Whitsend Market Garden

Hello Folks:

Thanks to those of you who are visiting for the first time.  I hope you find our site informative and entertaining.

If you have any further questions about Whitsend Market Garden, feel free to call.  I will be glad to answer any questions you have about our harvest subscription.

What a big change a week of effort can bring.

After some good luck and a bit of help from some of my seed sources, I have been able to track down the last of the seeds I was looking for since the change in organic regulation (see post of a couple of weeks ago).

Most of our seeds for Asian greens, eggplant, and winter-tolerant green onions have now been located.

I made some new contacts, including the folks at Hawthorn Seeds and West Coast Seeds.  Along the way, I located a new source of clover for the footpaths, and an interesting heirloom shell bean, to augment the Kidney Beans at the end of the season.

My success in overcoming this regulatory challenge is a good example of how small scale farms have an advantage over agro-industrial sites.

Like any small business, the small-scale farm is more agile, and can adapt quickly when required.  Pests and diseases are easier to detect, and allow for quicker containment and response.  A snap frost or heat wave is easier to prepare for.

For now, I guess it is back to the everyday work at the farm – until the next challenge comes along!

Thanks to those of you who have signed up this past week.  I look forward to sharing the harvest with you as soon as it is warm enough to grow some plants!

Bob

Here are a few notes about our shares

All shares receive harvests from the first week of June through the last weeks of October, with a couple of “harvests” in November.

In total, there are 20 weeks that I bill for (I assume 2 weeks absence on your part).

 For a $450.00 half share, you can expect about $20.00 worth of fresh food per week.

The $800.00 full shares receive about $40.00 per week.  Small quantities of greens are ready for harvest by the last week of May.  Full shares will receive this extra harvest.

In addition, extra storage crops at the end of the year round out the value of your harvest (there are usually a few weeks at the beginning and end of the season in which the weekly value is a bit lower than average).

These late season harvests include dry beans, storage potatoes, carrots, onions, winter squash and a small quantity of cold tolerant greens (green onions, kale, and winter lettuce).

To ensure I meet my commitment, I plant a little more than is needed to cover for the occasional setback in the season.  Last year, despite having a poor year for broccoli, missing a couple of weeks of lettuce, and having a poor turnout from the leeks, I was still able to generate more food than the value of the shares – half shares received almost $500.00 worth of food.

A few days before the weekly harvest, I will post an estimate of what you will receive on the website (On the page “This Weeks Harvest”).  This will allow you to plan.

I have to emphasize that if there are crops you want more of less of, please let me know as soon as possible, so that I can plant less or more of a certain crop.

Here is a glance at some of the differences between Full and Half Shares:

Full Share	Half Share
2 Heads of Lettuce per week	1 Head of Lettuce per week
2-3 Types of greens per week	1-2 Types of greens per week
Garlic – minimum 16 bulbs	Garlic – minimum 8 bulbs
2-4 Lb Tomatoes each week	1-2 Lb Tomatoes each week
1-2 other Fruit (3-4 peppers, 1-2 cucumber, 1-2 squash, etc.)	1 other Fruit (2-3 peppers, 1-2 cucumber, 1-2 squash, etc.)
1 Lb Carrots each week	1 Lb Carrots every two weeks, alternates with other roots.
1 other root (turnips, beets, celeriac, radish, etc).	1 other root (turnips, beets, celeriac, radish, etc).
1 Lb Beans or Peas each week	1 Lb Beans or Peas every two weeks
1 Lb Potatoes each week	1 Lb Potatoes every two weeks

Quantities are approximate.

I can usually adjust quantities slightly if needed. For example, if you know that 1 ½ Lbs of Potatoes are usually required for your household; I can adjust your average quantity upward.

The quantities for Beans, Peas, Potatoes, Carrots, etc are usually the minimum amount – if there is extra, all shares are topped up.

In the hottest part of the summer, I usually give two or three small  heads of lettuce per share instead of 1 or 2 large heads (they are harvested early to prevent the plants from going to seed as sometimes happens in hot weather).

Sometimes there is a lot of extra produce (such as Carrots or Tomatoes).  On these weeks, I notify all customers that extra food is available.  Those who want to preserve food have the opportunity to take extra.  First come, first serve.

More detailed information can be found on the pages "Harvest Schedule 2013", "On the Menu for 2013", and "Advantages of a Farm Subscription".

Bob