EMAU FARMS- SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

An essential aspect of sustainable agriculture is to develop resiliency to changes in climate. One aspect of this resiliency is to be able to capture and maintain soil moisture even during prolonged drought. Our goal this year (2021) is to capture the rain water from winter-Spring seasons into the soil of the garden for use in the Summer of 2022. We shall evaluate effectiveness in the summer by observing plant growth and determining whether or not they need watering from an external source. Since clay particles, due to their small size, have greater capacity to maintain/retain water/moisture, it is essential to accurately determine the percent clay, sand and silt in the soil; and thus, modify the soils in the garden accordingly. The profile soil in our area of Bainbridge Island, Washington, is considered to be gravelly sandy loam. We considered it neccessary to confirm the soil profile present in the specific site of the garden. We utilized soil sedimentation test by suspending so...

Our goal this year is to design a vegetable garden that is resilient to climate change by trapping water from the winter-spring rains into the soil. One step in that process is determination of soil texture by determining the percent sand, silt and clay in the soil present in the garden. Once the texture of soil is knwon, we can modify it accordingly to help trap water. We used simple method soil sedimentation test using glass jars to suspend soil sample in water, then allow it to sediment by gravity into layers of sand, silt and clay, which we can measure and use to calculate percentages of each layer. We conducted this experiment by suspending soil in water with (Jars 1 - 5) or without (Jars 6 - 10) dish soap. In addition, since clay particles are affected by sodium chloride to aggregate etc we determined the effect of adding sodium chloride at various time points during the sedimentation. Note: all Jars when shaken vigorously for 5 - 10 minutes, and set down on a flat table at...