A bit of bad, a bit of good, and a lot of average

Hello Folks:

Added Note May 14 2012:

I checked the plants yesterday and found that some Arugula, Radish, Spinach, and Shinginku are ready for harvest this Friday.  Not quite enough for everyone, so I will split the harvest up over two weeks.  I will deliver these on Friday.  Customers west of Westboro will receive their harvest on Friday May 18th ; customers east of Westboro on Friday May 25th. 

Please note that this is the May harvest, and so you will be billed directly.  I will tally the numbers and contact you by Thursday evening at the latest.

Please keep an eye on this site for additional information - I have updated the Recipes page.

Talk to you very soon,

Bob

Now back to the post…

First of all – a big welcome to the final two customers who signed on for the year’s harvest.  I look forward to a year of growing and eating good food together.

My apologies for the extended radio silence.   A lot has been happening at the farm – preparing beds, planting and transplanting, barn improvements, planting, and more planting.  There have been some good events, some disappointments, and much of what one would expect.

I will start with the bad.  Recall the post a month ago, that referred to the hope for cool weather?  Well, we had enough of it to get the Cress up and running, but some plants (Carrots and Mache) have been very slow to germinate.  The Snow Peas and Green Onions are coming along, though these seem to be a little slow to grow as well.  

On the other hand, the Arugula, Spinach and Radish are going quite well – I expect these will be the first to harvest.  The Garlic is growing very well, though still some time away from harvest.

The first round of Celery may have been exposed to a bit too cool weather.  They were mulched and covered during the frosty nights but I am not counting on them.  Celery tends to go to seed quickly if it is exposed to cool weather shortly after transplanting.  I have planted some more as insurance, so worst case scenario is a bit of a wait.  Who knows, maybe they will all do just fine? 

The Shingiku is coming along, a very interesting looking leaf it is.  I sampled a small bite and found that it does not taste quite like anything else I have experienced.  I’ll set my opinions aside for now and ask for your impressions when the time comes.

As for the nursery, the Basil, Rosemary, Peppers, and Chard are doing well, though the Tomato plants are getting very impatient and trying to crawl outside to better sunlight.

This weekend will see a lot of planting, including the flowers, leeks, and more potatoes. 

Speaking of Potatoes, I was at the Ellenberger Farm in Coe Hill last week to pick up my order.  Henry is a wealth of knowledge and I have the impression that my knowledge of these tubers doubled in the hour or so we were there.  An extraordinary amount of growing takes place before a generation of seeds offers up a tuber large enough to call a seed potatoe.

Have you ever seen Draft Horses up close?  What powerful beasts they are, they just seem to radiate strength while standing still. 

If you are ever driving up that way (somewhere south-west of Bancroft), try the scenic Old Hastings Road.  We found a canopy forest that was a marvelous place for a picnic.  Watch out for the potholes…

While building up workspace around the barn, Dick and I uncovered the remains of my nemesis from last year...the Groundhog.  I guess I never will get those beans back.  That made me realize - not for the first time - how far I have come since I first broke ground on this acreage last year.  I have not yet lost anything – produce or sleep – to our four-legged friends.  I expect at least once this year something will evade my defenses and get in, but thus far, I feel fortunate to have that much less to worry about.  As for the “little devil”, well, it does not have much to worry about either.

Keep an eye on this site over the two weeks.  I will probably decide very soon, when the harvesting will start.  My notes from last year have an important reminder.  “Not this week, but next…”  When next week came around, I had way too much growing to manage.  This harvest will be limited to Radish, Spinach and Arugula.  I expect the Snow Peas will follow shortly thereafter.

One final note – Thanks to Erica  for taking a few snapshots of the progress this spring.  Expect to see a few more pix from her on the site over the next few weeks.

Talk to you all soon,

Bob

Into the field!

Whitsend Market Garden still has room for a couple more customers.  If you are interested in finding out more about the farm or our CSA, feel free to peruse the site.  You may find our contact information below if you have further questions or would like to purchase a share of the 2012 harvest.

Hey Folks:

Work at the farm has now started to move out into the fields.  Beds built last fall are getting a cleanup, removing some of the switch grass that has moved in and taking out a few missed Dandelions (it is unfortunate that they are too small and tough for harvest as leaf greens!).

Seeding started for cool weather crops earlier in the week, and now the first sprouts are starting to appear.  I was a bit concernend that the “heat wave” we were experiencing was going to be too hard on some of these early crops, such as the Mache.  My gut feeling suggested that cooler weather was on the way, and that has since borne out.  Get your salad bowls ready…

The garlic that was planted last fall has germinated with over 90% success rate.  All varieties seem to have done equally well.  Now we wait to see which ones thrive enough to size up.  I’ll write more about this intriguing crop on another post.

Whitsend welcomes another contributor to the farm.  Erica is taking on an “intern role” for the summer to learn more about organic agriculture and field work.

With spring on the way, another season is soon upon us.

Last year, I found I had no time to peruse the local garage sale market for items that I can put to good use on the farm.  If you are the garage sale type, feel free to keep an eye out for some of the following.  I will gladly reimburse you.

Most of these items are for use in the barn, so if they are a little rough around the edges that is fine.

-Marker board or chalk board or cork board

-Tent pegs (I can use both plastic or the J-shaped metal ones)

-Tool box or carrying kit (If it says “First Aid Kit” on the side, all the better)

-Fold-up table suitable for produce preparation (e.g. 6’ by 4’ or larger)

-Filing cabinet large enough to contain a couple of binders

-Window screen with aluminum frame

-Large picnic coolers

-Galvanized tub, 10-20 Litres capacity or greater.  Ideally (though not essential) with a drain at one end or the bottom.  A small laundery type sink could also work.

-Chair and small writing desk

-Clipboard

Talk to you soon, and hope for some cool weather!

Bob

four season farming, part 1

Whitsend Market Garden still has room for a couple more customers.  If you are interested in finding out more about the farm or our CSA, feel free to peruse the site.  You may find our contact information below if you have further questions or would like to purchase a share of the 2012 harvest.

The Whitsend Post – March 14, 2012

Hello Folks:

I’ve been out to the farm twice this week.  On Sunday, a couple of the raised beds were starting to peek through the snow pack; the laneway was clear in some spots with direct sun.   On Wednesday, all of the raised beds were clear of snow, and large portions of the field were either clear or had two inches or less cover.

I knew from the start that a May harvest was possible.  My biggest concern last fall was the amount of snow in the farm’s laneway, the barn being inaccessible due to drifts or ice dams blocking the door, and/or a prolonged period of snow cover.  As these issues are now resolved, I am starting the May crop planting in the nursery, and hardening off the first rounds of Green Onions, over the next few weeks.

I will continue to assess the amount of water on the field and how quickly the raised beds are drying out.  In the meantime, I will continue to progress under the assumption that I can start planting in early April.  I  think a mid-May harvest is most realistic, and with luck, sooner.

Check the harvest shares for the list of possible crops available.

Note that since it is not included in the season share price, there is a surcharge on the May Crop - $60.00 for the full shares, and $35.00 for the half shares.

***

A couple of people have expressed disbelief that farming is a year-round endeavor.  In fact, cold weather farming has a very long history.  The market gardeners of central France elevated the small-scale, mixed vegetable farm to a high art in the mid 1800’s.  They used techniques that allowed them to extend their shoulder seasons well into the cold months.  In anticipation of the May crop, I will focus this post on early-spring farming.

Three main factors count in year-round gardening – sunlight, temperature and the cold-tolerance of certain crops.

Sunlight:  As the winter ends, the amount of sunlight available for plants increases.  A farm’s seasonal sunlight change varies with the location’s latitude.  Whitsend sits at about 45 degrees north.  In comparison, Paris, France, is located over 48 degrees north.

Farmers can increase sun exposure through their choice of farm site.  If the farm sits on a slope with a south facing aspect, instead of being perfectly level, the sunlight hits the soil more directly (Whitsend’s field is tilted about a degree south).  The crops on a south facing field get a boost from having more sunlight and higher soil temperatures, allowing us to start planting a bit earlier with less danger of spring frost.

In addition, one can “move” the farm further south with bed-shaping techniques.  By building a raised bed with slightly sloped surface (higher on the north side, lower on the south side), I can increase the bed's sunlight exposure.  A bed built like this gets sunlight equivalent to that of a flat surface several degrees latitude south.  One can increase the total slope to a maximum of five or six degrees.  Too much slope and the rainwater will wash soil away.

As Eliot Coleman says in The New Organic Grower (2nd ed.), “…Land in the Northern Hemisphere at 43 degrees latitude (the border of northern California) that slopes five degrees to the south is actually at the same solar climate as level land three hundred miles to the south.”

I’ll point out that Hamilton, Ontario is at 43 degrees and Point Pelee National Park at 42 degrees.

Temperature:  No one needs convincing that Ottawa is a bit cooler than Europe.  Plants are susceptible to cold damage in two ways – wind and the rate of temperature change.

Wind causes damage by drying out the foliage and desiccating the plants.  Therefore, providing a windbreak greatly reduces the losses caused by wind.  It also reduces the wind-chill.  Traditionally, evergreen boughs were used to shelter plants.  The dark green foliage of the evergreens also absorbs warmth, which in turn moderates the temperature rate of change.

I do not have access to evergreen boughs at the farm, but I do have some of the modern equivalents – floating row covers and growing frames.  These provide the windbreak and an added layer of warmth.

The temperature itself is not the greatest threat to the plants; it is the rate of temperature change.  By growing the plants under a layer of row cover (plus a layer of plastic frames) we can moderate this temperature change.  By adding thermal mass inside the frames, such as by placing rocks within the frame, one can further moderate the temperature change.

Type of crops:  Not all plants can accept lower temperatures, even with protection, so I have chosen an array of winter hardy crops for my shoulder seasons.  Some of these are modern hybrids (Such as Evergreen Hardy Green Onions), others are heirloom varieties developed when row covers or plastic frames were not available (Such as Brune D’hiver Lettuce).  Some crops have a natural tolerance to low temperatures (Leeks, Carrots, Parsnips - these may have been bred by farmers in ancient times).  Some plants, such as Mache or Red Russian Kale, are so cold-tolerant they can be harvested frozen from under the snow.

Another surprising note: one would think that young plants are more susceptible to cold.  I have read, however, that sprouts are better able to withstand the cold than more mature plants (Eliot Coleman, The Winter Gardeners Handbook).   I presume this is because plants have evolved to start sprouting in the spring, when temperatures are low.

So, fresh local vegetables need not be only a midsummer treat.  Our winter selection is limited, but an array of greens; essential cooking vegetables such as green onions and leeks; and root crops such as carrots and parsnips can provide us with the taste and nutrition that only fresh vegetables can.

All this talk is making me hungry, but for now, I will have to go harvest something from the fridge.

Talk to you soon,

Bob

PS – Farming in the late fall and early winter shares some aspects with early spring farming.  Some different techniques are involved, such as getting the seeds to think it is spring.  I will return to the topic of winter gardening in midsummer, when I start to plan for the winter crop…

2012 is shaping up to be a great season...

Hey Folks:

Welcome to those of you who are signing on for your first season with Whitsend Market Garden.  I am looking forward to a great season of growing and eating!

2012 is shaping up to be an exciting year, with plenty of crops to introduce, new parts of the field to bring into production, and expanding the nursery.

We are starting so far ahead of where we were last year.  Last March, I was just starting work on the fields.  No beds, no compost piles, not much of an electric fence, and then a long delay as the rain kept the tractor out of the field for its initial turning over.

This year, I start with almost 2000 feet of beds already tilled, a permanent electric fence, a barn with a new door ready to move into, and even garlic slowly growing in one of the beds (expect garlic in your CSA basket this fall!).

I am especially excited about the many new crops we are growing.  My search for alternative salad greens was rewarded when I found a great seed house in Vermont (High Mowing Organic Seeds) that has an excellent variety of organic seed stock.  With Whitsend's great soil and small-scale maintenance, we should produce some remarkable salad greens like Cress and Mache this year.

Work now is confined to the nursery, but purchases for this year’s production are starting to add to the workload.  Trips to Kemptville for electric fence line and other supplies, Coe Hill (pick up my order of seed potatoes), and Berwick (pick up my order of cover crop seeds) are in the works.

I still have a couple of spots open for new customers.  If you know of anyone in your neighbourhood who might be interested in locally grown, certified organic, edible fun, share the blog site with him or her and invite them to call. 

Feel free to forward any questions you have about your food, and we will gladly answer them.

One final note about the blog site.  I am trying to figure out how to get links from one part of the page to another (save you some effort with all that page scrolling).  I should be able to work on that over the next couple of weeks.

Talk to you soon,

B