Share the suspense and excitement as Shosh turns on the water valve for the first time. This project was a four-person job: Shosh, Nick, Ed, and Leo.

After laying out the pipes from the spigots to the irrigation areas, we buried them in shallow trenches. Our March 2023 album shows more of the steps involved.

Our tilther harnesses the power of a cordless drill and helps us incorporate amendments like compost. The tilther only disturbs the top 2 to 3 inches of soil, which is critical for preserving the soil structure and maintaining our minimal tillage system.

Our paperpot transplanter gets more and more useful each season. This tool can help automate a lot of the manual labor associated with planting. So far, we’ve used it for beets and onions. We’re going to add a few more crops into the mix as we get more comfortable using it.

One thing we’ve learned is the importance of planting at the right time. If you wait too long, the transplants can get challenging to plant, as their roots grow a little too much.

We love tools that help increase our efficiency and reduce our labor. Sometimes, the learning curve can cause some short-term setbacks; however, we’re confident these tools will improve our operation in the long term.

Here, I’m cutting the polycarbonate panels to be installed on the end walls. For more photos of the build, check out our October 2024 gallery.