The Science of Soil. And dogs.

Here at Lokoea Farms we have dense, clay soil. When I was a kid, my dad would dig up big chunks of clay for me to mold into shapes and dry in the sun. Great fun for kids, but sometimes difficult to work with as a farmer. Drainage is the problem I encounter the most often, because unlike row crop farmers, we can't just till and add amendments every season - our trees are in it to win it! One way to improve the quality of our soil is by surrounding the trees with organic matter, such as compost and mulch, and allowing the bugs, worms, and good bacteria in the soil work it in for us.

Our friend Matt came over to help with the dirty work and give all our orange trees a nice blanket of mulch. He brought his dog, Denver, who had an awesome time pretending to be a farm dog for a day. She collected lots of the little green sticky seeds we like to call "adventure balls" because when the dogs come back covered in them, we know they've been on an adventure.

All 4 dogs had a fun day hanging out and relaxing in the shade of an orange tree while we slaved away shoveling mulch. Our trees are happy, though! Thanks, Matt!