It's been about a month since we sent out our last newsletter sharing our brand new website and officially opening up CSA sign-ups.  Since then we've made progress with the CSA and we've gotten a lot of internet press, but we've also been busting our butts getting the nursery up and running.  On a day to day basis it feels like we are working so hard during the hottest part of the summer and barely making headway, but when we sit down to reflect and write about what we've accomplished in the past month we feel like champions.

The site of our new nursery was generously provided by Earth 'N' Us Farm and sits in the middle of Little Haiti, not far from the Little River.  It is small slice of earth bordered by residential backyards which was previously used as a community garden by neighbors, although it had been left to the weeds for over a year.  It was a crazy overgrown jungle when we arrived with machetes and hoes.  In one intense week we fought an array of invasive plants, some aggressive natives and a towering clump of plantains.  It was one of the hardest weeks of the year for us, but we worked happily, inspired by our vision of the perfect nursery.  We pinned down weed block fabric over an area roughly 20' by 30' for our shade structure and cover cropped the rest with a sunn hemp and buckwheat mix. 

Just last week we finally put up the structure and built our tables underneath.  We even started an inaugural set of seed trays.  Next on the agenda is a pimp irrigation system featuring misters, sprinklers, timers and different watering zones!   Our seed order for the Fall is almost finished and by next week we should be starting things like peppers, eggplants and tomatoes for our first seedling sale in October.  It's such a nice space and we can't wait to have people over for seedling sales and workshops!

Stay tuned for more updates about our progress and seedling sale dates by joining our mailing list. 

Our favorite free fruit of the year is finally in season, and its dripping like jewels off of giant trees on every street corner. Miami has so many different varieties its so fun to explore all the exotic types at neighbors and friends houses, and to trade our yard variety for others. This weekend we made an amazing salsa out of 6 different varieties mixed with red onions, cilantro and pigeon pea, and used it to top a grilled fish taco! Make sure you take as much advantage as you can of the mango bounty, but be careful as its sap is a common allergen and can irritate the skin.

We are currently looking for apprentices for the Fall-Winter growing season. Every year we welcome one or two full season apprentices onto the farm, to help 2-3 days per week with everything from propagation to harvesting. Its a great way to learn about urban farming, self sustainability, grass roots small businesses, and subtropical permaculture principles. If you are interested send us an email with a little background info about yourself, relevant work experience and what motivates you to learn about growing food on a small organic and urban scale.