Passing the Torch

Rains not typical for this time of year along with an abundance of sunshine did wonders for the garden this month! The garden took off, and the church is already harvesting beans, cilantro, beets and squash. The first tomatoes and peppers can also be seen. Papaya and orange trees have a good start and are growing tall and strong. The pastor and his wife moved into their new house. This month we have enjoyed the fruit of our labor!!

Special blessings:

We saw our first bee in the garden.
A team came to help build the greenhouse and gather more horse manure and "garbage" aka compost materials.
The pastor announced last week that he is ready to begin teaching seminars.

Pest Management

We found the nasty culprits!! And nasty they are . . . these cucumber beetles or squash beetles like to eat the leaves of squash, cucumber, and melon plants and lay their eggs at the base while the larvae eat the fruit! We have managed to fight many of them using organic methods such as soap/oil sprays, neem and trapping, though you can see the damage one small squash suffered in this picture. Just in time for teaching pest management. :)

February Progress

The church has enjoyed a harvest of green beans and cilantro, though we're fighting a nasty cucumber/squash beetle. We are using various organic methods to fight them. Although they are eating the leaves of the bean plants, they are not damaging the beans. The cilantro is beautiful as well!