I prefer to keep our farm apolitical, but I also believe it is essential to draw attention to acts of bullying, so that those with spines know when they need to stand up in opposition.  

"Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness." When McCarthy tried to continue his attack, Welch angrily interrupted, "Let us not assassinate this lad further, senator. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?" (my italics)

-The phrase that ended the McCarthy era. 

Hello Everyone:  A day of prepping for the storm is almost over - just need to thaw out the gas line on the snow thrower.

Cayley doesn't like the cold and snow, but tries to get out once a day to tag her sentry box by the door; sometimes venturing over to the firewood shed to have a sniff or two.

I'm not so lucky, I have to walk the perimeter to check the electric fence, fiddle with the tarp keeping snow out of the hay hutch, and essential tasks that gloves are too big and clumsy for that needs doing in minus 50 or whatever it is today...

At least the air is fresh and the scenery is fairly good.

About a fifth of the area between the two rows of pine trees is where the garlic bulbs are planted for next year.  

Snowdrops, iris', yellow and purple crocus' and scylla are other bulbs we have planted as early flowers for the bees in the spring, which is much closer than it seems.

A sign of spring:  The nursery is on, the temperature is still a low plus two average, but the heat is now on and the seed trays are starting to hydrate in preparation for starting the onions.

Another two LED grow lights are installed, as I phase out the old CFL bulbs.  

Installing the lights is a finicky task, but its a heck of a lot warmer (and less windy) than outdoor work.  

Just in time for valentines day - an unusual red chieftain potato.  I recall harvesting this back in the fall, and it wound up in the produce share for the house.  I came across it the other day and wondered what sort of romantic meal one could possibly make with this.

Our next post will show how our onion germinating is going.  

Update February 11th:  Subscription sales available now.

Lock in your produce prices for the season - Pay $360 for a share of 12-14 harvests between mid June and late November.

Half shares available for $184.

See "Join our CSA" page for details.

Space is limited, contact us soon...

Pork available:  

Fee range, organically grown and ethically raised heirloom Tamworth pigs.  

For a full list of available cuts and pricing, see our "Whitsend Pork" Page.

Produce available:  A limited amount of red cooking onions, cippolini onions, red potatoes, garlic and kabocha squash is still here for purchase.  Contact us soon if interested, by phone or email.

Please place orders 48 hours in advance - the produce is stored in our cold cellar, the farm store is too cold for storing produce.

CSA (Subscription) shares: These are available very soon.  If you are interested, contact me now as space is very limited.

For more details, see the "Join Our CSA" page.

Hello Everyone:  Welcome to 2025 - Our 15th year operating the farm, and our 5th year at the Lanark location.

I have improved my strategy for managing nutrients in the soil, set up my production plan, and ordered most of this years vegetable seeds.

I'll be seeding the onions in late February, with celery to follow soon after.

In the meantime, most of the work  is administrative or other aspects of farm planning:  Getting a payroll system set up and applying for grants to defray hiring costs; planning the construction of the new chicken shed, and pricing and ordering new irrigation materials for the new fields opened up at the east end of the farm are just some of the tasks to keep me busy during the "off season".    

Not all work here is administrative at this time of year.  There is also drudge work, such as cleaning outa all of the seed trays and transplant cells, and ensuring they are sterilized with a mild peroxide solution.  Dusting out the nursery, vacuuming heating coils and minor maintenance on the heaters and fans, and small details that always get left behind at the end of the year.

Outside, there is the usual electric  fence upkeep, and checking the snow for animal tracks to see who is getting in and what they are doing.  (Photos to follow soon).  At least one lesser weasel has returned, much to my delight.  At least, that is what these tracks appear to be.  Plenty of mice to feed on here...

I have updated the website:  Our 2025 crops page, pork, farm store, and 2024 review are mostly complete.

Update January 21:

The seeds have started to arrive.  Most season's, I like to try a couple of new varieties; either because they catch my eye, or they have a characteristic I want or a variety I usually get is sold out.  In some cases, it is simply a matter o curiosity, such as the "Red Beard" Green onions, and the Y38 seed potato suggested by our seed producer - an all red (inside and out) potato.  

Other new varieties for this year:   

I thought I would give a white onion a try, just on a whim.  

I was so pleased with how consistently prolific the orange picnic peppers grew, I decided to reduce their quantity by a third and try a red picnic pepper to go with them.

Late last year, I trialed mini flowering broccoli, and was impressed with the results.  I plan to grow this for all customers in early spring and late autumn.  

I have attempted brocoli in the past; for some reason the results at our old farm were disappointing.  

Brocoli requires a lot of bed space, with the recommended 18-24 inches spacing (on my farm that means approximately 25 - 30 plants per bed).  That's enough for 25 customers plus a few for the store, assuming every single plant performs at its best.  That will tie up the bed for 60 to 75 days, depending on which variety of broccoli I choose.

In our field rotation system, cabbage family (brassica) plants such as brocoli and root crops share the fourth year of the rotation.  That makes for a bit of a squeeze, so adding a new crop usually means that another will have to go.   I divide the space equally between roots and brassica, so if I plant brocoli then I will have to eliminate another brassica family crop from the selection.  Kale provides two harvests per 25 foot bed (minimum), so I am  keeping that.   

Pac choi, radish, arugula and other brassica salad greens only require 3-4 weeks of growth, so they are staying; turnips and rutabaga are good storage crops so they are staying; and now that I am having success with cabbage itself, I plan on continuing to grow it. Which leaves no space or brocoli.

However, a flowering leaf broccoli can be planted at much greater density; enough for at least two harvests in half of a 25 foot bed.  I trialed a small quantity last year and was pleased with the results, for both growth performance and taste.  

Expect some this year in the autumn; I'll try growing it in the spring though much will depend on how quickly we go from 15 degree days to 35 degree days - brassicas typically prefer cool weather.

As for other crops I tried for the first time last season, I will be continuing with the Prudens Purple tomato.  Of the three new varieties I tried last year, it did the best, and I expect it will improve with improved techniques for managing muck soil fertility.

Expect more boston and oakleaf lettuce, yellow beans, and kabocha squash - all of these either did well or did ok in less than ideal situations.

 Hello Everyone:

The farm gate store is still open, by appointment only.  Check the "Farm Store" page on this site to see what we have and contact me.  

We also have pork.  Check the "Pork" page for available cuts and prices.

We are out of honey.  The quantity was small, though the quality was good enough for 1st place at the McDonalds Corners Fair, and 3rd at the regional competition.

I've been busy half the time doing some work around the property before the snow flies, and as such the new post detailing the last few weeks (months!) at the farm is not yet complete.

As usual, I will be dong an extensive write up on the results of the season, likely to be published after Christmas or very early in the new year.

The other half of the time, I have been recovering from a compressed work month, and spending time eating, sleeping, reading and partaking in creative endeavors.

Happy Holidays...

 

Hello Everyone:  As usual, plenty to catch up on.  Lounging among the flowers just is not in the works for me any time soon.  

Anyone have interesting weather events at your home?  One of our black walnut trees came down, apparently due to the weight of the rain and an infected portion of the trunk.

It came down on the back of the trailer.  Two nights previous, the car was hitched up, so a very close call .

One more reason to plant a couple trees every year, as I assume there will be a few more "wind falls".

Not that I mind a few more walnut trees coming down.  This wood is very prized by carpenters.

My friend Gord is a luthier by trade, and will have first opportunity to take all he wants of this for guitar necks.

This is in return for spending a day chipping wood, and several hours dismantling an old fence and erecting a new one, mounting the gate by the store, and raising the walls of the nursery.  

For me, a little less shade and a few less walnuts messing up the yard.

In spite of trees coming down, nature continues to do it's thing.  I pulled the tarp off the compost last week and discovered over a dozen young garter snakes slithering in and out of a maze of holes.  

Some folks might be squeamish upon finding all these snakes in one spot (I can think of one relation that would flee screaming), though for me, MUCH preferable to starting to turn a pile only to find that yellow jacket wasps have taken up residence.  That happened to me at the previous farm.

I've lost two tarps to rodents taking short cuts into the compost, so I hope they keep coming while the snakes are still around,

It is not uncommon to find snake egg clusters in compost; has not happened here yet though was a very common occurrence at Elmtree Farm.

These snakes should grow up quickly as there are hundreds of frogs all over the farm this year.  In some areas, taking a step into the grass causes three or four individuals to leap away.  Good for reducing all kinds of insects.

I am glad I delayed delivery by a week, the next round of lettuce is looking quite nice.

There should be some butterhead mignonettes in the next delivery - the survivors of a hot day in the nursery several weeks back.  

I did not intend to harvest lettuce in August, but with fewer CSA sales this year, space for leaf crops opened up and I decided to give it a try.

Weeks that do not have delivery can still be harvest weeks.  After the final June delivery, I started to bring in the garlic.  A little early, but between the early emergence of the garlic in the spring and the amount of rain over the summer, I started harvest two weeks early.  (Too much rain can cause the bulbs to open up or "shatter" as it is called while they are still in the ground, greatly reducing the bulbs shelf life).  Happened to me a few years ago.

This usually means smaller bulbs, but not this year.  

I use the broad fork (typically used for aerating soil) to harvest garlic, potatoes, and carrots.  With rock hard concrete-like soil that muck is, it is essential for saving time and preventing damage to the crop.

Another source of potential damage is sunlight, which can burn the bulbs and reduce shelf life.

And because I save seed bulbs, there are lots pf photos and note taking.  

In the weeks and days before harvest, I watch for plants with a yellow mottling on the stalks, indicating the plant is infected with a virus.  The main effect of a virus is to impede the growth of the plant, resulting in smaller bulbs.  Infected plant's are pulled, and the nearest plants are marked as potentially infected - not suitable for seed saving.

While harvesting, I look for other details that stand out, to determine which bulbs will be suitable for saving.  The one in the middle is not like the others of the same variety, and worth investigating further.

Can't let them get wet, must keep them out of sunlight, and nowhere where rodents can sample them.  These are the garlics hung to cure in the rafters of the barn.  

This has been a very good season for our garlic.  Can't wait to share it.

Still more to come for this post...