Cows, Collecting manure and planting

February 10-

A. assisted by J. moved half filled the raised beds makai of house with wood chips. Next step is to order compost with steer manure from menehue magic.

T. seeded green onions and bulb onions directly into bed #3.
Gave T. the avocado and mountain apple trees to plant. Picked out areas outside of cow pasture fence, near the mauka gate.

Spoke with Corie, left the time sheets in the office in a yellow folder, very visible.

Sowed seeds in large black pots in nursery: two pots with basil (the seed looked old), two pots with cilantro and one with Hawaiian Chili peppers.

February 11 -

The green onions in nursery are poking through the soil.
The east-west mix in vermicompost is up in half of the cubes. Looks very good.
Cut a section of bird netting to fit the square bin. Placed two trays of vermicompost cubes in the bin and then covered with netting, secured on two sides. This should allow the seeds enough sun and rain, but will not allow the chickens access.

J and T finished clearing higher area makai of beds and T. shaped hills. Planted japanese cucumber and straight eight cucumber. I need to map out the number of hills. Also planted two hills of birdhouse gourd (the last of my seed) and three hills of loofah. T. seeded cilantro and hawaiian chili peppers in bed six.

The chickens had scratched up bed #4 in the nursery. There two plants coming up, in the general vicinity of where I had planted cucumbers. Today I did a row of hawaiian chili peppers, two rows of bell pepper, a short row of bulb onion, a few sunflower seeds and a large bed of the fukunaga mescluen mix.

As I won't be out on Friday I gave T a list of tasks:
priority to mulch around the new cucumber hills and the papaya trees in back corner
clear dead or bruised fruit from current tomato bush
clear weeds from around established tomatos
clear weeds from pineapple, onions and peppers
clear last high area and shape a raised bed
on friday bring down kitchen waste for chickens and check their water.
I also asked that she take some time to secure loose rubbish and other items around the shed as the wind was picking up. And if it does not rain significantly, she will need to water new plants tomorrow.

Called Corie, she will print out new timesheets and I can pick up from her. Meanwhile, i left a piece of paper for T and J to write hours today and tomorrow.




Skies were grey and it rained intermittently throughout the morning.
I asked T and J to take the yellow truck and drive into the cow pasture to fill a container with cow manure to toss on the compost pile. I went to open the gate and get them started. The cows were in the middle of the field but when they noticed the truck those cows came running. T stopped the truck and I was pointing out places where there was a lot of manure to shovel up and suddenly J and I were surrounded by cows. T gave a little shriek and jumped back in the truck cab. It was too funny. The cows saw the truck and they expected papaya to be tossed out. When they realized we did not have papaya, they kept getting closer, like we were hiding papaya in our pockets. We couldn't even shovel up the manure, the cows were all around us and despite banging the truck and clapping hands, they did not move. J and I got back in the truck and we tried driving away from the cattle but those cows would not let us escape. So I told Tita to just turn around and we'd drive back. But the cows would not move away from the truck. We tried backing slowly but the large bull would not move. That bull wanted his papaya. That was when I spotted a box in the cab with a few chicken pecked papaya. I showed the large papaya to the bull and then tossed it a few meters away, the bull went after the papaya and at last we could back up with hitting the huge beast! T drove back to a big manure spot and J and I got out to shovel. The cows followed us back but I think they finally realized that there was no papaya in the truck because they no longer crowded us. Once T was certain the cows were not coming close, she finally got out of the truck. Next time we want to shovel manure, we'll throw out papaya first.

T. showed me where she planted the trees. One of the spots we initially chose was not diggable, she hit what looks like cement, broken up concrete a few inches below ground level. T did a good job of marking the trees off with cement block so they won't be accidently run over or mowed.

Cows out again

February 1

Arrived at farm a bit later then usual to learn that Tl had left for the mainland and would be gone a week. Kl had arrived and was working on fence. Cows had got out again on Sunday. I began by assessing the section of fence where the cows had pushed through. Kl, T. and J. had begun clearing grass from fence. I asked them to totally clear the area, take out the old wire and re-place the poles and re-string wire, (only 20 - 25 feet) if they could string it tight. Kl. said he could do it. I placed emphasis on the sentence "no tools or excess wire are to be left out here".  I left the three of them working on the fence.

I spent much of the day moving lettuce from the seedling tray to the aquaponics table.

The three had strung four strings of wire and placed four poles, closer then necessary, but that's ok. Wire was tight and poles seemed solidly planted. Kl. said he would leave early, I told him that as Tl. was on mainland, there would be no more fence work until he returned. He would be called when there was work.

Pulled weeds around established tomatoes, T. assisted. Used sections of old chicken wire to support vines.

Still rainy and wet.

February 2-

Arrived at farm just as the rain began again. Each day I check the chickens, giving them food and water if needed. Since the rains began, checking the flooding in the garden is the next task. The water level has not risen significantly, the water just spreads throughout the grassy areas. Two tomatoes are partially submerged and have tried to shore up the bed in those areas. Sunday the cows had walked through a couple of the planted beds and eaten a significant amount of the established tomatoes. Oh, well, could have been worse. The beans are up and looking strong.  The cucumbers are turning brown.

Found T. in back corner, she had just finished planting additional papaya plants to replace those eaten by cows. Worked with T. and J. to clear an area on higher ground, nearer the old pig pen. Created seven hills and transplanted cucumbers from the nursery. These are a mix of long green cucumbers and the lemon cucumbers. Did this in a driving rain. T. reminded me a few times that it was raining. I showed her two areas that I want to clear in the next few days, to prepare for additional cucumber and tomato plants. T. and J. signed out, rain showed no signs of letting up.

I took the largest tomato seedlings and transferred them to the aquaponics bed.
Then home for hot tea, I was wet through.

February 3-

Amazingly it was not raining this morning. While the ground around the beds is still saturated, it is clear that the water has dissipated slightly. The cucumbers on bed four are dead, the effect of flooding. Bed one looks very good, some lettuce will be ready to pick in seven to ten days.

Marked edge of compost pile, kualoa side of the water tap, with upright sticks. There is a large dip there, so the vegetation can fill up the hole.

Cleared around the established tomatoes and the new cucumber hills. Pushed in large sticks to mark area around cucumber hills. Cucumbers look very healthy. Seeded bulb onion and Hawaiian Chili peppers in nursery beds three and four.

Ran the aquaponic system to circulate water. Plants look healthy. T. and J. not working today, family issue. Spoke with M. about vetiver. She will come by Monday at 8:00 am to look at the stream banks, make a proposal.

Additional things to do:
Add manure to compost pile.
Mongoose proof large chicken house.
Re-shape raised beds affected by flooding.
Hose stuck in ground by main water tap.
Lots of weeding.