This week the Louisa Herb Guild took an outing to Forrest Green Farm www.forrestgreenfarm.com located in Louisa County to learn about soil preparation and soil amendments. Krista and Rob, owners of Forrest Green, welcomed us with yummy hot herbal tea on a brisk, windy Spring morning. Rob lead the workshop for our group on how to prepare our garden soils for the kinds of herbs and plants we want to grow. Rob and Krista provides a wealth of information and fielded a wide range of questions. Members that include Master Gardeners as well as "novice gardeners" benefited from learning surprising and insightful tips and lessons. Onsite Rob pointed out their compost mixing area with a multitude of different soil amendments like green sand (yes it is green) and the importance of using the right finished soil amendment. He liken it to an "apothecary" for soils! He advocates regular soil testing conducted at the same time of the year and good record keeping pointing out soil is living and changing. Rob expressed the preference and use of natural amendments and explained how the plants use such.
Alot of food for thought! Herbs and other cool weather crops were available and many were delighted with purchasing the beautiful lettuces and greens. Thank you Rob and Krista for being such great hosts and teachers! Looking forward to our next seminar with you in the summer on use of herbs on August 4th!
Stay tuned for Heritage Day info to be held on April 25th at the Heritage Farm Site at the Louisa County Historical Society.
submitted by Deb Field
