Garden Mulch and the CSP Program

After the growing season, we cleaned up the annual beds and moved all plant debris to the side—this debris will form the dry base layer of next year’s compost heaps.

Many wood chip pathways in this area were laid 2+ years ago so the beds and pathways were reformed. Compost, straw and new wood chip aisles completed this project. Keeping the soil covered will help avoid erosion while maintaining moisture and nutrients within in the soil.

This mulching work wraps up year 2 of 5 of our current contract with the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), which are USDA funds that help farmers nationwide build on existing conservation efforts while strengthening their farm operation. This year our funds were used to purchase straw bales directly from another local farm; last year’s funds were used to purchase cover crop seed. This is an awesome program—farmers can choose from a variety of conservation practices that best suit their needs, and even SMALL farms are eligible!

The photos above are of the bed reshaping/mulching work this fall; the ones below show off the mulched garden areas this past summer. Did you know? We share two of our fence lines with a car dealership. That second photo above is a great look at some of our urban surroundings.