Update March 5:

Spring 2015 at Whitsend brings another first:  

These are Echinacea plants sprouting their primary leaves.  A big improvement over last year (when no echinacea sprouted).

Now the trick is to keep them alive.  My role is to provide neither too much nor too little water and some air circulation, the rest is up to the plants.

The New Zealand Spinach has started to sprout as well.

Unfortunately, I will have had to start the  onions again, the first round has germinated very poorly.  Both varieties planted germinated poorly. If only one or the other had not germinated, I would have suspected the seed lot was compromised (or perhaps a little old).  Though a 90% failure for 160 seeds seems a bit much.  

I'll do two germination tests to check this - one in the nursery, and one at the house.

In the meantime, I've planted another variety of onion in the nursery.  We'll see how that goes.  We still have time to get the onions started, even if a third try is required in a week.


We have sold another Picnic Basket as of last night.  We now have room for just three Picnic Baskets or six Snack Baskets.  Order soon!


Update February 22:

Hey everyone.  Things are going well here at Whitsend.  The first couple of onions are starting to sprout.  If the first round of seeds germinate well, I'll post a photograph of the seedlings.

The echinacea has moved from the freezing cold into the nursery.  Hopefully the minus twenty temperatures have been enough to crack open the seeds.  We'll know in a couple of weeks.

The next big task is to start to move some of the snow away from the outer walls of the barn.  The ground level outside the barn is slightly higher than the barn floor, which traps run-off.  This was unanticipated last year, and i wound up with a couple of inches of ice and water in the barn until April last year (which froze the stacked lumber and saw horses to the ground).  So lots of grunt work over the next few days to get me into shape.

Feb 15

The nursery is holding its heat, over the past few days; the air temperature has ranged between 5 and 25 degrees, which is adequate. 

The soil temperature is in a range between 10 and 25, the cooler trays near the front of the nursery and the warmer ones in the back (suggesting to me I might tighten up the seal on my doors for next year).  For onions, the ideal germination temperature is between 18 and 24 degrees.  These will get sown in the trays at the back of the nursery.  The New Zealand spinach prefers a cooler soil to germinate in (my experience about 16-19 degrees), so this tray will go at the front.  I’ll also start the celery and celeriac at the front; it prefers a slightly lower temperature, 19 to 21 degrees.

Rosemary is a tricky one; I’ve seen different references suggesting its ideal germination temperatures.  I’ll have to give it whatever space works best (read at this point as ‘whatever space is available’).  Once it starts to germinate, the plants will get “promoted”, and then it will be placed in the warmest area of the nursery, as it prefers a lot of warmth.

As for the Echinacea, it has been sown and placed in a protected spot outside the nursery.  The variety I’m growing has really hard seeds that need a period of freezing to crack the seed coating.  Some varieties require freezing for as much as three weeks. 

There are several challenges to growing food in extreme temperatures, and growing food in nurseries.

Cold:  Most lethal to cold weather crops are rate of temperature change and the drying action of wind.  As the nursery is inside, wind is not an issue.  On the coldest nights, the nursery air temperature can fall quite low.  So long as the nursery is well insulated, and closed up by mid afternoon (to allow the air temperature to stabilize before the night cold), this should not be a problem.  In addition to the insulation, the nursery is built to allow a continual circulation of the air.  Space has been left between the shelves to allow the cold air to return to the heater. 

One fact I learned some time ago (I’m certain it’s in Eliot Coleman’s book “Four-Season Harvest”, though after searching through it can’t seem to find the relevant paragraph) is that young plants are more tolerant of cold than mature plants.  This seemed counterintuitive, until I reasoned that most plants evolved to start sprouting in spring, when temperatures are still unstable.

Starting Seeds in Nurseries:  It drives me up the wall when I come across references such as “starting rosemary from seed is too difficult, just buy the plant and transplant it outside when the weather is warm.”  Please tell me (everyone, for that matter), what’s so difficult?

Damping Off:  One of the most common responses I have heard about failed attempts to grow plants from seed is that the seeds sprouted, the plants grew for about a week, and then suddenly fell over and died.  This is a fungal condition called ‘Damping Off’.  A fungus infects the plants where the sprout stem contacts the moist soil.

Molds prefer a damp environment with poor air circulation.  Providing air movement (such as with a fan) inhibits the mold growth. 

With some air circulation in the nursery, damp air is taken care of.  (Recall above, the air in the nursery circulates past the heater, which helps dry the air somewhat).

The next place to prevent dampness is on the plant itself.  The upper parts of the plant are in the direct path of the fan, so they are taken care of.  Where the stem touches the soil is another factor to consider.

I start each set of seeds in a pair of trays.  The bottom tray is waterproof, and acts as a reservoir for water.  The second tray has a perforated bottom.  When this second tray is full of soil, I place it into the first (water filled) tray.  The water then wicks up into the soil, where it can be taken up by the plants roots.  This keeps the soil surface relatively dry, ensuring that the sprouts are getting the moisture where they want it, at the roots.

 When the water reservoir is empty, and the soil starting to dry out too much, I lift out the top tray, replenish the reservoir in the bottom tray, replace the soil filled tray, and let the process start over again. 

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I also use a natural mold suppressant as an added layer of protection.  However, there are many molds in the soil that are beneficial.  The ones I want to suppress are at the soil surface.  After the soil tray has been inserted into the water tray, I mist the surface of the soil with the chamomile.  My theory is that as the water is wicked up into the soil, it keeps the chamomile at the surface, protecting the beneficial molds in the root zone.

The trays I use for seed starting are typical plastic salad containers (re-purposed from my previous employer).  The trays are deep enough to fill with about two to three inches of soil.  This is more than required for starting the seeds, however, the added soil and the moisture it holds acts as a heat sink.  This is another trick that helps moderate the temperature change as the outdoor temperature starts to cool at night.

I am required to use trays that only contained certified organic produce, to prevent cross contamination from pesticide/fertilizer residues.  As well, the chamomile and potting soil are from a certified organic source. 

All of this activity is recorded in a journal, the keeping of which is also a requirement for organic certification.  It is also essential for keeping track of which practices work, and which ones don’t.

Earlier in this post, I mentioned ‘promoting plants’.  I’ll go into detail as to what this term means in the next post or two, when the sprouts are ready to be promoted.

Saturday night, we ate a good meal of local, mostly organic food, followed by a concert with the Sadies.  The venue was a fine little place called The Neat Café in Burnstown Ontario.  If there is anywhere that foodies and rockers can learn to appreciate what each other has to offer, then this might be the place.

Just head west on the 417 (about 45 minutes from Stittsville), then 15 minutes or so down hwy 508.

If you don’t miss Burnstown, then you can’t miss the Neat, its right in the middle of town in a remodeled schoolhouse.

They serve Beau’s, which come to think of it, is another example of great music and food under one roof.

No one paid me to say any of this. 

Bob

Welcome to the Whitsend Farm 'website'.  Our CSA farm in Ottawa (Stittsville) provides  a wide variety of certified organic vegetables.  Buy your share of the harvest in advance and receive a weekly or bi-weekly delivery of produce from June through to November.  We deliver our local food to selected neighborhoods in Alta Vista, Centretown, Hintonburg, Centrepointe, Barrhaven, and Kanata.



Thanks to those of you who are checking out our site for the first time.

First of all, a note about our flyers:

If you received a flyer on your doorstep, thanks for your patience (particularly if I upset your pup!)

I do not deliver to households that request no flyers, if I missed your sign, please accept my apologies.

As I deliver to specific neighborhoods, print advertising doesn't work for me...I would have to turn down quite a few inquiries.

I realise that my flyers are a bit rough and ready.  Most will wind up in landfills/recycling, so I don't spend money on slick plasticised prints.  I prefer to invest in quality seed and tools.

If you are interested in learning more about our produce, and are considering becoming a customer of our farm this season, peruse the website and feel free to contact me at the email or phone number below.  I look forward to answering your questions.

Hey Folks:

There is one event at Whitsend every year that indicates spring  has sprung.  It's the little red light on the heater.  The nursery is switched on.

I'll be monitoring the air temperature over the next couple of days, to determine how much heat is required to maintain a reasonable growing temperature range in the nursery.

The heater is designed for barns.  If it overheats, or tilts, the power cuts out.  As an added layer of fire safety, I've placed ceramic tiles around it so that if it should tilt while it is hot, it won't contact anything flammable.

The seeding trays will be filled up with soil on Friday, and then I'll warm them up for a night to double check the sol temperature.  

If all goes well, the first round of onions are seeded Saturday morning.

Aside from the seeds and starting soil, these are about he only tools required for tray seeding.  A piece of wood to smooth the soil surface, some chamomile tea for misting the soil surface (chamomile is a fungal suppressant), a couple of seed spoons for 'promoting' sprouts - more on that in another post, and a filing box.

The file box has some cheat sheets on every crop we grow - ideal soil temperature for germination, general time of year for starting the first round of seeds, and some individual notes.  For example, New Zealand spinach germinates better if it's seeds are soaked for a couple of hours.  Echinacea germinates better if its seeds are chilled for at least 48 hours.  Some seeds require scarifying (I can't recall which one, but I know where the info is...)

We'll see a couple more tools in the weeks to come.















It's looking better in the barn by the day.   An improvement over the last two years.  Less clutter, easier access to everything i need.

Even an extra chair for a guest...


Talk to you all soon!

Bob

Update February 3rd

Hey Everyone:

Work continues here a the farm...not much different from the previous post.

Shovelling snow from the doors of the barn and checking out activity in the field; and preparation work in the office.

Now that the vegetable seeds are purchased, I am turning my attention to the cover crops, soil amendments and supplies for next season.

Cover crops are used at Whitsend for a variety of reasons.

Forage:  Oats, Timothy Grass, Alfalfa:

The east half of our growing field is entering the final year of my preparation plan.  The pigs are doing the 'heavy lifting' of clearing the persistent weeds out of the field.

The field was prepared by the tractor last fall.  In the spring, the first round of forage cop is sown.  Oats germinate very quickly and provide a thick cover that suppresses other weeds.  Pigs love oat grass, and consume it quickly.  As the oats are consumed, they turn their attention to the other weeds which have managed to sprout.  They also eat roots of persistent weeds such as wild parsnip and dandelion.

The field is sectioned off, and the pigs are moved through each section as they clear out the weeds.

When a section is cleared, it is then cultivated with the tractor, to incorporate any manure and disturb the soil in preparation for the next seeding.  The second forage crop is alfalfa and timothy grass.  The timothy is another weed suppressant, the alfalfa is a legume that fixes nitrogen in the soil.  When the alfalfa and timothy are ready for consumption, the pigs are moved back in and repeat the process, again eating up any weeds that have sprouted since the first pass.

After the pigs have thoroughly worked each section two or more times, the field is tilled again.  Then it is surveyed into beds and paths. 

Paths and ground cover:  Dutch clover, Perennial rye.

Paths are more than just a place to walk.  Maintaining the paths is part of our fertility building strategy.

Paths are sown with dutch clover and ryegrass.  Both of these cover crops are suitable for foot traffic, grow thickly to suppress other weeds from establishing, and provide sufficient ground cover to prevent erosion and retain moisture.  They are very suited to our climate, able to withstand hot summers and cold winters.  They remain green after a light frost, and are self seeding varieties.

The ryegrass requires regular mowing to prevent it from shading the crops (The clover only grows to a maximum of 8 inches).  The cuttings provide ‘green manure’ for the compost.

When the beds are being worked, some soil and amendments are knocked into the path.  These nutrients are taken up by the roots of the path cover crops.  When the path cuttings are composted, the nutrients are recaptured and returned to the beds when the compost is ready to be applied.

Nurse crop:  Buckwheat

After the Rye and clover are sown on the paths, a nurse crop is planted to allow these slower growing plants to establish.

Nurse crops are good at suppressing fast growing weeds such as wild mustard, but allow slow growing grasses such as clover and rye to get their root systems started even when growing underneath another fast growing crop.

I also plant the buckwheat in the now surveyed beds to keep them covered, again, to suppress any weed growth.

Buckwheat is killed by frost, so when the frost arrives in the fall, the cover crop dies off, revealing the alternating strips of beds and paths, laid out and ready for use in spring 2016.

A small amount of clover is also sown underneath some of the vegetable crops, as a means of increasing nitrogen in the beds.

I am experimenting with using Buckwheat under the corn as a means of suppressing weeds from building up during the long growing season for this particular crop.

Calculating the amount to buy is somewhat tricky.   I use a half acre to grow most of my current produce on, but have to take into account the path areas.  As well, I have to estimate the rate that the pigs will consume the forage crop - they will go through it much quicker in August as mature pigs than when they arrive as piglets.

Some of these crops - particularly the rye - are very expensive, so I have to make sure I am not overspending my seed budget.  At the same time, there is a finite supply of these seeds in eastern ontario, and the available stock runs out at some point in the season, so I can't afford to purchase less than I need.  As well, this is intended to be the final season for purchasing forage crops.  If I purchase too much this year, I will have seed that I will have no need for next year.  So the brain and calculator are getting a lot of exercise these days.

Most of our cover seeds are purchased from a farm supply dealer in Berwick Ontario.  However, sourcing organic seed for Dutch clover is very difficult.  Apparently, the only source for north america is in Denmark.  So much for 'local food'.

I'll write about our soil amendments for the next post, as I anticipate that their will be no great developments for the next two weeks.

One note on our storage food:

We are still eating potatoes, garlic, winter squash, beets, turnips and watermelon radish from last year.  These have stored really well, and help make up for the lack of decent lettuce.



SURVEY RESULTS are now in.  Check the "Advantages of a Farm Subscription/2015 Survey Results" page tab, above.  You will need to scroll down a little to find the results.

As of January 21, I have confirmed three quarters of our sales quota for the season.  I am commencing negotiations with another two prospects.  Seventy per cent of these customers are from previous years (We seem to be reaching new customers)  If you are interested in purchasing a share, contact me soon...

They say that in the market garden business, producers can expect about a 50% turnover from one season to the next.  I've retained at least three quarters of my customer base each year.  I attribute this to two factors:

-Meeting my customers before closing sales, to review each others expectations.  I don't want to sell a share until I know I can provide what you are looking for.  My past career in sales and fundraising excelled when I had the freedom to build relationships.  I apply the same approach when looking for new farm customers.

-Maintaining communication during the season.  Many customers appreciate learning about how their food is grown, others want to know more information on some of the less familiar varieties, particularly how to store, cook, or preserve these.

I also use the website to let customers know how the farm is doing.  I was told by one of my mentors (Tom at Elmtree) that it was equally important to give the bad news ahead of time as well as the good.  It keeps expectations reasonable.  I find it also helps take the sting out of my failure to get a particular crop to grow.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that 80 percent of farming has nothing to do with gardening.  At this time of season, that is very true.  Paperwork, planning, advertising for interns, communicating with customer and intern prospects, sourcing the last few items (tools, equipment, seeds) and generally wishing it were spring and simultaneously grateful that I still have some time to get everything finished before planting time starts.  



Having to bundle up to deliver flyers or pick up checks is a welcome break.

As is going out to the farm.  These days, I can only be out there for 2-3 hours at a time before I become too cold to work.  The barn is not much warmer than outside, its considerably darker, and the wind still manages to get in.  The barn door needs to be kept clear of snow, and there is still some building to be done in there.

There are still supplies to purchase, and these will have to be brought in through the back route as the gate is frozen shut.

The snow is too deep for the car, so these will need to be carried.  One of these days I'll be buying a sled, one hefty enough to carry 25 Lb bags of potting soil and soil amendments.

I check on the field.  There is still activity out there.  I check to see who's around when I'm not.





The first place to check is the garlic beds.  They are covered by about 8-10 inches of straw (to keep the bulbs from freezing), and capped by a few inches of snow.

I look for deer tracks.  It is possible they might   disturb the straw looking for food.  If that happens (never has in five years), I have some page fencing that I can set down over the beds, pinned with a few rocks or bricks.

More worrisome are mice tracks.  These rodents are more likely to make their nests in the straw, and it is possible they may nibble the bulbs.  So far this year, the mice tracks are only around the barn, compost, and the cedar logs that used to support the cistern out in the middle of the field - no-where near the garlic.

Here are some fox tracks, identified by the straight line of single prints, spaced about a foot apart.

There are several trails of these cutting through the field, evidently this individual includes the growing field as part of it's territory.




I followed the most recent set of tracks, they led to the compost pile.

The snow here is somewhat disturbed, the animal appeared to pause and investigate the pile before moving on.  I'll check again to see if it return's regularly.  That would suggest it is keeping track of a rodent nest, and will get to it when needed.  

We were at a nearby conservation area the other day and caught a glimpse of a master of stealth - a weasel sporting it's winter 'ermine' coat.

I could use a few of these at the farm as well.

For the mice, mind you.  

Wool may be a great way to keep warm, but without any foliage on the hedgerow, and a lot of open land nearby, I can't do too much tracking on a windy day.

Construction on the nursery is finished, the doors were the final part.  It took a little ingenuity to hang, balance, and attach them with only two hands, but I was able to do it.  Good to to know that old forebrain of mine is up to a challenge.

The improvements that the new nursery has over the old are already apparent.  As a workspace, it makes better use of space, despite the fact it is smaller.  The electrical connections have dedicated places that are safe from water spills, the power bars are easier to access, and the point where the power enters the nursery is "more" rodent proof.  (Nothing seems to be impossible for these critters).

The workbench (Lower portion on left hand side) is contained within the nursery, this allows me to do transplants without exposing the plants to too much cold (keeps my hands warm, too).   There is a dedicated shelf for record books, pencils, and seeding tools.  

Unlike nursery two, it is short enough that i can use the top as a place to store yet more trays and light equipment not required until spring.

The enclosed nursery causes a build-up of moisture in a 'still air' environment, which in turn promotes a fungal condition called damping off. Damping off causes sprouts to die off within a week or so of life. 

Nursery 3 has recessed a shelf built into one wall that holds a small fan to keep circulation going.   In the past, the fan was placed wherever it fit, which usually meant in the way!

I also mist the soil surface with a solution of chamomile before seeding, this is a fungal suppressant.  

Unlike previous nurseries, I sprinkled a diatomaceous earth powder in the walls before i sealed them up, to suppress earwigs, which were a bit of a problem last year.  A few earwig traps inside the nursery should take care of any that miss the powder, I just have to remember to leave them in year round  from now on.



Most of the shelves are only about twelve inches in height.  Four for the lights, three for the trays, and about five inches for the plants.  This ensures that the light is directed right at the soil surface and the sprouting seedlings.  As the plants grow taller, the trays are moved to the taller shelf, below.

Many of our first crops will skip the taller shelves and go outside to the hardening off shelter, which is warm enough for early crops in mid April.

This nursery is much better insulated than either the first (which was good, but awkward), and the second (which didn't hold heat very well).  Being a smaller volume, it requires less power to maintain warmth.  Even on a minus thirty day, the air temperature should remain in the range  of 15 to 20, though it can fall to about plus 5 for short periods during the night.

Note the "door" that I am opening to the lower right.  It is four inches thick (full of 3 3/4 inch insulation).  The interior wall has an additional layer of aluminized bubble wrap.  This helps seal the gap between the door and the stay that runs the length of the supporting two by four.  The stay is also adding support to the shelf brackets, ensuring that their is a continuous "post" between the ground and the base of the uppermost shelf.  With a capacity of 24 seed trays, each full of sprouts,  soil, and water, the shelves are bearing quite a load. 

A temperature range of 16 to 27 for soil (depending on the crop) is held by use of propagation heating mats. These can be a bit tricky to work with, as they have no temperature control, so I have to moderate them by placing a board between them and the seed tray.   This is one of the things I experiment with when starting the nursery for the first time.  Too warm, and the lettuces won't germinate.

The nail protruding from the two by four post is what "locks" the doors closed.  When the door is put back in pace, the nail is pushed into a corresponding hole on the side of the door.

I AM clever by half! (Necessity helps...)

I'll turn it on around mid February to let it warm up and determine the best setting for the heat.  I can't wait to start planting the onions in about a month.

It is so good to have it finished this early, last year's 'nursery two', or the monolith as I sometimes called it, was finished at the last possible moment last year, and meant a bit more stress than i needed.

With the nursery finished, time to turn my attention to the next building project...growing frames for our early spring and late fall crops.

Thanks for signing up for the 2015 season...if you are still considering, feel free to call soon.  Half of my quota is sold, most are usually spoken for by mid February.

Bob



Our seeds are arriving and inventoried.  A sure sign that spring is on the way...

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 1 sixth of the crop that failed was a variety that came from a seed house that i have never purchased garlic from before (my regular supplier had a bad season).  We are back to purchasing from Boundary Farm, who seem to have recovered.  Boundary have introduced me, in turn, to Rasa Creek Farms, who I also started purchasing garlic from.  Having more than one supplier whose quality I can depend on will be good in the event one or the other has another poor season in the future.

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

Raising Stonehenge at Whitsend

Well, closer to Avebury's woodhenge.  I'm not raising stone monoliths.  But if (as some archaeologists have pointed out) it is possible for a small number of people to raise 60 ton structures, then one can raise an awkward ten foot tall, eight foot long, four feet wide structure.  Using only simple machines, a pair of good gloves, and some fore-brain.

This is the intended location for the prep station shelter.  I had a makeshift one here for most of the summer, using parts of the structure framing assembled back in the spring and then set aside.  They were propped up and covered more or less with some plastic sheeting.

The plastic and temporary wood holding it in place was removed yesterday.  The structure was such that the only way a back could be built on it was if the frame was lying down, on its back.  So I rolled the entire structure forward until it was lying on its front, braced it in place and reinforced the framing (screws were used, another simple machine).

I then rolled it a second time so that it was on its back, and set to work installing the back paneling. Rolling was relatively easy, the structures edges were effective levers (physics again!), allowing me to lift an object considerably heavier than I.

That was the easy part, and where I picked up this morning.

First I slid whatever cylindrical shaped objects I could find under it and dragged it up to the edge of the gravel pad.  Then I placed it on a ramp of 2x4's (another simple machine) and lifted and moved it a couple of inches at a time until I was backed up to the barn wall.










Then the real lifting began.  With the new back (a pair of eight foot by four foot panels plus several six inch wide boards), the weight  of the structure was way too much for me to roll upright.  After some thinking, a chapter in a book about Stonehenge came to mind.  I went to the barn and retrieved a couple of wedges - Neolithic technology to the rescue.








Every move had to be carefully considered.  Each move was inches at a time.  There was much walking about the structure between moves, checking that nothing was slipping, cracking, etc.












At about this point, the wind started to pick up.

Larger wedges were retrieved.  Counter balancing was added to hold the structure.



Now upright, back onto the ramp an up to the gravel pad.

Now upright, back onto the ramp an up to the gravel pad.

Finally it was in place.  I built the roof on a square frame, used a ramp of 2X4's to slide the roof into place, and screwed it in.

After gloating over it while eating lunch, I went into the barn an began work on Nursery Three...

 A couple of photos from forthcoming posts.  Here's Beau, the 11 year old Labrador.  Julia and I house sat him while Dick and Bev (the farm landlords) were away this past fall.

 We bought our Halloween pumpkin from a farm down the road.  I augmented it with a couple of immature Delicata squash's.

They were a little too small for the candles.















But still looked good after dark.