Here are some assorted photos I am catching up with from the finca up north with Chilo, for those not on facebook, and those interested in some of the farming details!

Every day the goats tie themselves up in a knot and need to be untied, this 16 loop ankle bracelet being one shy of the record.

That´s better!

the plants along the creek approaching the bosque area

the former lagoon with tilapia until a torrential rain flooded it two years ago and caused destruction downstream

Here is a lcoser view of the broken dam.

Quite a large rock!

a nonstandard variety of lemon

low flow on this day to one of the water tanks

When it is flowing, it waters the banana trees below.

outdoor kitchen often used for cooking tortillas

family garden plot before being worked

Chilo aters down the dust

w

having fun

Chilo forms the first bed, by cobbling together soil into a nice raised bed with a berm.

my view much of the morning, cultivating the soil

Obed gets ready to help with planting.

Planting begins.

I chop up sticks with machete for marking the rows.

rounding into shape

Obed helping...

planting

The dogs love bananas especially this variety.

a bed I cobbled together from soil dislodged by the irrigation channel

still having fun

The groovy new garden, watered: germination has not been swift, so hopefully some of these start sprouting up!

Chilo

Our activity was bolstered by Chilo´s almanac telling us we had a short window to plant the above-ground vegetables

On the other side of the banana trees, we created another garden here.

Chilo dug holes and I planted behind him.

taking a break to collect leaves from a neighbor: these will be ground up and made into a natural pesticide very effective against ants, to be sprayed on the trees

back to the garden

The third area we created gardens was nearby the other two, in what I called
permaculture zone 2, to Chilo´s amusement.

These are thinner beds, simpler to pull together, which can be planted in a single row on top of the bed. Since the beds are hard to add humus to, the soil needs to be pretty rich to begin with.

posts for fencing the garden

post hole digger

closeup

Dig in and turn and turn a few times.

setting a post

Here is Chilo chopping wood near the outdoor kitchen, often lengthwise.

That´ll get the job done!

stump for holding the wood

wood pile

Back to the post holes: here I am checking the depth.

Hard work is a pleasure for some of us.

big post

When the soil is rocky, a digging stick is used instead, and the soil must be scooped out by hand.

the digging stick, or barreta

Good to have two people for tying up the fencing.

Now the prized Chayote, a distant relative of squash, will have room for its vines to grow and fruit.

Chayote patch

A neighbor set the field on fire, which helps the corn have ash to grow in. Unfortunately, they were careless and burned a hose Chilo uses to bring irrigation from the acequia. So he must repair it now.

Another post and fencing project involved a fruit vine called Maracuya

Here´s the nice result.

The third garden is now fenced.

The front gate took a lot of hammering clamps into these skinny hard posts.

more good results

No, not from the hammer...this is my swollen hand after getting bitten by one too many insects.

Good as new after a day off and some benadril for $2 at the corner drugstore

celebrating with a beer on one of the final days

the wonderful family of Chilo, Victoria and Obed

apprentice and farmer