IS FARMING WITHOUT PLASTIC POSSIBLE?
Hello from Tomorro Farm,
What a wild week of rain! We received over five inches of rain, which made for some very soggy days of field work. It was a great chance to observe how water moves across the property. We’re studying the patterns and dreaming up ways to slow, spread, and sink it — including future beaver dam analogs (more on that another time!). Because of all this moisture, our willow stakes are already budding out, which feels remarkable considering they were just two-foot sticks we pushed into the ground a short time ago.
All but six of our beds have now been transitioned out of their winter cover crop and are getting ready for the real growing season. This week we also trialed a few new methods for terminating cover crops that don’t rely on silage tarps. We’re feeling really good about figuring out systems to farm without plastic.
Our current experiment: we mowed the cover crop, laid down a paper mulch, and covered it with a thick layer of compost. The goal is for the compost layer to create enough heat and light blockage to suppress regrowth. Grasses like wheat, barley, and rye (we grew all three) are especially persistent and love to come back through their strong root systems. Plastic tarps typically kill that regrowth - so now we’ll see if this paper + compost method can do the same!
Jake and I keep laughing because we haven’t terminated any two beds the same way. Everything is an experiment. We’re learning what works best for the soil, for our bodies (shoveling compost is serious work), and for our values. Anytime we can reduce plastic touching our soil, it feels like a win. Having the autonomy to make decisions that align with our beliefs feels amazing!
Other FUN NEWS… WE GOT PUBLISHED!
New Times SLO featured a story about the farm. It’s pretty special to see our little project out in the world. Read our story on page 14-16!
A HUGE THANK YOUUUUU
Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who filled out the CSA interest form! We’re incredibly grateful for the support, and honestly amazed by how many people are stoked to eat food from our farm. We’ll be sharing more details about the CSA as we ramp up production over the next couple of months. Please stay tuned for sign ups!
If you haven’t had a chance to fill out the interest form and would like to receive weekly vegetables from Tomorro, you can find the link below!
to dryer days ahead!
Your farmers,
Jake and Jesse :)