Hey Folks:

Our pork is now in.  If you are interested, check out the "2014 Pork" page.

2015 is starting...the first delivery of 2015 seeds has arrived.  Spring is on the way.

Still tweaking next year's production plan, but it appears we will have room for a couple of new customers.

So far, it looks like beans will be bi-weekly delivery for Snack and Picnic baskets, and there should be 3 Delicata and 2 Acorn squash for each picnic basket sized share.

Prices will be going up slightly - I have increased all baskets by 5$ at this point, we may go another five by the time the dust clears.  I have absorbed the rising cost of seed in previous seasons, and the certification agency's increase in basic fees this year.  Seed delivery went way up this season as well.

However, we should be able to sustain our current pricing even as seed costs continue to rise - I assume that our gas will come down to offset this.

More news about the 2014 season up soon.

I've changed the formatting of the website a bit.  Let me know if you are having difficulty viewing this on your screen.

Bob

Hey All:

Back to the blog.  There are a lot of cobwebs to dust off, and plenty of blank spaces to fill in.

Later on, I’ll pick up where I left off in September (I have some rough drafts to touch up), but for now I’ll stay in the present.

The field work is all but done.  Most of the past week has been spent plowing the desk and harvesting files.  Some of this is basic administrative work, such as organising  documentation about the pig's work in the field for my organic certifiers.  They want to know information such as what steps were taken to prevent contamination of the growing crops (buffer zones, footwear or shovels dedicated as pig field use only, etc.).

Some of the paperwork involves a lot of creativity, such as coming up with next year’s production plan (how to fit an expanding customer base on the available number of beds, and more importantly, tweaking some of the plans to improve next year’s crops).  This needs to be done early, so that seed purchasing can start – early seed orders often have a discounted price.  Researching and sourcing new varieties of crops also needs to be done while the production plan is shaping up, and then it all has to fit into a couple of easily carried pages and a map for next year.

Needless to say, there is also receipt checking, end of fiscal year documentation, etc, etc, etc...Eighty per cent of farming has NOTHING to do with gardening.

Next year’s plan is looking good.  The map is now complete, the planting deadlines are set, and the first package of seeds has arrived.  There are only a couple of new crop varieties for next year.  Most of the improvements I want to achieve are with improving the quantity of yield, while incorporating some of the improvements I learned this season.

Highlights from last year:

Celery, particularly the last harvest, was much better tasting.  Mulching the stems of the celery with straw is what improved the flavour and texture.  Thanks to Richard (another farmer down the road) for pointing this one out to me.

New Zealand Spinach was a big hit.  The fact I was able to get it to germinate was a success in itself.  Its yield per plant was better than I had been told, and some customers said they preferred it over regular spinach for flavour, texture, and loft.

Peppers were a huge improvement.  Four years of slowly re-balancing the suspected nitrogen to phosphorous ratio seems to be having an impact.  Despite the fact that the climate was relatively poor for peppers, the bell peppers were larger by about 1/3, and the yield per plant was better.  The Pimento peppers also achieved their maximum size, and were planted in sufficient quantity that I was able to deliver a few red ones.  Many of the peppers (and some tomatoes and mid season potatoes) started to come down with a bacterial blight, but then shrugged it off about a month later.  This is another sign that the plants are healthier and able to withstand some extreme temperature swings such as we had in June.  The health of the plant is directly related to the health (or nutrient balance) of the soil, and this re-enforces my thought that the small peppers of previous years were a symptom of not enough phosphorous in the soil relative to the amount of nitrogen and potassium.

Potatoes had some big improvements as well.  The last two beds of Red Chieftain surpassed yield records here by 27% and 33%.  However, one succession in particular - the Agrea potatoes - were a disappointment.  They are capable of growing quite large, and have a great taste and baking quality.  I had timed their harvest to coincide with Thanksgiving, but they turned out either small or scabby.  I think they are best left to end of season, and a different Thanksgiving baker variety to be chosen for next year.  Still more to learn...

Another new crop this season was the Gold Purslane (pictured below the Red Amaranth).  Being heat tolerant plants of two different sizes, I planted them together - a technique called 'undersowing'.  This is one way of increasing the amount of crops grown on a small farm, and one of the reasons why small farms can out-perform factory farm in yield per acre - no tractor would be able to harvest one of these without squashing the other.  As well, both of these plants were planted together so that they could be harvested at the same time. 




I soon discovered that the Amaranth is a heavy drinker, but Purslane prefers less water.  The Purslane began to mold very quickly.  Subsequent harvests improverd, next year I intend to plant the Purslane with the Basil (another crop that prefers less water).  

The Purslane proved to be a nice addition to the kitchen, adding some extremely healthy veg-based oil to whatever it is cooked with and thus good for transporting flavours.  As a salad addition, it also proved to be interesting.  I am wondering how well it might fare roasted with drier root vegetables such as potatoes.  I also suspect it would add some citrus zing to the tallow texture of lamb.


The drawback of specialty leaf crops is that they tend to be very time consuming to harvest, clean and package - and time was something I did not have much of this season. More on that in another post.  

Basil improved slightly, though the second succession did not materialise (again due to not enough time).

The problem in the past was that the well water was too cold for Basil, and tended to blacken its leaves - as happens when fresh Basil is placed in the fridge.  I tried to get around this by watering the plants thoroughly the day before harvest to clean them off.  This works well when it doesn't rain overnight and splash soil all over the leaves again.

Flower production improved, largely due to more experience germinating seeds and the newly built rock garden.  I am very curious to see how well my perennial flowers self seed for next year.  The only poor note on these is that the Nasturtiams grew so vigorously that they overwhelmed and choked the Thyme.



One of the flowers that worked well was the Calendula's (pictured), though they will need another year to fully establish - we had very few to start with.  Expect more of them next year if they self seed as well as they should.


The Zinnias were also a good find, very easy to harvest.

The big question now is will the Evening Primroses and Leopard Flowers withstand the winter well enough to continue to settle in and start their blooming next year?

Kidney Beans improved over last year, though only three out of four beds were planted – I needed that extra bed for the last potato crop.  I’m still not satisfied with the Dark Red Kidneys, and am continuing to look for the Light Pink from two year’s ago or something very similar.  Light Pink Kidneys are soft enough for bean salads yet do not break apart when cooked in a stew.

Lettuce heads were larger in some successions.  On a hunch, I increased the distance between transplants from 10 to 12 inches and had much bigger heads.  The drawback is fewer plants, which presents more risk in case some start to go to seed a couple of days early. 

A new variety of lettuce for us this year, our first crisp head variety ‘Anenue’ was ok.  I thought it slightly better flavoured than the very long season iceberg lettuces, but its bolt resistance was very poor.  I’ll only be planting this one for spring in the future, and will try a different crunch lettuce for next year – a romaine type called ‘Coastal Star’.

The field continued to improve as a working area.    Here are the  beds I raked down in the spring.  Pictured below is how they look now (from the opposite direction) where the path cover is beginning to fill in.  I use Dutch clover (low growing, foot traffic and drought tolerant, and very good for soil health), and have started to supplement it with Perrenial Rye (which is a great weed suppressant).  

Another benefit is that mowing this cover gives me raw material for the compost, eliminating the need for a field of "green manure" for compost use - another advantage that a factory farm just can't match.

The paths do need to be managed somewhat so that they do not grow into the beds.  One of the advantages of not having interns this year was that I started to become very creative with time consuming tasks, and found ways of doing this particular task quickly.  Next year ought to be a snap!







With all these great improvements to gloat over, I must remember to add a few paragraphs about some of the less than stellar performances (and outright disasters).  I am after all, somewhat hypercritical.  It is much easier to see the damage when you are in the eye of the storm.  However, the rain is pelting the window and reminding me of some items drying outside, and it looks like time to get supper started.  Talk to you all very soon.

Bob

Treats to look forward to this fall:

-Brussels Sprouts.  I planted twice as much this season due to such a great response from last years customers.  The cool, cloudy, somewhat wet season was perfect for them.  I'll be picking them in October, after the frost has improved their flavour.

-Snap peas.  These are just starting (you'll receive some either this week or next).  These are stringless, and taste quite good - better than our snow peas, in my opinion.

-Napa Cabbage.  Looks like two heads for each picnic basket, and some being quite big.  This was another hit last year, and changed my mind on cabbage generally (which is an incredibly difficult crop for eastern Ontario.  In fact, I tried store bought nappa cabbage last winter and now I wonder why the other cabbage is so popular.  

-Winter Squash.  Looks like one acorn and two Delicata per customer.  I may send these on early to get them out of the storage here, I am worried that the mice might decide to sample them.  They are cured and should last for several weeks (months even) in a cool, dry place out of direct sun.

-Agrea potato.  These are a gold skin/gold flesh potato with incredible taste and great baking quality.  I planted them a bit too early, they are a bit small as a result.  But worth every effort.  we also have a surplus of Red Chieftains (which store very well for months), as well as some leftover early season spuds that were planted late (the white onaways we started the season with).

-Celery.  The third round of Celery due in a couple of weeks.  This round has had the straw mulch treatment, and should be much milder and less stringy.  

-Celeriac.  I am hoping the last 40 or so roots will size up, they were planted a bit late as I tried to get them to harvest readiness for Thanks giving.  The early ones will be coming out next week, preference given to the customers who specifically requested them.  An interesting veg to be sure.

-Storage turnips.  The Golden Globe variety of turnip last very well in a cool, dry place.  Hold onto them until sometime in the winter for a reminder of how good summer can taste.  Like all brassica family plants, a touch of frost improves the taste.

-Daikon and Watermelon Radish.  A versatile root that can be pickled, stir fried, or grated.  I'll ask some of you more familiar with this for some ideas.  Let me know if you want to try one of these out later in the fall - ready in November.

-Green Onions.  We have another round on the way.  These will be smaller, having been started quite late for fall planting.

-I'll try one more round of Arugula, it should do much better in the fall  with the cool weather.

-Kidney Beans.  These are 2/3rds harvested and now hanging in the barn to dry.  They should be ready for shucking in a few weeks.

-Pork.  Negotiations with abattoirs, processors, trailers, drivers, etc are being made.  All they know is that apples from Dicks hedgerow have started to appear in the grazing field...

With all this talk of food, it must be time for my own supper...I'll have pix up later in the week and a few other notes about "putting the beds to sleep" for the season.  Fall is our busiest time of year, with much of the activity focused on next season's start.

Bob

Every time someone new comes out to the farm during wet weather, I always warn them about the border around the gravel pad.  It is made out of 12" diameter cedar barn logs.  They get very  slippery when they are wet.

So despite knowing the hazard, I managed to step on these (with rubber boots on, no less) and took a spill.  With a full bowl of hog feed mash in each hand.

I was ok, other than some wounded pride and a mash covered sweater.

It only takes a heartbeat to end a career or incur a dry cleaning cost.

BE SAFE!

Hey All:

Thanks to those of you who came out to our open house.  Each year it grows a little more.  This year included some new facilities, a few “factoids” typed out at various places of interest in the field, and a tent.  Next year, I hope we can lure in a few more folks and perhaps some live music.

Thanks to those of you who brought in a few items to help out – the folding table, the extra cooler, the raspberry “wine”, the tent, and Barbecue.  Special thanks to Dick for helping out by mowing the guest area and the laneway.

The intention was to send everyone home with some cut flowers, but one thing led to another and by the time I realized I had not clipped any, everyone had already left…this is what they call “next year’s country”.

Speaking of next year, I have been taking some extra time to transfer some notes to next year’s production plan.  I seem to have a tremendous capacity for memorizing statistics (such as 1 bed of Provider beans requires 150 seeds times 2 rows per bed yielding 1-1/2 pounds of beans for 10 for two consecutive weeks, start yield around July first as the Providers shut down in July heat therefore plant no later than May 10, note that Slenderettes are 60 days to maturity, Maxi’s are 43 days but longer if planted after July 20…).  I think the exercise my brain experienced when I was much younger, memorizing hockey card statistics, helped with this.  But a good memory can only go so far, and the note taking is invaluable.  

More importantly, transferring the “notes” to a standard format will be very helpful when the planning for next year starts, likely in October and November when I begin making my first seed purchases.

I have mentioned a couple of times in these posts that the season is offering up a few big disappointments, a few great successes, and a lot of average expectations.  It seems that this year is an exception.  It is all great successes and big disappointments. 

The New Zealand spinach has been a great success.  It just keeps growing.  As a heat loving plant, I expect that a warmer summer could yield more than I have been able to harvest this year.  Other successes include:

-          “Unusual leaf” production generally has been a success this year.  After three year’s of trying, it was bound to work out.  The second round of Gold Purslane is on the way.  This has been one of my favourites.  It took three tries this year.  The first bed it was planted in (undersowed with the Callaloo) was too wet for its liking, and it quickly became moldy.  The second round was too shaded, and did not grow very well.  The third round is on the way, and despite some mold from the wet weather of late, it appears to be doing well;

-         Better than expected yield from the acorn squash, despite the appearance of some kind of blight with the leaves;

-          Success with trellising the cucumbers, though I can still improve on my technique;

-          Better flower production.  The Zinnias and Calendula in particular have done very well, and the Primrose are starting to flower despite still being in their first year;

-          Improved growth of Daikon and Watermelon radish (so far).  Last year’s crop was too crowded, and were stunted somewhat by starting them in the nursery;

-          Better compost production, despite the arrival of a colony of wasps in one windrow;

-          Better water management and use of the irrigation tapes.  This has drastically cut down time spent watering.  Now the trick is to figure out how to bury the hoses under the turf for the season so that they stay out of the way of the lawn mower;

-          Cleaner beds.  Each year, the weed pressure on the beds becomes easier to manage.  I am now spending more time edging the beds where the path clover grows into the beds, and have a few ideas on how to reduce this time consuming task as well;

-          Decent sized bell peppers!  This is a huge success.  There is still room for improvement.  However, the harvesting of some 4” diameter fruits was worthy of a picture.  I think that the soil building is paying off (adding the Rock Calcium Phosphate to the soil over the past two years), and the second potting up of selected plants may also have been a factor as well.  The bell Pepper I chose this year is called Olympus, it may be an improvement over the Yarden variety we have had in previous year’s.  However, I noticed that the Pimento “Lipstick” peppers were also larger than last year.  So many variables go into success…I wonder how they would have done with a hotter, brighter summer.

-          Potatoes have yielded better than usual.  The potato beetles were caught very early in the year and had their annual cycle disrupted.  I lost very few tubers to greening.  Now, most damage seems to from “lawn grubs”.  We had one bed of “Red Chieftain” yield an almost perfect pair of rows.  One of these rows broke a previous best with a 1/3^rd increase in pound yield.

-          Celery seems to be slightly improved in flavor and less stringy.  I think some plants were shaded a bit better than others by the straw mulch – see previous post about celery “stringyness”.

-          Healthy pigs.  Not bad for a first try.

There are, however, a lot of disappointments:

-          Everything that came out of the nursery this year was hard won.  Lettuces, Parsley, and Green Onions were either drying out too quickly, being eaten by earwigs, or eaten by rodents.  The drying out will be fixed when the nursery is improved and the hardening off shelter is moved to the side of the barn – which cannot happen until the shed is built and that can’t happen until the indoor nursery is dismantled and the wood re-purposed…

-          As for the indoor nursery, it has also done it’s best to hold me back, with frozen bulb onions and tomatoes (first try), spilled onions and tomatoes (second try - it’s a very awkward place to work in), and more infestations.  I found two mice nests in it a couple of weeks ago…how do they get in?!?!?!  Honestly, I try to tell myself that doing less harm is a virtuous path, but the thought of those buck teeth make my teeth grind.  They also chewed into two tarps and a roll of stored row cover.  They’ll be into the electrical wiring next.  I digress…

-          Mustard Greens have been difficult this year, despite the weather being fairly good for them.  The flea beetles seem to be taking advantage of a “population trough” of frogs and toads.  These are the only things that I am aware of that eat these insects on a large scale.  The first year I was at the farm, it was crawling with toads.  I think that some of the cultivating done in previous year’s may have knocked them back.  The Arugula, etc continue to grow, but the little holes that the beetles chew in the leaves cause the leaves to have a shorter shelf life;

-          Corn and Tomatoes have not done well this season.  This is despite having a better planting regimen for the corn, and a better trellising and pruning technique for the Tomatoes.  Not much I can do about this, these plants want more heat.

-          Undersowing the corn with Buckwheat did poorly.  My timing was off – when I expected a lot of rain, we barely received any.  The buckwheat grew very thinly, and did not suppress the weeds as expected.  The other reason we grow buckwheat under the corn is to help build the soil.

-          Eggplants.  This started off as a great success (they survived transplant, unlike last year), but then grew little or not at all for most of the summer.  I saw two blooms, which have both dropped.  A little “over the fence” advice from one of the oldtimers around here suggested that I should be covering them at night even during the summer.  Next year…

-          Choked Thyme, lost Catnip…the rock garden was a little too crowded.  I went to look for some Thyme last week, and found that it was so overgrown by the Nasturtiams that it had died off.  The Catnip plant suffered a similar fate from the Calendula.

I’m sure I am forgetting a few items, but I think you get an idea.  Many great successes and failures, and so little in between - what will the rest of the season bring?

Talk to you soon.

PS, if you know of ANYONE interested in experiencing work on an organic or mixed produce farm, PLEASE forward them to me.