Camp Garden showing watermellon (right) and Hopi blue corn (left)i: Photo : Jeffrey Kunzelman

The Camp Gardens produce food through out the year. From late winter to fall we successionally plant a variety of crops in the established sunken beds. During the fall, much of the gardens are seeded with cover crops or reworked with soil amendments such as compost, manure, and rock powders. Temporary cold frames are also constructed out of glass or plastic which speeds the growth of outdoor crops during the winter.

The gardens are intermittently fertilized with compost or manure tea produced in our specially designed dispenser towers. By leaching out the nutrients of the substrate into water, we can provide the plant with essential elements in a soluable form, which can be more quickly assimilated. Companion planting, organic sprays, hand picking, and floating row covers are our most-used techniques for maintaining a healthy insect population and preventing excessive damage to the crops.