Weekly Farm Chore Schedule
Monday: 1-8, 9-11
Tuesday: 1-8, 12-14
Wednesday: 1-8, 15-19
Thursday: 1-8, 20-23
Friday: 1-8, 24-29
Saturday: 1 - 5, 24 - 30
1. Check Power / Pumps
Walk along all ponds and beds and make sure the power is working properly.
Riverbed - check each Pump and Receptacle box. If power is out, 1st try and reset GFCI by pushing “reset” on receptacle.
- Still not working - Check breaker in Circuit Box located between patio cover and pergola.
- Still not working - Keep main circuit off and locate the problem.
If pumps are not filling beds, plants must get watered manually.
* for Aliso, email the city
2. Adjust Water Level in Ponds
Check water level in each pond. If needed, turn fill valves on or off. (PVC Ball Valve hanging over side of pond wall)
Make sure you are considering how much water is currently filling beds when determining amount.
If Beds are full, water level in pond will naturally be lower than when pump is off.
Never have water entering into pond more than a trickle. Too much water at once can kill fish / plants / bacteria / etc…
* this is automatic in Aliso
3. General Walk Around
Look for leaks, broken things, bugs, vandalism, trash, problems, etc… (report / repair)
*Monday / Tuesday - check for anything broken, left behind, out of place from event - report back to event coordinator.
4. Check all Fill Valves
Make sure water is entering evenly into all 5 beds from its corresponding pond, adjust as needed.
If flow seems restricted, first check to make sure pump is not clogged.
(Riverbed) To Unclog Pump - First turn off power at circuit breaker. Because our pumps are wifi enabled, it is important to kill the power completely to ensure it does not fire on when out of water. Especially when your fingers are clearing out the impeller. Once the power is turned off, detach the 2” union fitting located on the backside of the pond. Make sure not to drop the black O ring that seals the union fitting. Once the fitting has been unscrewed completely, pull pump completely out of the water from pipe and remove the impeller guard. Now that the impeller is exposed, visually inspect for damage / debris. If debris is the issue, remove with your finger and make sure the impeller is able to move smoothly. Place guard back over impeller, connect union (dont forgot the o ring), and turn the power back on to test pump is working correctly. If problem is not resolved, we might have a bad impeller or motor.
Gold Coast - head to the pump room and make sure canister filters are clean. remember to close off 2 shut off valves before opening top of canister filter. If pump is still not working, you can manually turn on 2nd back up pump.
5. Feed Fish & Birds
The Fish feed are the small brown pellets in the blue barrel.
Give each pond a small handful of food and move on to the next pond. when you return to a pond you’ve already fed, If all food is gone, repeat until the fish stop feeding. if there is food still floating - you have fed them too much.
For chickens, make sure they have water in their hanging metal jug, refill if necessary with nearby hose.
Riverbed - The fixed water bowl tend to fill up with debris, use the hose to wash out if water is not clean.
Make sure chickens have food in their hanging feeder. If they are out, refill the feeder can with food located in the blue barrels.
* If we are running low of chicken or fish feed, restock. (Orange County Farm Supply / Anaheim Feed)
6. Remove Dead Leaves / Flowers / Weeds from Grow Beds
Pull off any leaves that are non-edible / diseased / or dead, collect waste in container and throw away in blue dumpster.
Be careful not to injure the plants when harvesting leaves.
For herbs like basil or baby tomatoes, remove all the flowers from the plant.
7. Remove Dead Plants
If plants have no chance of quality production or they have reached the end of their life cycle, remove by pulling out of gravel. Once plant its lifted out, hit rootball against gravel to loosen up gravel from plant. Be cautious of nearby healthy plants that may be effected from your extraction. Once plant is removed, use a 3 prong excavator (or fingers) to remove roots /debris the plant may have left behind in the gravel. When using excavator, be very careful not to puncture liner in beds. best to flood beds before doing this - makes things easier.
You should be able to run your fingers through gravel easily when gravel is properly cleaned.
8. Remove Chicken Waste
Remove waste out of coop and distribute evenly amongst fruit trees and shrubs.
Replace paper under roosting bar were most chicken waste accumulates.
While in the coop, give the ground cover a good toss. If dirt is exposed on ground, refresh ground cover with more hay located in bales underneath back beds.
9. Water Chemistry Test / Fertilize Plants (once a month)
First, test 3 random ponds for Ammonia, Nitrate, Potassium, and Phosphorus.
- based on the results from these test, determine how much fertilizer to add to each pond.
To Fertilize:
1. Foliar spray
2. Chicken Manure in Beds / Ponds (tea bags)
10. Scrub Drain Pipes / Fill Pipes / and Filter Baskets
For Drain, first gently remove 2” pipe from through hole fitting. Inspect pipe to make sure the (2) 1/4” drain holes are clean and clear.
Then feel around and remove debris from the large 6” drain hole, there is usually a lot of algae. After large debris is removed, use brush to scrub inside. Once Pipe and 6” guard is cleaned, reinsert 2” drain pipe and give it a soft tap to make sure it fits snug in through-hole fitting.
For the 6” fill pipe, first remove Filter Basket and clean with brush and pressurized water. Do not hit basket against anything to clear debris. Once top basket is removed, clean 6” fill hole like the 6” drain hole. Remove debris and then scrub. Once basket and 6” pipe is clean, put basket back on top of pipe.
11. Spray bugs off of plants (including fruit trees)
Make sure carbon filter and spray nozzle is attached to hose.
Using a sharp high pressure / lower volume setting, Spray aphids, beetles, and scales off plants and trees.
Be careful not to injure plants with aggressive spray. Spraying should only be done on cool days or in the evening.
If it is too hot out, the wet leaves can wilt in the suns heat and plant will die.
12. Exercise Fill Valves (riverbed)
To make sure each beds 1” PVC ball valve does not freeze and corrupt over time: turn red knob all the way to the left and then all the way to the right then back to its original position. If a valve does not open and close freely, notify farm director.
13. Random Seed Planting
One method of starting plants in the beds is sprinkling seeds directly into the gravel.
1st power pump on in pond corresponding with beds you want to seed. When water has reached its full height in beds, in areas that have already been raked and cleaned with cultivator, remove top layer of gravel so water is slightly exposed and lightly sprinkle seeds in area. Do not over seed as too many is problematic. Try to sprinkle about 1 seed per every 2 square inches, then cover area back up with gravel so water is not exposed.
14. Starting Seeds in Trays
Start by determining how many seeds you are wanting to start in trays. Once you have your number of trays needed for starting your seeds, mix a 50/50 blend of vermiculite and coconut husk in a separate bucket / wheelbarrow / bin.
For larger seeds (cucumber / squash / bean / etc) fill seed tray cells up 75% with mixture, then place one seed in each cell. After seeds have been placed in cell, top off the remaining 25% of cell with grow mix.
For small seeds (basil / tomato / onion / etc) fill a flat (cell-less) tray 75% full of grow mix, then lightly sprinkle seeds about 1” apart over grow mix. Once seeds have been spread, top off the remaining 25% of tray with grow mix.
Now your trays are ready to be placed in beds. First make sure the pump is on and bed is completely full of water. Once bed is full, move gravel so 1” of water is exposed and then place seed trays in exposed area. After all trays have been placed in beds, patch up areas where water is exposed with gravel, and label trays with seed type and date planted. Put excess gravel in buckets.
* Gold Coast - using potting table
15. Passion / Grape Vine
Cut back any vine that is branching off the fence on nearby trees, structures, or the ground. Be very careful not to pull on the vine, but gently cut it back and remove unwanted section. For dead vines within the fence, cut away all dead / brown vines and gently remove from fence. It’s best to make multiple cuts so that you don’t rip away and kill healthy vines that are attached to the dead vines.
16. Remove Weeds
Remove all unwanted plants growing throughout the property. This includes within the grow beds and all throughout the facility.
Simply pull unwanted plant out and make sure you remove the roots. If roots do not come out, feel free to use a 3 prong cultivator in the gravel beds, or a shovel in the ground. If you are uncertain if a plant is a weed, take a picture and send to Farm director for clarification.
Gold Coast - specifically on the hill
17. Water Front Landscaping (Riverbed)
Beginning at the pepper trees behind the pergola and work your way (left) to the queen palm tree in front of the bar:
with a garden hose, give each plant a good 20 second soak at its base. Make sure you do not spray the plant directly as it could damage its leaves, but instead spray the dirt under the plant. Don’t forget the plants on the backside of the dance floor.
18. Check Sprinklers
Section by Section, turn on each set of sprinklers and visual inspect the droppers and sprayers. Make sure everything is working properly and all plants are receiving a generous amount of water. For sprinklers or droppers that aren’t working properly, repair or replace malfunctioning parts. Irrigation supplies can be found in a labeled bin in the the large tool shed.
19. Inspect Fruit Trees
Visually inspect each fruit tree for insects / fungus / mold infestation.
If infected, spray off with high pressure water / insecticide / fungicide.
Also test soil beneath trees for water content. Make sure soil is not dry but also not muddy.
20. Green House (riverbed)
Feed fish in ponds and tanks. Make sure pond has enough water, open up fill valve to a very light drip if water is low. Remove weeds from grow beds. Remove spider webs from inside the structure. Remove dead leaves from grow bed. Turn on timers and make sure pumps and water flow are working correctly, adjust fill valves if necessary. Inspect ponds for dead fish, remove if necessary. Water plants that are in pots with pond water. Remove all trash or debris.
22. Refresh gravel in Beds
With pumps on and water full in each bed, visually inspect gravel layer to make sure there is no water exposed in beds. If small divots of water are found, add gravel to area. If water is exposed in entire bed, it may be that the drain pipe is not inserted in the through-hole correctly, and needs to be gently tapped down. Tap down 2” pipe and reinspect bed after 5 minutes.
22. Inspect Beds for Leaks
Walk around each bed to visually inspect for water leaks. Look for wet wood, drips on ground beneath, or water spots on wood. Dont forget to look down under the bottom of the bed. If a leak is found, notify farm director via email with pictures.
23. Transplant (only to be done in the evenings or on days that don’t get above 70 degrees)
Prior to transplanting, 1st turn all pond pumps on by pushing power button in wifi box.
Once beds have filled, gently uproot plants over 3” and relocate to open areas that have previously been raked & cleaned.
Do not transplant plants with heavy roots near the front area of the bed where water enters (herbs / tomatoes / etc).
Place plants about 8” from one another, use water line to determine burial depth of plant, smooth out gravel once finished.
It is important that gravel is always 1” higher than top water level in beds.
24. Empty Trash Cans
Empty all trash cans into large blue dumpster located on the west side of the giant concrete ramp.
Wash out can if needed, and replace liner with a 55 gallon trash bag.
25. Spray down Pergola / Clean Patio Cover
With the garden hose, spray down the pergola and its furniture with high pressure water to remove all dirt and debris. Make sure you hit the ceiling too as dead leaves and spider webs have a tendency of building up in there. Hit pergola wood deck with push broom after its been washed. For the patio cover, spray down concrete with water, brush with a push broom to remove dirt / stains / bird waste, wash one more time, then remove water with rubber squeegee. Wipe down all windows (inside and outside) with windex and paper towels.
26. Clean restrooms
Wipe down toilet and sink with Clorox spray and paper towels. Clean counters with a low chemical cleaning spray to preserve finish on wood. Clean mirrors with windex and paper towels. Sweep and then mop floor with simple green or something similar.
* Make sure restroom has toilet paper / trash bags / paper towels / tissue paper / soap / cleaning supplies / and toilet seat covers.
* Check back up supplies and order anything we are getting low on. (including 55 gallon trash bags for Large outdoor trash cans)
27. Spray down tables and benches
With garden hose, spray down all tables and benches at farm. Once wet, wipe down with a cotton cloth to remove any dirt and debris. Best to do this at the end of the day so tables aren’t wet during work hours.
28. Clean Office
Wipe down windows (inside and outside) with windex and paper towels. Wipe down blinds with wet cotton cloth. Clean off baseboards with wet cotton cloth. Wipe down leather coach with a rung out wet cotton cloth. Sweep dirt and debris off of floor. Mop floor with simple green or something similar. Clear cobwebs.
29. Sweep / Clean Entry Way outside gate
With a push broom, sweep dirt and debris into small piles, then throw away in our dumpster.
30. Set up for event
Make sure all trash cans are clean and have fresh bags
Do thorough clean / stock of restrooms (also make sure they are flushing correctly)
Wash and wipe down tables and Benches so they are clean for event - a wet rag usually does the trick
Sweep pathways and entryways
Set up sound system
Farm Director: Aaron Flora
Phone Number: 714 362 4233
Email: aaron@renewablefarms.com