Aquarius Ranch

Penny Harper, owner and executive gardener, gets her hands on plants and soil too. Pumpkin, one of the ranch cats, assists.  

 Spring 2015 ranch team taking a break.

WARM AND HOT MONTHS 

We prepare the soil in the vegetable gardens for sowing seeds.

Once a year we rototill if necessary.

Then we weed. Crab grass is the main challenge here.

The weeds go to the compost piles inside the chicken pens. The chickens get fresh greens this way in addition to their time out in the chicken range.

Then we do a deep forking in the garden soil.

Next we add regular compost and worm compost, gypsum and rock dust.

Then we mix in the amendments with cultivator tools.

Summer is grape harvest time.

For the trees, this is when we feed and mulch them.

COOL AND COLD MONTHS 

We work with the trees: starting new ones, transplanting them, pruning.

Fall is when we harvest pistachio nuts, jujube fruit and goji berries.

In winter, we start vegetables in containers in the greenhouse for planting out here and selling next spring.