The duck experiment.
- At July 29, 2012
- By Molly Chester
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6
One of the major pests of Southern CA is the pesky snail. In the spring and early summer, they’re everywhere, and to farm organically, this means lots of labor hours spent distributing natural granular snail bait to each orchard tree. To combat the issue, John raised 100 Khaki Campbell Ducks this winter, a breed known for an insatiable appetite for escargot. In the spring, using electric fencing, John allowed the ducks to roam the orchard, moving them weekly and monitoring their progress by literally counting the before and after. The results were obvious. We’re talking a 300 snail count in the morning and a count of 10 by end-of-day… real numbers. It was working.
Mission accomplished.
- At July 7, 2012
- By Molly Chester
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3
This season at Apricot Lane, we planted Blocks D, F and M. That means absolutely nothing to you! But around here, it’s big news. Over 30-acres of itty-bitty trees are soaking up their nutrients from our soils, and we’re happy to have them.