May 2024

There is a saying in Chinese that stresses the importance of planning early (一年之計在於春), and farmer Pat Fan is thinking ahead about how to apply what he has learned. We have already seen his impressive compost tea and nutrient ferment stations and he is now planning a second station on the other side of his production farm.

Picture 1 (left; taken in December 2023) & Picture 2 (right)

Picture 1 shows the other side of his farm which had been left idle. Since then, Pat Fan has planted corn and watermelon (picture 2) using practices like compost and mulch. However, the irrigation system linked to the compost tea station was too far away from the new plots, making it difficult to apply. And lo, the idea of a second station was born!

*When applying compost tea or nutrient amendments, a pump cannot be installed with the irrigation system as there’s a risk of clogging the system. Therefore, the station needs to be located high enough to let gravity do the work. *

Fortunately for Pat Fan, Cham Shan Farm is connected with Hung Lung Hang Mountains, where high ground allows the station to work efficiently. Other farms located on lower ground are still brainstorming how to overcome this obstacle so they can cover more land with compost tea.

But enough about compost tea, let’s check out what else Pat Fan has been doing!

  • Post Chinese New Year, the city was strewn with bamboo leftovers. Pat Fan gathered some of the discarded product and turned it into mulch by combining it with wood chips, goat manure, and EM fertilizer.

  • Look how huge these cucumbers are!

  • Tis the season of gourds.