Never Ending Spring...

Hello everybody! I can honestly say i have been putting off the blog for a little while and feel a little guilty. Although let me tell you it has been a very long and hard past few weeks! So what then has gone on around the farm? What kind of changes can you expect to see this upcoming year?

Well after weeks of painstaking labor and many late nights we have finished planting about 40,000 strawberry plants, now expanding into the back fields. We have set up new irrigation lines running around the farm and spent quite bit of time planting grasses and digging gardens for the upcoming year. The one thing you truly come to appreciate living here is just how back-breaking farming really is...

Things however, are going fantastically! The animals are all in good health and the crops are looking exceptional. The warm weather has given us a head start on the growing season meaning our plants will have extra time to develop a higher quality produce. Also I have an exciting new addition to tell you all about! Some of you who may have visited the farm last year may have come across our heifer(a cow that has yet to give birth) Poppy. Well just under a week ago she gave birth to a lively new bull; bringing the total cow count to four!

It was quite the experience, certainly not for the faint of heart! It was my first time seeing any large animal being born and despite the blood, it was incredible! Must have been an interesting day at work for all the farmhands hanging around(all of whom came and watched...). All in all the early season has gone quite well, we are on top of all the work that needs to be done and the field is looking good for 2010!

To give the reader a little insight into the importance of this time of year; the early stages of the growing season are some of the most important in production. This is because they influence the way the plant matures and produces for the rest of the year. Ideally at this time of year you would see warm temperatures and lots of rain. While we certainly have the heat; rain seems to be an issue and this could be a big problem for Ontario farmers. The dry conditions expected this year will cause lots of damage to almost all crops this year and unless your farmer is constantly irrigating odds are the fruit could be a lot smaller this season.

So how as a gardener can you prevent this kind of damage? Well the most important step is to keep an eye on your garden. Water it as necessary, especially when the plants are young. Don't forget the temperature at this time of year can change on a dime and it is important to know when it will go below freezing. Plants should be kept in heat boxes of some kind overnight, to protect them from frost damage. For the bigger plots many people will choose to irrigate, the water will prevent frost damage from freezing up until -2 degrees.

Other then worrying about freezing the only other real concern now is planting. While this may be a very large job here on the farm, it is much more manageable in a backyard garden. Home growers should check seed packets and growing books for the approximate time to plant and follow the instructions for raising seedlings. As a farmer it is less off the package and more based on experience. You want to have your plants spread out the harvest as long as possible, as opposed to having all your produce come in one giant wave. One way of doing this is by planting seeds a few weeks apart, this will ensure that you always have plants producing at different times and a lot less produce is wasted(of course you also have to consider when plants pack it in or you might not get anything!).

Now things are beginning to slow down so I do hope to have a few posts up here over the next month but I will do my best! I hope everyone has stayed in good health, and that things are going well and I look forward to seeing some of you again as the season approaches! The weather is beautiful, so no excuses get around to going outside its good for ya! Who knows, you might even end up starting up a garden of your own! Alright well I have rambled enough, until the next time everyone;

Good Health & Good Eating!

Frankies Ristorante

Not all that much to do with the farm but this is a fantastic restaurant for anyone with a gluten or nut intolerance. The food is absolutely exceptional, even to someone who can eat wheat. My sister has a gluten intolerance and we are always looking for places to go to buy her good tasting and healthy food. Frankies is a fantastic restaurant with a great selection of special gluten free products. If you have a gluten or nut intolerance or know someone who does and has been looking for a place to go, this is it! I have posted a link for the restaurant in the links below, it's in Uxbridge so it might be a bit of a drive, but it is worth it!

Building a Field

The sun is shining and it's beginning to feel a lot like spring again. Much of the ground is no longer white but a mix of brown and green, and you can actually spend the day outside in a t-shirt. Yes it is feeling like spring, and soon enough we will be back out in the fields tending to what is coming this year.

Currently we are dividing up plots of the field, now being just before the growing season, it is the time when we have to decide on the fruits and vegetables we are going to carry this upcoming season. As a farmer, proper usage of your land is key to running a profitable farm. If you are growing carrots and no one wants carrots then it will not end up paying off! So farmers at this time of year carefully review what their most popular products were last season and what is currently in demand by the public. This way they can keep up with the changing markets and stay in business.

By planning out fields farmers are much better equipped for this task(you have a limited space and although you might like to grow all the weird veggies, a lot of the time you can't!). It is also important to plan out fields so that they are balanced to contain both animals and plants. Allowing animals to have space to live and pastures to graze has always been important to our family. So to find room for them we choose a section of field that needs to be revitalized. In other words anywhere that has been grown on for several years and has had its nutrients used up. Generally this applies to plots where we grow temporary crops such as strawberries but pastures can be adjusted to include more permanent crops such as our apples.

Fencing is strung up on all sides of the planned pasture and a specific mix of cover crops that includes different grasses and legumes(these prevent cows from bloating and are exceptionally good at renewing the soil) is planted. When the ground hardens up a bit the cows and pigs will both be left to graze and root in the pasture. This benefits the farm on many levels, the animals are allowed the space and diet that is essential for them to stay healthy and they also keep tabs on the weeds in the field. One of the best features of this method is that while the cows keep the grass nice and low, pigs will seek out more pestilent weeds such as thistles and eat their roots, saving us the weeding!

If it has been done right this process will improve the overall health of the farm and limit the amount of synthetic products a farmer needs to add to their fields. That is why it is so important, especially on organic farms to plan out their crops. It also provides a humane and ethical way of raising livestock that is lost in all these factory farms. If you want to prove this to yourself take a walk into a properly planned field and the difference can be stunning.

In the end this journey to becoming sustainable has lead us to all sorts of new practices and ideas and a lifestyle that just makes sense. I am happy to say that the new growing season is just about here and I can't wait for it! Someone once said you are what you eat and if what you eat is healthy, then it certainly can't do you any harm! I hope everyone is keeping in good health, and until next time everyone,

Good Health and Good Eating!