Seed collection season has begun.

July 24-30, 2006

Although the week seemed like it was rather short, much was accomplished by our three international and two Ecuadorian volunteers. Construction in the greenhouse is now finished. Our seedbeds have had compost added, turned and been made a foot deeper. This increased depth, in addition to some drainage gravel, should allow for stronger root development in seedlings.

The seed collection season has begun, with Compoyo and Palo Santo seeds already collected. The Planet Drum team should be heading out to the forest in the coming weeks to collect 5 more of the 22 native species we grow in the greenhouses.

We had a visitor this week, one of the original field workers from a local organic farm/reforestation program. We invited Marcus to work with us for a few days in order to receive some feedback on planting, maintaining and potential improvements on our water process. Marcus seemed impressed with how quickly our plants were growing, the quality of the roots, and offered a few suggestions on making our watering process less labor-intensive (and the volunteers rejoice!). Thank you for your patience and time with us while back on vacation from Spain, Marcus!

Hasta pronto, pat