Well I apologize to all the followers of my blog, the last few weeks have been rather hectic. During this time a fair bit has gone on here at organics, and I have quite a few new events to tell of. First off for anyone planning on stopping by the farm, we are looking at opening for strawberries around the seventeenth this month. I encourage readers to stop by and discover where real food comes from and talk to us about the organic life.
The strawberries now have many green berries on them, and it is looking good for this year. One of the things that we as growers need to be careful about with strawberries is frost. During early Spring frost may cause the plants to heave out of the ground, but later in the season when the plants develop blossoms frost poses an even more serious threat to the crop. When the temperature drops below zero the blossoms will actually wither and die, and depending on how bad the frost is developing fruit may also be damaged. To combat this we water the berries during nights when there is a risk of frost and this keeps the temperature above zero, saving the fruit.
The majority of prep work is now done around the farm, however there are still a few finishing touches needed to open. The farm needs to be in perfect condition for opening day, which requires a lot of time and effort. The first requirement is that our produce will be perfect and ready for when we open, and the work for this has been going on since the snow disappeared. Work now needs to be done to tidy up the farm, during the course of the next week a lot of weeding and gardening will be done to liven the place up and also ensure that the fields are as clean and natural as possible for when the berries are being picked.
Another important factor in ensuring a good harvest is making sure the drainage of the field is perfect. Though this stage is done long before harvest, doing it properly can determine whether or not you will get any harvest at all. The majority of fields here in Ontario have pre-existing tile drain systems. These are a group of underground pipes that collect excess water from the lower points in the field and brings it to where it will not harm the plants. Excess water is a danger to crops because it causes mold to form quickly on the fruit, this can destroy a good crop of berries in under a week. Also many types of plants can not deal with very wet conditions So it is important to keep fields moist but not soaking.
Strawberry season is almost upon us and the next couple weeks will be some of the busiest this summer. So remember when you eat your next strawberry that there is a lot more to that berry then just sticking it in the ground. And for goodness sake, go out and support your local farmers. We're beginning the season where you can get some of the freshest and best tasting produce available, so eat local and eat healthy! Until next time everyone,
Good Eating!
