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Banana Trees
Banana trees with regenerated foliage at Finca Mi Casa. Banana and plantain trees completely lost all foliage and vegetation in the winds of Hurricane Maria but had already begun to regenerate when Raíces visited in January 2018.
Bean Seeds
Don Luis Soto of Finca Mi Casa showing us some of the first seeds ready for saving have been planted immediately after the passing of Hurricane Maria.
Bean Seeds Sprouting at Finca Mi Casa
Photo sent to Raíces Crew Members by the Seed Huntress, Sefra Alexander upon visiting Don Luis Soto at Finca Mi Casa on her hunt to preserve seed and exchange knowledge of seed saving. This was a patch of bean seeds planted by Don Luis sand Raíces…
Black Gold
Don Luis Soto of Finca Mi Casa explaining how he prepares his organic compost mixture with worm castings, ground eggshells, ground stone, peat moss and coco fiber.
Compost
Don Luis Soto of Finca Mi Casa showing his outdoor worm composting set up.
Compost Mixing
Don Luis Soto explaining to Raíces EcoCulture Coordinator Nicole Wines how he makes his compost mixture for planting on his organic farm. Using all natural, organic and local resources, Don Luis works to regenerate the soil and maintain and improve…
Cover Crops at Finca Mi Casa
This section of Don Luis’s farm had not yet been repaired and replanted after Hurricane Maria, but instead of keeping it mowed and tilled, cover crops were left in place to keep down unwanted weeds, help hold the soil in place as well as regenerate…
Don Luis and Doña Carmen
Don Luis Soto and his wife Doña Carmen with some of the seed donations given to their farm as part of the Raíces Sustainable Disaster Relief Support Initiative.
Don Luis and Doña Carmen
Don Luis and Doña Carmen Soto of Finca Mi Casa with some of the sustainable relief supplies they received thanks to donations from our Central NJ Community and a dozen non-GMO, organic and heirloom seed companies.
Don Luis and Doña Carmen Soto - Finca Mi Casa
Don Luis Soto and his wife Doña Carmen live on their farm Finca Mi Casa, in the coastal area of Camuy, Puerto Rico. Don Luis maintains one of the only USDA certified organic farms on the island of Puerto Rico. He is a retired agronomist and in his…
Don Luis Soto
Don Luis Soto preparing a patch of earth for planting beans at his farm Finca Mi Casa in Camuy, Puerto Rico. The heirloom bean seeds planted here were used for seed saving and growing a local seed stock on the island of Puerto Rico.
Finca Mi Casa
Plots of freshly planted land at Finca Mi Casa. Crops planted here will be for small scale food production, seed saving and supporting local pollinators.
Fresh Plantings at Finca Mi Casa
Freshly planted plots at Finca Mi Casa in Camuy, Puerto Rico. All seeds planted on the farm are open pollinated so they are suitable for seed saving. Don Luis Soto, the owner of Finca Mi Casa is an expert seed saver on the island of Puerto Rico. Many…
Green House Growing Post-María
The greenhouse at Finca Mi Casa was cleaned up and planted immediately after Hurricane María hit the island of Puerto Rico. Four months later, when the Raíces crew visited the farm, there were vegetables and seeds ready for harvest. The roof of the…
Greenhouse Production at Finca Mi Casa
Despite losing the plastic roof and the door to the screened in greenhouse, Don Luis Soto of Finca Mi Casa resumed annual crop production inside his greenhouse almost immediately after Hurricane Maria passed. When the Raíces crew visited in January…
Greenhouse Repairs for Finca Mi Casa
While visiting Finca Mi Casa, Raíces crew members assessed the remaining damage and needs on the farm and decided to fund the repair of the greenhouse, which is essential to the growing and seed saving operations at Finca Mi Casa.
Hand Tools
The Raíces crew preparing a patch of earth with Don Luis to plant three varieties of beans for seed saving.
Hand Tools
At Finca Mi Casa, Don Luis Soto only uses hand tools for food production. This helps build the soil instead of destroy and degrade it, protects the life within the soil and keeps the use of fossil fuels on the farm to a minimum.
Heirloom Tobacco
Don Luis Soto keeps one heirloom tobacco plant in production in his greenhouse in order to save the seeds.
In the Greenhouse
Don Luis explaining what is growing inside the greenhouse area and what has changed on the farm since Hurricane María to Raíces Cultural Center Director Francisco G. Gómez. The plastic roof and repairs to this greenhouse became one of the projects…
La Cosecha - The Harvest
As Don Luis tours his home based farm, he harvests fruits and leaves from the plants that are growing for visitors to sample. Three months after Hurricane María devastated the island of Puerto Rico, Don Luis and other small, local farmers already had…
Planting Beans
Raíces Cultural Center Director Francisco G. Gómez planting bean seeds at Finca Mi Casa. The earth was prepared for planting by hand and the seeds will be grown out to be saved and shared.
Preparing the Earth For Planting Beans
Don Luis and the Raíces crew immediately began preparing earth and planting seeds for a few varieties of beans after Don Luis chose the seed varieties he wanted to grow from the 50 pound box of seeds donated to Raíces by a dozen organic, non-GMO and…
Preparing the Earth For Planting Beans
Don Luis Soto watches over as the Raíces Crew helps prepare a bed for planting beans. This planting was intended for seed saving of three different kinds of bean seeds sent to Puerto Rico to help regenerate a local seed stock. Before planting, the…
Puerto Rican Honeybee
Pollinators were hit especially hard in the months after Hurricane Maria, as the winds and rains left the island with little foliage and almost no flowers. Food for pollinators was scarce for several months. By the time of Raíces Cultural Center’s…