Update January 14:
Hey All:
Thanks to those of you who are reading this blog for the first time. If you have received a hand bill (at your doorstep or in your house mailbox) advertising this farm, you are at the correct place. I hope you enjoy checking out the farm website, and look forward to hearing from you. If you are interested in a share of our produce or have questions this site does not answer, feel free to contact me at the address and phone number below.
Bob
I am still waiting for a couple of surveys to come in before I publish the results. I would like a sample that is a bit more 'representative' of the overall customer base.
Please note that the deadline for the first discount is passing January 15. (See the 'How to buy a share' page for details and dates.)
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Special Note:
I was sad to learn last week that one of my mentors, Mark Valcour, had passed away.
I met Mark shortly after I arrived in Ottawa and parachuted into the Ottawa Music Scene. I had volunteered with his production company in an effort to learn more about studio recording and live sound production.
Mark's role introducing me to the technology of sound reproduction was instructive, amusing, and practical.
However, his biggest impact on me was his approach to passing on knowledge.
Early on in my volunteer experience with Sound Output Audio Productions, I used the word 'teach', and Mark corrected me. He claimed that if a person understands 10 percent of the know-how for a given task, Mark would build on that 10 percent and correct the remaining 90 percent. He did not consider that teaching.
It's a very straight forward concept, uncomplicated, and disarming.
I continue to apply this technique in my role as a leader for farm interns.
Thanks Mark!
Update January 7th:
Hey Folks:
Surveys from the 2014 customers are coming in, and providing an interesting read. Lots of different opinions. I'll summarise the results after a few more arrive. At this point, 4 out of 4 surveyed have indicated they are returning for 2015.
A note about deadlines for payment: I generally try to make several check/payment pick-ups at once. Sometimes this means missing a discount deadline by a week or so. If this occurs, I honor the discount.
A note about first time customers: I prefer to meet in person before taking on new customers. It gives both of us an opportunity to ensure that what I am offering matches what you are looking for.
A note about garlic: I have indicated minimum expected quantities (on the bar to the right of your screen) for each basket type. Last year, about 1 sixth of our garlic failed. There was some question about another sixth, which I reserved for personal use and gifting family and friends.
Despite these losses, we still met our commitments and had enough seed bulbs for next year. As of this writing, we have 550 bulbs planted (and a few more for garlic shoots in mid June). Assuming we take on 25 customers, and reserve 150 bulbs for seed, it is probable that there may be a some extra per basket to go around.
As with any endeavour involving living things, there are many factors that will determine the success - my job is to provide the optimum conditions for the crop.
The soil was amended with compost and rock phosphate last fall, after the nitrogen providing kidney beans were harvested. The beds were cleaned of persistent weed roots, cultivated lightly twice in the fall, and should be fairly weed free for next year, allowing the garlic to grow without competition.
To get the garlic growing early and take advantage of the long days of late spring and early summer, garlic is planted in late fall and overwintered. The garlic beds are covered by a blanket of straw to keep the bulbs from freezing.
I have to assume at this point that starving rodents are not living under the straw, and munching the bulbs.
There are not too many insect predators of Garlic, but they are out there. Leek moth is devastating to most allium family crops, but by the time they are getting established in mid summer, the garlic is almost ready to harvest, and not too susceptible to these moths. Some use of row cover in the spring (after nighttime low of plus 8 to 10) further decreases moths getting onto the leaves.
Wire worms (click beetle larvae) can cause damage, but I have found they tend to attack crops that are left in the ground too long.
Onion grubs pose more of a threat. These are evaded by moving the crop from one part of the farm to another - crop rotation.
The varieties I choose also make a difference. I have trialed about twenty five varieties over the years, and continued to grow the ones that have responded the best to our particular soil and microclimate.
Porcelaine type garlic grows best in Eastern Ontario. I focus on these. Fish Lake, a heritage type 'bred' in Prince Edward County has done exceptionally well.
I have had better than expected success with some Rocambole and Marbled types. We grow a few varieties of these as they tend to have a different flavour/heat/oil content than the Porcelaines. They don't last as long on the shelf, but I think they are slightly more versatile in the kitchen.
There are HUNDREDS of varieties of Garlic. The options at purchase time are mind boggling. What I find amazing about this is that garlic 'seed' is not cross bred in the same manner as beans or tomatoes are for generating new varieties.
As it is grown from the bulbs of the plant, offspring are genetically the same as their parent. Garlic growers keep an eye out for subtle anomalies an individual plant may have (taller or shorter than the rest, different shaped leaf, etc) that indicate a genetic change or accident that could result in a new variety.
Of course, the new variety may or may not be an improvement. The bulb from the anomalous plant would require a couple of seasons of propagation to determine if the resulting variety is suitable for growing, storing, and eating.
So much for all that, I seem to have got carried away and written a little more than an update.
Back to the office, I'll be in touch soon.
Please keep forwarding those surveys!
Please call if you are interested in signing up, or if you have any questions about our farm.
Bob
Update January First:
Happy Holidays everyone! All the best for 2015.
Ordered the seed potatoes the other day. As usual, four varieties. THe Early Onaways, the mid season Dakota Pearls, and the late season Red Chieftains were chosen as I find I can depend on them.
I decided to replace the Agrea potatoes, as they have been a bit tricky here, and have not yielded consistently. I asked Henry abut a late season baker that could be ready for THanksgiving, and he suggested a Russet called "Goldrush". This will be the first time I have tried a russet. Henry says that this variety has a long and dependable history in eastern ontario, once a standard in the conventional farm industry.
I'll be e-blasting last years customers soon. Feel free to contact me early if you want to sign up. I'm starting to rev up the engines after a good holiday.
Bob
Hey All:
I have been able to catch up on some stalled projects.
The improved nursery 3 requires about 8 hours of work - principally the last three of six doors and the last of the wiring. It is insulated enough to hold its heat for a thirty hour power outage, it is much more convenient to work in, and considerably more rodent proof than nursery 2.
During the past two months at Whitsend, I was able to get a lot of my field prep work finished. When the ground thaws, we will have most of our beds ready to go. This is a big improvement over last season, I should have no trouble staying comfortably on track for my planting schedule, even in the event I cannot attract a couple of interns.
The prep station construction has advanced a lot in the past months as well. It still needs some work (A wind break, cupboard, wet-cooler, and dry storage space), but the frame and roof are up. This will allow harvest days to start a lot more efficiently - no time lost trundling boxes, baskets, and buckets between the barn and prep station. I will also be able to keep my customer requests right in front of me while I work - another time saver.
All of this saved time will allow me to focus on better harvests (quality and quantity), more individual details for deliveries, consistent planting and harvest schedules, more time for paperwork details, and some time to devote to experiments such as outwitting the Leek Moths, pushing our harvest season toward December, and developing new crops such as eggplant, sweet onions, and sprouting broccoli.
I should be set to start a serious customer base expansion drive for 2016.
In the meantime, we have some improvement goals for the season:
Eggplant: I have a little more knowledge about this most challenging crop. Eggplants prefer to stay warm at night, so I will be keeping the row covers will be on through the summer.
Tomatoes and Peppers: Seems as if some of my old knowledge is outdated. I am seeing more references suggesting a later start for tomato and pepper plants in the nursery, and transplanting them a bit younger than I have been. This may make a small improvement in the yields for both plants.
Also, I will be using more heat holding techniques for the Toms and Pepps. As they are closely related to Eggplants, I assume that moderating overnight temperature change will boost their productivity even if we get another cool season.
Spinach: I tried covering freshly seeded beds with row cover to keep the spinach seeds moist last year. I have since learned that this is probably the reason why the last rounds of spinach germination failed last year - most leaf crop seeds require more sunlight to germinate. So, the row cover stays off of these ones, and I will just have to water them a little more frequently.
Parsnip: Unlike carrots, these seeds seem to require a lot of light for germination. Like the spinach, I was covering them to keep their seed beds moist. I reviewed my notes from two years ago, and found that they germinated just fine without the covers. Another crop that will receive extra water and sun.
Carrots: I have altered my expectation somewhat for the first harvest. Patience seems to be the ingredient I missed this year. I think our extra early carrots three years ago was a fluke.
I think I may skip a carrot harvest in late summer. It makes more sense to have additional carrots in the fall as they keep well for the winter and taste better when grown in cooler weather.
Green Beans: No different varieties, but I mention this as I believe that it will solve the problem of too much bean picking and improve the quality of the beans at your table. I will be planting fewer, and reducing the picnic basket beans to bi-weekly delivery. I'll be better able to provide a more consistent quality.
Beets: Still some inconsistency to overcome. I thinned the plants out more this season, but it seems that my timing of the thinning needs to be earlier than I have done in the past. Some varieties have not done well in the spring, it may be that (like some other root crops) the shortening day length is the cue for some varieties to grow better.
Lettuce, Green Onions, Varna Leeks, Parsley: Most of the problems associated with these crops relate to the inadequate nursery 2 (Catastrophic heat loss killing seedlings, awkward work space leading to seed tray spills, earwig invasion and rodent mischief). Nursery 3 covers most of these. As for the earwigs, I just have to keep replenishing the bug traps year round.
There is so much to learn!
With that in mind, might as well keep learning. We are trying new crops or varieties this season:
Chinese Celtuce: A lettuce family crop which provides a succulent stem that can be stir fried or cooked in stews or soups. Leaves are edible too.
Mustard Greens: There is no end to the genetic variation that the cabbage family can create. I am looking at a number of different varieties, and will choose a couple that I think are suitable for our field and your palate.
Google the "triangle of U" if you feel the need to augment your knowledge of genetic theory. You don't need to digest the long chains of polyploid equations to enjoy a good salad, but you might appreciate what these little plants have done.
Potatoes: I will be speaking with our seed potato supplier in a week to inquire about a variety that is suitable for producing a good sized baker for Thanksgiving. The Agrea is just too unpredictable, and may not be suited to our soil.
Squash: I am trying a yellow zucchini this season. What I really want are the Lebanese variety (also known as Cousa), which I am told are the best zukes by the folks at Byward Fruit. So far, I can't find a source for the organic seeds.
As for our old green monster zucchini plants, I still have some seeds from last year. There is no way I am going to try getting them in the field again (even next to the compost they wound up hogging space) so I will toss the seeds into the hedgerow. I'm sure they will do just fine provided they don't bury the laneway. If that doesn't work, I'll have to buy some adjacent land.
We have space for more winter squash, so expect more of these fruits per share. They should also be a bit bigger this year.
Kidney Beans: Two varieties this season, again due to more space available - Dark Red Kidney for cooking and salads, and Orca for soups and stews. We will finish the last of the Dark Red Kidney this year, as I have found a better multi-purpose dry bean for 2016.
Zinnias: Expect a different color this season. Our Evening Primroses should be ready for delivery this season as well.
Rosemary: Lack of space early in the spring prevented us from getting this crop off the ground. Expect this herb in late summer, you will never want to get this one from the store again.
Two projects to start this year:
Rhubarb: Due to lack of space, we have had to put Rhubarb off in past years. Now I'm ready. This is a two year project.
Sweet Onions: There is only one variety of sweet onion that is suitable for our latitudes day length variation. Walla Walla sweet requires a three hundred day maturity period. However, it's planting time is after the second wave of Leek moth, and its harvest time is too soon after the spring emergence of the moth for any significant damage. If this works (I'll know by 2016), then mid-summer onions could be a possibility here.
Enough of the writing, it's now time to head out to the farm and see how much ice has frozen on the barn door.
Talk to you soon,
Bob