here on warm afternoons.

As this is being written one of out original ewes is about to give birth.  Twins??  Triplets???  Sheep are animal weed whackers, helping keep the fields mowed.  Pictures of the newborns will be posted soon.

Photo credit in this post:  Venus Parks

Sheep and "WOOFER" shepherds

The glass shack.  One of a kind cottage cantilevered over the nearby gorge.  Made almost entirely with repurposed construction materials.  Once is not enough!

Beauty Sustains

Not everything that happens at Kalaeha Farm is solely about raising food.  We are also sustained by the beauty and wonder of  the world around us.



Days of high sun, days of gentle rains create an environment for plants, animals and people to grow and thrive.






We fill our bellies and hearts equally.

Goings On

I have been away for the summer but upon my return I have found many improvements around Kalaeha Farm.

 An ongoing battle with Wainaku grass finds some headway being made.  It has been called "one of the world's worst weeds," because of its persistent growth and spread by means of a hardy system of rhizomes. 



A Taro bed cleared of Wainaku grass.

Corn growing in a cleared area.  Note the moat-like ditch which keeps weeds from re-establishing.

A close-up look at Wainaku rhizomes being removed.

Sheep shed almost completed.  Lambs will be born this autumn.

Clearing and maintaining fences.  Feral pigs can be a nuisance!

If the soil is tilled normally, these root nodules sprout right back, often crowding out field crops such as corn or Taro.

Farmer Scot, with the able help and hard work of his WOOF-er crew, Magi, Sasha, Andrew, Wesley, Kyle, Ryan, Brandy have been able to largely eradicate this introduced pest plant.  Garden beds are dug and then all rhizomes are carefully removed by hand.  The edge of the bed is dug with a deep trench so that new weeds cannot re-establish.


Check out some photos of this process as well as other on-going projects.

 It's a challenging job, but we find it highly rewarding to see the soil purged of this weed and growing beds of delicious vegetables!

Rain

The Kalaeha Farm is located on the Hamakua Coast of Hawaii Island.  Once a rain forest, the farm is situated on what most recently was part of a large sugarcane operation.  In the past it was not unusual to receive 250+ inches of rain.  Over the recent few years we have had much less, and so relatively drought-like conditions.  Catchment water is a bit of a gamble, so conservation is key between  wet periods.  Mulch and compost help hold the moisture in the soil, as does hand watering the garden beds.

One of several catchment tanks.
 This holds 2700 gal.

Water is the lifeblood of any farm, even in the tropics.  And the lack of rain causes us concern. We are frequently looking for creative ways to collect and save this precious liquid.
One gung hoe volunteer has even taken to bathing in a nearby stream!  Although this is beyond the call, we do try to keep our showers short.
A new catchment system is in future plans, meanwhile we look to the skies.

Chicken Delight

Chickens in a carousel style pen.

The farm was recently gifted with a small flock of chickens.  To avoid conflict with the already established flock, we build a new pen.  It gave us the opportunity to experiment with an innovative design while using recycled/re-purposed materials, such as old chain link and garden fence, milk crates, tarps, and wood culled from the nearby forest.

Perhaps the most unique aspect of the pen is that it rotates 360 degrees, allowing the hens access onto a large portion of new grassy ground.  When the grass is picked over after a week or so, the movable end of the pen is lifted and rotated onto new browse.  Fresh browse makes for happy hens!

Happy chickens.
 

Berry Time

Spring seems to be a time for strawberries here on the farm.  Three patches, all created by woofer volunteers, are producing several quarts daily, which are a prized sale items at the local market.  An area recently planted in blueberries seems to be taking hold as well, although only producing a handful now and then.  We shall see...some of what is grown here is of an experimental nature.  Farming in Hawaii has a bit of a gamble to it, but when plants take off, they often produce bountifully!