It's FREEZING cold!!

If you would have been at ECHO on the morning of Jan 1, 2008, this is what you would have seen: LOTS of ice (top photo).

Our interns and farm staff worked most of the night running the sprinkler system used to protect the plants. Most of our plants survived, although there was some damage- probably more so than in recent years because of the wind that accompanied the cold.

Most of the damage (remaining photos taken Jan 14) was due to branches breaking from the weight of the ice. A coating of ice on the leaves provides

a bit of protection, as long as the sprinklers are not turned off before temperatures go above freezing. Leaves of some tree species, however, are more sensitive to ice than others. Notice the photo at the bottom right of the jackfruit tree. The leaves reached by the sprinklers were damaged whereas the upper canopy was not.

Quite a few of our papaya and banana trees were damaged. Many of our trees lost a lot of leaves but have buds that are already sprouting to form new growth!

An Idea for Growing Herbs

Pictured are cement blocks used for steps along a path. Note that the blocks on the sides are being utilized as containers for growing various herbs. One would not need cement blocks to grow herbs, but it illustrates the concept of using whatever space is available to grow food plants....