Today we got down and dirty... in a garden (huerto) that is! San Rafael Cedros youth
who receive scholarships to continue their educations have started an organic vegetable garden and today we got to be extra hands for them as we weeded together. OK Erica raked.
I have to admit that we didn't last that long due to the heat but we did move some weeds, raked and even harvested radishes. At lunch the radishes were sliced and we got to taste them Salvadoran style with lime juice and salt. (Grant would have loved the salt container.) The college members had made a video of their garden project and we shared their pride in what they have helped the 28 members achieve.
To name just a couple of the things I learned was how to lure pests into 'trampas.' These trampas were made of yellow plastic attached to two sticks at the end of each row. Honey was spread on the plastic and the bugs attracted to the color then stuck to the plastic.
Very clever. * come to think of it aren't those chemical pest stips in the hardware stores yellow? Another interesting garden feature was planting 4 bamboo poles per row after post holing digging holes to help hold the tomato plants from falling over. SOOOO much better than those dumb tomato cages that we use.
After Kacie's phenomenal thank you for lunch, gardening visit and program, we stopped en route home at a much cooler scenic overview. Besides the welcomed cooler temps, Kacie was interviewed by some youth videotaping regarding her impressions of El Salvador. Yes she is famosa!
Tomorrow we are back on the road around early for another field trip... Vengan con nosotros.
Cool garden tips. We can learn so much from them.
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