Plan Now, Reap Later

By now many of you will have ordered seeds or even begun working in your gardens or greenhouses. It is a great time of year, before it gets much busier, to do a little planning.

Plan on paper. Draw out your area. Label the beds and rows and determine what is going where according to your crop rotation cycle.

Plan for your needs. Order/ purchase seeds/ plants. Look at your tools. What needs fixing, sharpening, replacing? Can I get something new ? Have a look at your irrigation needs. Are hoses, pipes, sprinklers in good working order ? Has anything changed with water tables, wells ? Is the pump in good repair ?

 Plan to assess and walk your garden more this year. There is an old saying "THE BEST FERTILIZER IS THE FARMER'S SHADOW." This could not be more true ! Walk through your garden regularly at every time of day to properly "SEE" and inspect what is going on. Are the plants thoroughly watered ? Are there too many weeds? Are the plants disease free ? Are there any pests evident ? By walking about on a regular basis you will notice what needs to be taken care of and dealt with quickly before it becomes a problem.

Most of all PLAN to enjoy every moment you have in your gardens and they will reward you abundantly !

Saving Seeds

 Tomato seeds are one of the easiest types of seed to save. This is usually done in September when fruits are at their peak and seeds have filled the fruit cavities.

We usually try and take seed from a number of plants of the same variety looking for the most robust tomato off of each vine.

I bring them into the house and cut them open and literally squeeze, squish the seeds out and into clean mason jars. I add some water to cover them. Unchlorinated water. Then they are allowed to sit for a week or more until a scum forms and the fruit itself is beginning to rot.

Black Plum

At this point I empty the contents of the jar into a clean bucket and rinse, rinse, rinse the seeds till they are free of the membrane and tissue connecting the seeds to the fruit.

I use a sifter to pour off the water and collect the seed. Then dump the seeds into the bucket again and again. I repeat this process until I am happy they are cleaned.

With newspaper I make a kind of blotter paper to absorb the water as the seeds dry. I fold up the paper so it is about 8-10 layers thick and put a piece of clean, white paper towel on top. 
This way I can see the seeds. I prepare one blotter for each variety and label them with black felt markers. Each day I remove the paper towel gently and refold the newspaper so a new "dry" spot is exposed. Then I put the paper towel with the seeds back on top. This way the moisture is "wicked" away quicker.
Spread the seeds out so they don't touch as much as possible and make sure they dry thoroughly otherwise you are going to have rot and mold once you put them into envelopes and store them.

Brown Berry

Heritage seed tomatoes that are open-pollinated give you the best chance of having a favorite variety come true. This is one of the best reasons for growing heritage seeds. It helps to keep diversity going.

It may seem odd that I am writing about saving seeds now but it is time to start bringing out the seeds you have saved and begin growing them out. Early varieties can certainly be started now.

If you haven't saved seed then now is the time to check out Seedy Saturdays and local farmer's markets for growers of local seeds so you get the pick from the best selection.

If you have a garden planner, journal or calendar think about putting a note on it for the month of August that you need to begin thinking about and selecting what tomato seeds you might want to save and preserve for next year. I do this a lot for all kinds of reminders. Some things have marginal windows of opportunity in the gardening year and the only way is to remind myself as the date draws near.

Saving seed. I really hope you'll all give it a try.

Ground Beetles

Harpalus pennsylvanicus 

aka BIG DINGY GROUND BEETLE

Today I got reacquainted with one of our gardens beneficial predators. 

I was out pruning a rose bush and disturbed his habitat. I was lucky enough to get these great photos of him. 

This is a regular ground beetle. It is one of our most common beetles. 

Quick to scurry when disturbed.  Usually found under rocks, plant litter, old pots or just below the soil surface. 

Never harm them as they are ferocious eaters of many of our pest insects.  I love the way the light shows off his iridescent shell. Beautiful.

Spring is Teasing Us

Snowdrops along the creek

The weather has been spectacular and warm and sunny the past three days. We have recorded a high of 12C during the day but it went down to -1C last night with hard frost this morning. It was even colder up in the open fields. The weather in general has been above normal since late January. The propagation greenhouse is bursting with seedlings but they are afforded the warmth and protection of a more controlled environment. We can close the doors and put covers over the heated propagation tables. It is all too tempting to try and plant something out too soon. Our records show that we have received frosts as late as the final week of May. I have a few videos from the last 3 years alone that show all too clearly how quickly a hail storm can wreak havoc here. We always have plastic covers ready to put over plants just in case. More than once we have been found scrambling to get tender, precious seedlings under cover out of the weather. A good guide is to prune your roses when the forsythia bloom. Forsythia are one of our earliest blooming shrubs with their bright yellow flowers. Branches can be cut and brought indoors for a forced bloom. What this tells you is that this plant will only bloom when the temperature is of a reliable warmth. Some plants are genetically predisposed to bloom at a certain time irregardless of temperature and some can gauge when is the right time. Forsythia is of the latter. Roses can still die if they are pruned back too far too early. So as tempting as it is to get started with clearing and cleaning and planting and pruning be wary of what time of year this still is. It is only mid-February folks.Go out, stroll through your gardens and take a peek at all the lovely plants bursting forth to spur on the coming of spring. Turn the compost, clean up the yard, order seeds, plant seeds indoors. There is lots to do. It feels good !

Aconites

Sweet Violets

A Two Day Montage of Activity at the Farm

Not going to write too much to go with this video montage. I think the photos will speak for themselves. I will say that fall has always been my favorite time of year. As much as it is a time for slowing down the pace it is the best time of the year for me to be inspired and creative. Maybe its the cooler weather but my head always feels clearer and brighter as fall approaches. As much as I love the warmth that summer days bring I really love the shorter day lengths as it means we don't have to be out working so early and so late. Farming is really ruled by the rhythm of the days and nights and the weather. As long as there is daylight there is always something you could and probably should be tending to. I appreciate the changing seasons and the different day and night lengths.  From the photos I think you will see that there is lots to see and do and observe at this special time of year. Enjoy and be kind to each other.

Stormy Days

So fall has come on with a vengeance. One day we were experiencing temperatures of 28 - 29C and the next, BAM !!!!, the fall rains and sou'westers begin. We had ONE terrific storm sweep the whole of the west coast here the past 24 hours. Winds were clocked at 169km per hour off the top of Vancouver Island and the rain was torrential. Power went out all over the place. We lost electricity here for almost 24 hours. 

Its interesting explaining to the apprentices what happens here when the power goes out. There is no water, no toilet to flush, no heat, no light, no telephone and NO Internet until the electricity is restored. All these things require electricity to function. Fortunately out here in the rural areas we have our own wells from which to draw water. When you have water you can flush the toilet with a bucket of water, you can have something to drink. You can put on extra clothes to keep warm. There are candles and flashlights and we all have transistor radios so we can listen to CBC radio ! 

We have experienced so many power outages over the years that we did invest in a generator a few years ago. With it we can turn on a few lights and turn on a hot plate or coffee maker. Even the television works with the generator ! This makes Bryne especially happy. Most of us have gas BB Q's and so it is not difficult to cook a meal either. We enjoyed a supper of rice, hamburgers and corn. After supper we boiled water and did a reasonable cleaning of the dishes.

What I am really excited about is that next time we have a storm and power outage we should have the outdoor clay oven operating. We are just waiting for some decent weather to put a roof on the building and then we can uncover the oven and start laying some fires in it. Thanksgiving is in just over a week and we would like to have the oven conditioned by then so we can roast the turkey and squash in it and bake some bread.

Storms are a regular occurrence here on the west coast throughout the winter. They can be very frightening and intense at times. Mostly its the falling trees that present the biggest hazard. I do not like hearing the trees crack and groan as they break in the wind. It always makes me sad. Fortunately most of the trees here are programmed to handle the wind. Its quite a beautiful experience to watch the wind move through the trees and the sounds that emanate from it. You can actually hear the wind building momentum when its gaining strength and the gusts "hit" the house and trees. Its a very "wild" experience that forces your attention.

When I read "HEIDI" as a child I remember most vividly the part of the book that told of the wind in the trees. It was my favorite part. I really do love listening and watching the wind move through the trees and the dance that is orchestrated.

So for me storms are an adventure. They create the chaos needed to excite you into a flurry of activity as you prepare to "hunker down" and wait out the storm.

Update and Map of the Farm

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WOW ! its been awhile since I looked at the blog or had enough time to write anything. We are over the seasonal hump. Still lots and lots to do but the worst of it has been done. The last few weeks have been some of the most demanding ever !

Decided to open the farm to the public for a first annual cycling event on August 6. Along with all the daily jobs of running and operating the farm we needed to tackle a major clean up of the farm. We moved, discarded, bush whacked, weed whacked, mowed, trimmed, weeded, poured cement and more during the last few weeks. I was often out at 6 a.m. and still on my hands and knees at dark trying to get certain tasks accomplished. There were things we did that we haven't done since we came here in 1996. Nothing like an event to get you motivated to do stuff you can't otherwise justify doing.

The cycle event turnout for our route was very disappointing. I was SO ready and proud to show off the farm and only 9 cyclists showed up. They were all great and I SO thank them for coming. There were three routes to choose from and we were on the longest route.

The positive outcome is that we did get a lot accomplished and that makes me happy :-D

We have started operating a farm stand at the front road to the farm. It is going very well. My mom, who just turned 88 years old, is tending the stand most days. She really, really enjoys running the stand and talking to people who stop by. She always has her knitting with her and has even sold some of her wonderful socks and shawls.

Whats ready to harvest at this time ? Picked the first beans today, tomatoes are beginning to ripen, second wave of strawberries are ripe for the picking. What I am really excited about is the corn. We planted out about 2000 plants. Its the most we ever done and they are about 10 days away from being ready. Certified Organic corn, YUM, YUM !

To give you some more detail of the little map I drew. The rows at the very top of the page are about 80+ metres in length. The rows below it running north and south are about 70 metres in length. The tomato hoop house is 30 metres and houses about 300 tomato plants, the timber frame hot house is about the same size and is housing tomatoes and peppers and cucumbers. The hot house with basil is about 15 metres in length and there are at least 300+ basil plants in it. There are about 50 dahlias planted alongside the basil hot house. The strawberry field contains about 1000+ strawberry plants. They are ever bearing and are just starting to fruit again. The berries are huge and sweet ! We are in the process of taking off the runners and starting new plants for next year and extend the amount of berries.

The chicks we hatched earlier this year are well on their way and looking almost like full grown laying hens. Bryne extended the yards for the birds and they will start laying late this fall. We now have a concrete pad for our produce washing station and it certainly keeps things a lot cleaner underfoot. Soon we will build the roof over it.

That is about all I can say for this time. Hope all your gardens are growing well and that you are enjoying the outdoors in whichever way you can. The weather has been glorious and Bryne just informed me that the weather network is showing rain ALL next week. If it so then I want to enjoy the sunshine and warmth for the next few days. 

Good night and sweet dreams to you all. ;-)

Fence Posts 101

One of the great things about life at the farm is our young, farm stay participants. We have hosted so many, mostly young, guests here at Ironwood. They learn a lot of skills they will never be exposed to anywhere but at a place like this.

Farming is definitely one of the last hold outs for skills from bygone eras. Learning to use and manipulate tools and bodies. It is SO rewarding to watch young people transform their bodies and themselves. They become stronger in body and in mind.

Bryne is incredibly skilled at making and creating useful, necessary items for the daily operations of the farm. You cannot be running to town every time something breaks down nor can you afford to. You often need to be able to take control of a situation in short order. Things are breaking down at the most inappropriate times, and need to be fixed "pronto". This takes skill and imagination.

In times gone by you learned at the knees of our Fathers and Mothers. This is very similar. Just by being part of the experience and being able to watch and learn connects you to a part of yourself that inspires you to be resourceful and thereby more confident in your abilities.

Bryne and I are bolstered in watching ALL the potential of these amazing young people who are just beginning the journey of their lives. We are SO privileged to be a part of it.

Video and Farm Update

It is the time of year when everything needs attention and doing. You hardly know where to begin first. The video is of our upper field and gives a concept of the scale of Ironwood Farm's operation. There are two other fields down below closer to the house. This is also where the hoop houses and chicken yards are. Hope to get a video of these areas done soon.

The first of the chickens went to the processor last week and Bryne is on the road as I write taking the last of the birds in. One job that is finished for the time being.

The weather is simply not its' usual self this year. We have had some very hot and sunny days but they are few and far between. The video happened to be one of those few days. In between we have experienced some incredibly windy days and nights. These winds which we call the "Qualicums" occur throughout the summer during our hotter weather. They usually start in the afternoon for a few hours but this year have been relentless and long. We even had some power outages due to their strength. They dry out the fields in very quick order, thus the need for irrigation.  Thought summer was finally coming and now we are looking at another week of cool, damp, cloudy weather. Its not cold though.

This is what I mean when I talk about one of the advantages of being a diverse, multi crop farming operation. There is always something that will do well in every kind of weather. The swiss chard, spinach, spring onions, brassicas,radishes, lettuces, parsley, cilantro and even potatoes are doing well. The few hot days got the zucchini and patty pans off to a good start and there are already lots. We had a good first flush of strawberries but it has all but stopped now. Too bad. The snow peas have been outstanding !

My dahlias are blooming and present some spectacular colour in the garden which makes me feel bright and happy ! Flowers are great for raising the spirits. Nasturtiums in the salad mix really perk thing up too.

Well the rain is really coming down now. There is still nothing like a good rain to keep things hydrated and growing. Saves a lot of physical and manual effort on our behalf to move irrigation pipes and sprinklers around. Going to do some work in the hoop houses today and stay dry.

Principles of Plant Health

The past few days have been full of questions and discussions about health and herbs. I love it when I get to talk about plants and their uses in our lives. I studied herbal medicine and nutrition and believe that food should be a substantial portion of our daily medicine. Plant foods that are grown conscientiously and with good, sustainable practices are some of our most powerful allies in maintaining good health. I remember my naturopath doctor telling me long ago that "ideally" his job was to help me maintain my good health and not to wait till I got sick before seeking guidance and assistance. I should prevent disease not wait till I was diseased. So much about health and growing plants go hand in hand. Organic growing follows the same principles, prevent disease, not create conditions for disease.

With 16 years of certified organic growing and countless programs and courses under my belt I have learned a thing or two about maintaining my health, my families' health and the health of the plants and the farm. The number one question people ask is "What do you do about pests and disease ?"

I say you have to first ask what you consider a pest ? a disease ? Everything alive on this planet is food for something else. If you keep taking the so-called pest away you are taking away food from another living thing. Even diseases are alive and have to eat. Take away what they normally feast on and the system becomes unbalanced and open to attack. Its all about balance.

That is the beauty of bio-diversity. In nature you never see anything living in isolation, on its' own. It is a great community that operates on co-operation and balance. No one, nothing is an island.

Plants and foods grown using the "industrial model" have been manipulated to the point of having no natural defenses of their own anymore. We have taken their ability to look after themselves away. Many crops are grown in enormous quantities, essentially in isolation, and do not have the benefit of their plant communities to help them out. They have been altered and hybridized to grow in a specific way with predictable results and rely on chemical applications to feed them, force their growth and protect them. If "anything goes wrong" in this model the results are often disasterous !

Science is beginning to show and understand that plants "think" and "communicate" with each other and their surroundings through chemical interactions. Stands to reason that they adapted this ability. I have often thought about this. A plant,a tree, cannot move to get away from something the way we can. They are forced to stay in one spot for the duration of their lives. They are at the mercy of the wind, weather, insects, animals, whatever comes their way and they have shown the many ways they have made brilliant adaptations to their environment. They have had millions of years to figure things out. A lot longer than we have.

Some of the most important practices we use at Ironwood Farm are crop rotation, green manures (cover cropping)and companion planting. By NOT using any types of chemical controls the farm attracts and thereby hosts all manner of insects, birds, wild life and most important, beneficial bacteria and micro-organisms. Together this bio-diversity creates a balance and feeds everyone.

We need to get back on track and let nature take the lead. By using and implementing practices that ensure soil health and vitality, bio diversity and mindful handling and care we not only help the planet but we help ourselves too.

The Home Stretch

We're coming into the home stretch of the planting season. Another week or so and we will have the main season crops into the ground. The last of the tomatoes are going in. Yesterday climbing cucumbers were added to the greenhouse mix. Still have to put in a row of field cucumbers and basil. Now we are going to seed carrots and beets one last time for this year. Radishes, lettuces and spinach are ongoing. 

Big job is getting the irrigation set up. There are always pipes to mend and seal. Bryne has his work cut out for him in this department. In spite of us living on the "wild, wet coast" we do need to irrigate. Yesterday was a prime example of why. We had a crazy "sou'wester" blow through here all afternoon well into the night. It took down trees, branches and the power ! These summer winds dry everything out ! Especially young plants that are still establishing their roots. Have to keep things irrigated so that they get their feet and grow properly.

Today I will walk the fields and make sure everything is accounted for and recorded on my charts. It is another part of farming that needs to be done. Recording and staying on top of what you do, have done and did do. Not just for the organic certification but for our own information and knowledge. Keeping records really helps. We can look back on any given year and see what we have done, where, how much, what the weather was etc. Our harvest records will indicate what did well and what didn't by how much we picked, bunched and bagged off to market.

We harvested spinach this past Friday for market. Harvested 150 pounds of rhubarb. Strawberries are beginning to form, the first potatoes are flowering(the photos show the plants and the size of a few potatoes I dared to dig gently with my hand) spring onions are almost ready to bunch. I ate the first snow pea, couldn't resist !

Its an exciting time to be on the farm. So much is happening and the growth is spectacular from just a week or so ago as the days get their longest and the heat units take off !

Gotta go, the day won't wait for me. The hummers (hummingbirds) are out doing battle on the feeders already!

Well the day is done, just had a hot bath and want to finish off this blog. Had a great day. Got the worst of the weeds out of fields A and B. Weeded the spring onions, rhubarb, snow peas and beets. Got the tallest of the grass weed whacked to a tolerable height. The crew was great today, everyone working together.

Those winds picked up again late afternoon but guess what ? As I sit here it is raining outside, pouring rain, a rain that will do the plants a lot of good and go deep. Lucky Bryne, he is SO happy when he doesn't have to irrigate. It doesn't get much better than that !

Good night, sweet dreams. ;-

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What's For Supper ?

One of the main features of participating at Ironwood Farm is the food. The guest books are full of "adulation" about the food. We have a lot of mouths to feed at any given time and everyone is hungry after a day of physical labour. You have to consider that most of them are 19 to 25 years of age, many are still growing into their bodies and they need sustenance.  At the moment we have seven farm stays as well as ourselves. Three to four farm stay participants is normal but we have a cross over of comings and goings at the moment. What to feed a hungry crowd ?

Over the years, like anything, you acquire a feel for quantity and what you can reasonably prepare for a hungry gang. There is a budget to consider as well. Cooking for 10 is not unreasonable in a household kitchen. An ordinary kitchen stove with regular sized pots can accommodate most quantities to feed up to ten people. One thing we did purchase a number of years ago is a substantially sized wok.

Our kitchen is never without certain staples. Brown rice, potatoes, pasta , bread, onions, celery, carrots, frozen peas and various cuts of meat. When cooking and preparing the evening meal we always try to cook enough rice, potato or pasta to have leftover for the next day. This way we can quickly prepare a stir-fry of some kind for lunch or supper.

Of course having our own supply of seasonal vegetables and produce is one of the highlights to any meal. Early in the season we rely on items we have frozen or canned during the previous season. I freeze lots of rhubarb, kale, corn, squash, tomatoes, basil, apples, blackberries etc. to have through the winter and spring. Freezing is the easiest way for me to make use of abundant produce during the growing season. I simply don't have time during the busy farming season to can a lot.

An interesting aside story. We have had a young Japanese man with us for a number of months. He is an Italian chef by trade. That in itself is interesting. He has prepared a number of outstanding meals for us. I remember when I asked him which colour of tomatoes he would like to use out of the freezer. He was amazed at the selection and even more astounded at the taste ! Even the frozen tomatoes from last season had more flavour than anything he had ever experienced. He had NO idea tomatoes could have so many different colours and flavours. He was in heaven ! He is SOLD on organic food.

I must have instinctively  learned through observing my Mother how to manage and manipulate ingredients that are on hand. I usually finish my part of the farm work at 3 p.m. I indulge myself with a fresh cup of coffee and try to take an hour for myself to relax. In the back of my mind I am starting to think about supper and what I might prepare. By 4 p.m. I get at it. By 6 p.m.. supper is on the table. I know lots of you out there don't or won't use microwave ovens but it is a very useful appliance in our household at times for defrosting something if I haven't thought about taking it out the night before.

I REALLY enjoy baking bread for us and have incorporated it into the work flow of the day. Usually on Monday mornings I get the dough prepared and go out into the fields while it is rising. Come into the house and punch it down once and go out again. While I am preparing lunch I shape the bread and/ or buns and let them rise while we are eating. By the time we are doing the lunch dishes the bread can go into the oven I have remembered to preheat. NOT ALWAYS (lol)

We have some kind of dessert almost every day. Fortunately my Mother (who is soon 88) still can and loves to bake. She surprises us many times a week with some German style confection. I have a number of favorite recipes that are quick and easy to prepare for dessert. The top favorite for votes over the years is definitely any kind of "CRISP especially rhubarb and apple topping the list. CRISP with blackberries is a close second. Over the years my dear friend and neighbour Kate, who has since passed away at age 92, shared many wonderful recipes with me. She loved to bake as well and I remember many happy hours drinking tea and writing down her time honoured recipes.

Tonight Bryne prepared the main meal which was a wonderful stir fry with lots and lots of vegetables. A big pot of brown rice. Breaded, baked halibut. A banana bundt cake with peanut butter, cream cheese frosting. This was for the birthday of one of our farm apprentices who turned 20 today.

I have always enjoyed cooking and baking for my family and friends. I read once in an Ayurveda cook book that in India there are songs that women sing for preparing food. These songs infuse the food with love and good thoughts. This is how all food should be prepared. Much like the food we grow here on the farm our energy and thought patterns are transferred to the plants and into the crops we lovingly care for. The same thing applies to the food we are handling and preparing for a meal.

Everything we eat was once alive in some original form. It makes me wonder sometimes at the alarming statistics in rise of chronic illnesses if there is not some correlation between how industrial complex food is grown versus food that is grown with thought and care and hand held. I know from my experiences here on the farm that the difference is significant. The produce is positively brimming with vitality and energy.

Good people, good energy, GOOD FOOD !

Growing Tomatoes

The push is on. We're into the last week of May. These next two weeks we have to get all the long season, heat loving plants into their annual summer positions. Here on the west coast we have determined that if the squash and nightshade (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, tobacco ) don't get into the ground by the end of the first week of June they simply won't have a long enough growing season for their fruits to mature. Last year we had the squash in on time and still much of the squash didn't mature properly on the vines before the rainy season was upon us in September. We had a slow start to summer last year and then some cool, rainy weather in August. Squash and tomatoes, peppers need those heat units to give them the sugar content they need to come to full maturity. Fortunately for tomatoes there are more and more varieties available for our cool, damp, often low-light summers.

 Some of our most successful tomatoes are Super Fantastic and Celebrity. Both these can be counted on to provide abundant fruit over a long period of time. Cherry tomatoes do well here too. Red Cherry, Gold Nugget, Yellow Pear, Snow White, Black Cherry are some of the best. They produce until frost in most cases. Many of the older heritage breeds do really well in our climate especially any of the dark brown/black varieties. We try a few new ones every year. This year we are trying Defiant, bred for our climate and resistant to early and late blight. We will see !

We grow our tomatoes in covered, but open-sided greenhouses. The blight is a given and we have learned to live with it. We still produce massive quantities of amazing tasty tomatoes. We try to save seed from some of our favourites  and it is noticeable the strength and stamina of our own seed produced plants. Eventually you get a plant that is aclimatized to it's surrounding soil and weather conditions.

We plant each tomato into a well-dug hole with a level shovel full of aged compost and a small amount of rock phosphate which is the middle number in the NPK formula. We use rock phosphate in place of bone meal. This promotes good fruiting, strong roots and greater resistance to disease. We also feed them with a foliar spray of weak, fish fertilizer solution a few times during the course of the growing season. The tomato can be planted to a depth up to and including it's first leaves. This ensures a good, solid stem and the stem underground will form roots to anchor it in. Once the plants are firmly planted in we string them up to support the plants as they grow and bear fruit. The plants get incredibly heavy once they form fruit and will topple and break without support. One thing we are fussy about is that we don't allow anyone who smokes tobacco to handle and work with the tomato ( nightshade) plants. The hands of smokers can harbour and transfer disease to the tomatoes from the tobacco.

Once the plants are in and actively growing your job is to keep the plants pruned to one stem and assist them by winding them gently along the length of the string. Pinching out secondary growth is crucial to getting good, abundant fruit that will ripen in time. I can recall on more than one occasion going into the tomato house after a week or so and being overwhelmed at the amount of growth in such a short time ! Tackling these plants if they get away from you can be daunting and potentially does a lot of damage to the plants. When you have 500 or more plants to deal with it pays to be on top of the job.

A lot of people ask about growing tomatoes in containers. There are more and more varieties available that are suitable for containers. I suggest you keep to the determinate varieties. This brings me to an explanation of determinate and indeterminate varieties. These words indicate the growth habit of the plant. Determinate means that the plant will grow to a predetermined height and the leader (stem) does not have to be pruned or pinched off. These are usually stocky, bushy plants by their nature. Often a tomato cage alone will support them. They are a better option for container growing due to this growth habit. Indeterminate varieties are the vining type of tomato. The main stem, leader, will grow and grow. We train them up along strings in the hoop houses. Again you want to train them to one stem and keep the branching off to a minimum. In our climate it is a good idea to pinch off the leader at a certain height so that fruit can set and mature. You can determine this once you are happy with the amount of flowering on the plant. We usually pinch them off at about 6 to 8 feet.

So, back to the containers. From what I have heard from people is that they think by growing the plants in containers they are less work. Not true. They are in fact more work. By confining the plant in a container you are taking away it's ability to seek out water and food. It is now dependent on you for those essentials. A tomato plant will totally fill a container with roots in a short time. They have big root systems with hungry appetites. We did this many years ago with about 200 plants in 5 gallon buckets. The watering became an endless task as the roots filled the buckets and any soil was basically eaten up. No soil, nothing for the water and nutrients to hold onto. It all just goes through the container. So my advice is to make sure you grow varieties that are suitable to containers and that the containers are large enough to support the needs of the plant. The plant will require you to water and feed it regularly.

There are places in Canada where tomatoes are planted in the fields with no support and lie on the ground. Ontario and certain areas of B.C. even, this is done. Field tomatoes require dry, dry, sunny conditions. It is really hit and mostly miss to attempt this here on the coast. The dampness and moisture will compromise the plants and the slugs will have a feast ! Slugs love hollowing out tomatoes. Peppers too by the way.

As to planting the tomatoes read and look at my blog on dahlias. The instructions apply to tomatoes, peppers and eggplant as well.  Good size hole, some good finished compost, a bit of rock phosphate or bone meal, a means of support and your good to go. Pruning and pinching them out is an ongoing task. I will take some photos as I do this throughout the season and will post an addendum to this blog when the time comes.

There is no taste comparison to a home grown tomato ! It is worth every bit of effort to grow these luscious, nutritious, tasty treats that you can do so much with. Hopefully I have covered most of the basics about getting them off to a good start.

Please, don't hesitate to comment and ask me any questions you may have about them. Sometimes it is difficult to know how much to say and write about a certain thing. Good luck and happy gardening.

Growing Dahlias For Market

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Today we planted out the dahlias. I love, adore, have to have, flowers. Flowers are truly the showpieces of Mother Nature. Dahlias are one of my most favorites and they are relatively easy to grow and will give you years if not decades of pleasure if you take proper care of them. Dahlias are also one of the easiest to grow for the cut flower market. Dahlia bouquets sell themselves for their colour and variety. We have always made flowers part of the diversity of product we bring to the farmer's markets. They make your stand, stand out !

Dahlias are native to the mountain areas of Mexico and Guatemala. They are the national flower of Mexico. They were originally a 20 foot or more tall plant and were used extensively by the Aztecs for food as well as practical purposes. The tubers are like a potato, starchy, and have a similar taste. The stems are hollow and were used as irrigation type pipes to transport water from a distance to the crops in the field. When growing they are also full of water and could be used as a source of water to drink.

Today dahlias come in an amazing array of blooms and spectacular colours. I have read that there are 50,000 or more types. WOW ! Once they start blooming they keep on flowering for about 3 months here on the west coast.  You get a LOT of SHOW for a small cost and the tubers if properly cared for will last decades.

We usually start them in gallon pots in late March, early April. Earwigs and slugs love to eat the first new growth that appears above ground so we have learned to start them in pots and avoid disappointment. We get them into their permanent summer spot by late May. By this time they are 2 feet or more in height.

We dig a good size hole, at least as deep as the size of the pot, add a shovel of compost and mix it with soil. Next I put a tomato cage into the hole. I tap the plant out of the pot and GENTLY remove it and lower it through the ring of the cage into the ground. Finally the soil from the dug hole is filled back in and the plants are watered.

Other than weeding around the plants during the season and watering them the main work is done. Once they start blooming it is important to keep the flowers cut off so they don't go to seed. You will want to keep them picked and enjoy them in your home and in bouquets to give.

I make sure to have a bucket of water with me when I am cutting them. The sooner any flower gets into water, the better. At the house I put them into a vase of relatively hot water. They take up the water much quicker if you use hot water. NOT boiling water, just hot tap water. To keep your vase water from getting "skunky" you can put a tiny bit of bleach in the water. It also keeps your vase cleaner. The flowers will last a good week or so this way.

At this point I will not discuss digging up and storing the tubers. This will be another blog in the fall once the tubers are dug up. I have had blooms till November some years here on the coast. Normally its till mid October or Thanksgiving here in Canada.

If you like having flowers and growing them then give dahlias a try. They give me enormous amounts of pleasure and beauty and really show off at our market stand.

Growing for Market

Things are finally beginning to heat up around here in more ways than one. The weather is co-operating although the nights are still pretty cool. Down to 2C and 3C the last two nights and up to 23C during the day. Pretty wide extremes. We are well into May and getting what seems like usual April weather. Everything is a month behind.

Was being interviewed for an upcoming magazine article yesterday and some of the questions got me thinking. She asked how we determine and decide what to grow any given season. Well after pondering I realized how interesting the answer to that question could be.

The answer is a combination of things. Trial and error being one of them and weather plays a role for sure. After years of crop rotations and trying many different things we have a pretty clear idea of what does well and what sells well and what gives you the most bang for the effort.

We have three main growing areas. Field A, field B and field C. Field A has become our perennial type area over the years. It has the best drainage. High water tables in the winters here on the coast are trouble for perennials. You do not want to have roots sitting in water all winter. A main reason people lose some of their perennials is that the roots have rotted from below the ground from sitting in water all winter. You need to put things like rhubarb, rosemary, strawberries, raspberries, overwintering vegetables of any kind in the area with your best drainage. Plants can handle quite a bit of cold and frost but not soaking, wet soils. These conditions suffocate and rot away the plants winter storage system, their precious root systems.

So Field A has become the location of our rhubarb bed and vegetables we want to get an early start on. Along with the rhubarb we have snow peas, sweet peas, brassicas(broccoli, cabbage etc) and early lettuces transplanted into this field within the last 2 months. We had a bit of warm weather during this time and the plants looked like they were doing well and THEN it got cold and wet again. Things didn't look so good for a time and we thought that we had jumped the gun and were paying for it BUT true to their resilient nature, the plants held on, went into limbo mode and waited. The last week or two they have transformed and are happily growing . The rhubarb is looking amazing and we are harvesting 100 lbs or more each week. Rhubarb thrives if it gets some consistent cold weather. Last year we didn't have that and our rhubarb harvest was pitiful last year compared to this year.

My point is that the beauty of being a market garden farm allows us the flexibility to be diverse and creative. We seed an enormous variety and amount of vegetables etc. One can never truly know how the weather will go during any given season. By covering all the bases and planting a diverse and varied amount of crops we are sure to have certain crops do very well. Something suffers but lots does great. In other words, ALL OUR EGGS ARE NOT IN ONE BASKET.

The other area that deserves attention is to what the market will bear and buy. One thing we have learned over the years is that the personal preferences for specialty vegetables are just that. People try to convince you that you MUST grow lemon cucumbers. "Everyone will buy them." So you do and the only one buying them is that person.  For sure you should try new things and each year we do but in small, small quantities. Consumers for the most part are very traditional and not easily convinced to try any new or different kind of vegetable even when it is similar to the original. A case in point is purple beans. We have grown purple beans for over 10 years now. Every season we have countless numbers of customers who exclaim " I have never seen purple beans," WOW ! Are they any good ? Will I like them? " Whats truly amusing about this is that I recognize some of these people and they tell me every year.  They see them every year but every year they claim they have never seen them. What we do now is GIVE customers who are truly curious a healthy sample to take home and try. Interesting how most won't try anything new if they have to pay for it but they will if you give it to them. Fine by me. I SO want people to eat more vegetables !

The variety and colour and shapes of vegetables is endless. We eat within such a narrow scope of what is possible and available out there. As market farmers we have the luxury of introducing the public to those varieties. We have the ability to guide and influence food trends.  Many of these vegetables are not new but old, heritage varieties that are sensitive and fragile to handling and keeping qualities and only a local farm can manage to harvest and get the product to market in a time sensitive manner and with hand managed care.

I can speak from personal experience that I would rather be here working the farm any day of the week. For all the work and effort it takes it still allows me a lot of flexibility in my life. Farming pretty well demands that you be flexible and adaptable to changing conditions whatever they are. You also need to be able to dig your heels in when the going gets tough and "git er done" when that is required of you. There are definite windows of opportunity for planting out certain crops and when that time presents itself that's what you are going to be doing until its done.

Today is a Friday. Time to get out there and harvest and get ready for market. I love market days. Market day is the day of appreciation and reaping the rewards for what you are bringing to the nations' tables. You are contributing to what is still fundamental to every life, FOOD, good, nutritious, ethically and sustainably grown food. Can food have a conscience ? You bet it does ! otherwise why would we care how anything is done.

Later  :-D