[Terrapreta] Thanks Larry

[Richard Haard]

Tom and TP listers - This will give you and readers some idea what we  
are up to at our charcoal research plots. Special recognition for  
Larry Williams who stepped up to do plot maintenance during my  
medical problems.

Larry

Thank you very much for your work on the plots. If you have any time  
at all during light hours it would be nice to spend some time looking  
at the plots. i am really glad to see this heavy growth because with  
2 harvests of the swiss chard it will pull down soil nutrition.

It might be interesting to flag the swiss chard plots blue, red,  
white then set up another time to do a systematic set of plot  
photographs

If I bring out a chair I am good to hang out I would be available  
friday or before. Not Tuesday.

I am thinking next week or following week to harvest the swiss chard  
using crew to systematically cut at surface into  separate totes for  
each plot. If we did it say a week from next Saturday or Friday then  
we could pass some out to crew and I could set up a pot of hot water  
to blanch and freeze greens and stems for winter food. By November we  
could most likely get a second cutting.

My plan would be to weigh each tote for yield  have Kay  earlier to  
select foliar samples for tissue analysis. This involves washing and  
drying.

Maybe combined to save money. I think the foliar test costs 18$ each.

control
charcoal
seaweed + charcoal
fertilizer
fertilizer + charcoal
fertilizer + charcoal + compost
compost
compost + charcoal

This would be 6 samples and could be combined charcoal 1 and  2

I think I could get Kay and Veronica to do this some  early morning.  
It will be touchy taking samples since leaves only at a certain  
growth stage are used. We need to work out a sampling procedure.

Rich Haard, Fourth Corner Nurseries
Bellingham, Washington