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Arugula
A bed of arugula growing in a raised bed at Plenitud PR.
Biodiverse Community Farming
Part of the service learning experience at Plenitud PR is hands-on group farming. Done in community with residents of Plenitud and local volunteers from Las Marías, interns and students, a large group working together can get a few large tasks done…
Bri Treppeda at Plenitud PR
Bri Treppeda was an intern at Plenitud PR when Raíces visited the farm in January 2018. Here she is harvesting patchouli to use as mulch.
Butterfly House
Butterfly house at Casa Pueblo in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, where a native subspecies of monarch is bred, protected, and released into the natural environment. A few monarchs remain in the butterfly house at any given time in order to educate visitors,…
Checking Seed Starts
Plenitud PR resident and team member Rebekah Sánchez checking the progress of seedling starts in the greenhouse at Plenitud. Seedlings are grown under the plastic roof of the greenhouse to control the amount of water they receive and protect them…
Cilantro Flowers Attracting Pollinators
Some herbs, greens and flowers are allowed to go to flower and seed to help attract and feed the pollinators as well as for seed saving for future plantings. Cilantro flowers are great at attracting pollinators, especially honeybees and native bees.
Cutting Patchouli
Plenitud PR intern Briana cutting patchouli and creating bunches to use as mulch. This adds rich organic matter to the soil as it breaks down, and the patchouli plant regenerates it’s leaves quickly, making a it a renewable green fertilizer. The…
Damaged Greenhouse Post-Hurricane Maria
Some of the damage to the screened in greenhouse at Finca Mi Casa in Camuy, Puerto Rico as a result of Hurricane Maria. Almost immediately after the Hurricane, a work brigade of volunteers from Organización Boricuá de Agricultura Ecológica de Puerto…
Dino Kale
Heirloom dino kale growing in a polyculture of tomatoes and aromatic herbs on Finca Mi Casa in Camuy, Puerto Rico.
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…
Eco-Culture Garden: The First Raíces Beans
The first Raíces beans poking up out of the ground. In the following year we would plant two kinds of red kidney beans, green beans, black beans and white beans.
Eco-Culture Garden: Tomato Harvest
End of summer tomato harvest ripening on the windowsill.
Tomatoes originated in the Andes, where they grew wild with very small fruits, most likely yellow in color. There are species of tomatoes that still grow wild there today. Tomatoes were…
Tomatoes originated in the Andes, where they grew wild with very small fruits, most likely yellow in color. There are species of tomatoes that still grow wild there today. Tomatoes were…
El Departamento de la Comida - Closed
We passed by where the Departamento de la Comida restaurant and local food farmer’s market used to be before Hurricane Maria. The restaurant and market were put on hold to create the PR Resiliency Fund project, which will support at least 200…
Food Gardens at Plenitud PR
Tomatoes growing in a raised bed at Plenitud PR.
Fresh Harvested Starfruit
Tobias Knight, a visitor to Plenitud PR during a service learning exchange with St. Thomas University’s VISIONS program. This is the first time Tobias saw or tried eating a starfruit.
Frutas y Vegetales Osvaldo
Roadside produce stand just a mile away from Finca Mi Casa in Camuy, Puerto Rico. It was a relief to see a small, local business providing fresh food to the community in contrast to the amount of destroyed, damaged and yet-to-be reopened businesses…
Garden at Tainasoy Apiario
The garden beds at Tainasoy Apiario are raised beds with irrigation ditches fed by a rainwater catchment system. The beds are made on contour for soil stability and to help prevent erosion, as well as for water management. These beds are for annual…
Greenhouse Critter
The garden beds at Plenitud PR are filled with life and biodiversity, which in turn helps with natural pest control. Lizards hang out on the edge of the garden beds to sun themselves and wait for insects.
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 Production at Plenitud
Greens and herbs growing in the greenhouse at Plenitud PR. Tender annuals and seedlings are grown in the greenhouse in order to extend the season through water control. The young seedlings and the greens are protected from driving rains and given…
Greenhouse Seedlings
A variety of seedlings sprouting in trays in the greenhouse at Plenitud PR. The greenhouse was heavily damaged by Hurricane María, with repairs happening from the end of December to the beginning of January, thanks to a grant received by the Juntos…
Greenhouse Under Construction
The greenhouse at Plenitud PR was still under construction for reparations from Hurricane María when the Raíces crew visited in January 2018. However, the repairs had begun as soon as the grant announcement from Juntos Together Disaster Relief…
Greens in the Greenhouse
Kale, scallions, cilantro, parsley, lettuce, mizuna, arugula, chives and more were already growing in the greenhouse just weeks after repairs had begun in December 2017, and greens and herbs were already mature and being harvested when the Raíces…
Hands-On Service Learning in the Garden
Service learning program participants Darian Kolb, Sunita Dharod and Mackenna Crisally from St. Thomas University’s VISIONS program gaining hands on experience by volunteering in the garden as they learn about permaculture and agroecology principles.
Harvesting Patchouli
Plenitud PR intern Bri Treppeda harvesting patchouli leaves to use as mulch on adjoining growing rows.