Earth Dance Organic Farm employs techniques like companion planting-meaning they plant certain crops next to other insect prone crops in order to deter pests. An example of this would be planting fragrant basil next to tomatoes in order to protect them. They also manually walk the rows of plants, pick off the beetles and other pests and squash them on the spot. Pest control at its most primitive.
Earth dance Organic Farm Website
Grow Organic Website
Here are some photos of the experience:
Tomorrow I start my actual rotations-There is so much to learn!
"High-tech tomatoes. Mysterious milk. Supersquash. Are we supposed to eat this stuff? Or is it going to eat us?"
~Annita Manning
So, I've been reading the entomology archives of Entomo-L... The suggestion that less pesticides would be a way to ensure future jobs for entomologists came up. Looks like it might ensure future jobs in general...look at all those weed pullers! hehe.
ReplyDeleteHi, Jayne! You are such a great kid! Ok, young lady.
ReplyDeleteYour Great Grandpa Anderson was one of the earliest organic farmers in Walnut Grove, Minnesota. I remember comments that he noticed that insecticides and chemicals fertilizers meant that they lost a lot of their birds and natural growth along fence rows. He realized the chemicals could and should be tapered back in their use. Very interesting!