The air is warm and the soil is dry; time to put some seed in the ground. Cultivation, irrigation and in a few more weeks… germination. Peas, lettuce, asian greens, chard and spinach have already started to poke out of the ground. The tomatoes have been transplanted into larger cells. Assuming this weather holds up, and our irrigation system, we might have a bountiful, late spring crop.

But then again it’s snowing today… A bit of a reminder that it is, after all, only April. Cool weather is nice for hard, stinky tasks like cleaning out the winter manure piles in the chicken coop and in the barnyards. All the compost piles have been turned and we now turn our attention to cleaning out the barn. Ah, cleaning out the barn… Will this be the year we actually keep it clean?

In the CSA department…  We’re FULL!! Hurray Many thanks go to Paige Willis who provided tremendous help communicating with newly registered members. Also, thanks go to Sarah Mohan who helped sort out the pickup locations. I still need to confirm the exact address for the Hintonburg and Britannia pickup locations, as well as determine which pickups will happen on Mondays and which will happen on Thursdays. For now, the Chipworks location is confirmed, as well as Mother Earth Natural Health in Westboro.

If anyone has any ideas on how to create an email list, or an easy way to send out a newsletter to all the members, I could really use some help! Get in touch with me ASAP

I’d like to welcome Ash, our new summer intern! Ash is a sturdy traveler, full of enthusiasm. She also brings a delightful dog named Wiki.

This is a single weblog entry, posted on April 27th, 2010. 1 Comment »

 A new bovine has been introduced to the farm. Simon, a Simmental bull, met our three Highland cows two weeks ago. The initial meeting was somewhat difficult. There was a brief standoff, a whole lot of running around and Nasturtium even to a plunge and leaped right over the fence! There’s something about seeing a 1400 lb animal leap… But after much head bobbing and hopping about the heard finally settled. Hay was fed, the fence was fixed, all is well. I expect Simon, who is still just a yearling, will start to grow significantly once the pastures turn green. If he gets along with his new girlfriends, we might see calves as early as next summer.

April 1st has come and gone. However, there are 10 harvest-shares left! If you’re interested, don’t delay sending your registration form with full payment. Harvest-shares will only be reserved once payment has been receive. Instead of counting on Canada Post to get your registration in early enough, you can always send an Interact email transfer.

For those who have already purchased their 2010 harvest-share, you’ll be happy to know seeds are germinating well in the farmhouse solarium. A few hundred leeks, onions, tomatoes and peppers have begun their assent towards the heavens. Luckily, warm weather has made heating the solarium a fairly simple task. This year’s abnormal warmth and dryness as also contributed to record-breaking, early field cultivation. The garden was ready for tillage a full two weeks ahead of last year! And seeding followed right behind… My fingers are crossed for an early start to harvesting!

solarium start

simon face-off

This is a single weblog entry, posted on April 8th, 2010. Comment here »