Mother Nature Wreaking Havoc

While this week has begun in sunny territory for once,I seize this opportunity to share with you how unpredictably unlucky – or lucky – one can be in agriculture. Last Thursday, as I was mowing the alleys between sections in one of our big fields, dark clouds suddenly appeared on the horizon. The wind picked…

Tipping Point

One could surmise that last Thursday’stempest was the tipping pointbetween a summer that was loathe to arrive and one that is now suddenly, and fully, installed…What makes me think so? Perhaps the tomatoes that are now slowly, but surely, turning red; or the eggplant and pepper plants which have almost doubled in size in a…

It’s Raining Cats and Dogs…

The coming week does not bode well for most market farmers.Need I remind you that we have seen more than our fair share of rain over the past two weeks? It seems that Mother Nature has decided to add insult to injury in the guise of an additional 100+ millimeters of rain by tomorrow followed…

A New Look

I often drive by farms with signs that leave me puzzled,for lack of a better word. Indeed, the seemingly straightforward task of designing an advertisement becomes a challenge, particularly if you are looking to avoid spending a small fortune on branding. Over the past 15 years, we’ve made twoseparate attempts at general farm signage.The first…

Fourth week of CSA deliveries already!

Given the opening of our market stands on Friday, June 30th,we remind all our market farm members (CSA basket subscribers and prepaid Loyalty card holders) that we will be welcoming you at Atwater and Jean-Talon from this weekend onwards. To CSA basket members, your first basket will be awaiting you on your allotted day (Friday,…

Water and Soil

Last Friday we witnessed a diluvian downpour,the likes of which we had not seen in a long time. In a few hours, all our fields were flooded, and our spring-fed pond and field drainage-replenished pond was likewise filled to the brim. A nice problem to have, those who suffer from chronic water deficits – our friends…

Variable Weather

Go-with-the-flow is the watchwordwhich best captures the farmer’s stoic acceptance that it is Mother Nature who decides how one’s days are spent. This week is a case in point, as we compulsively await every Environment Canada weather update to plan our day, our week and our day of rest. The upcoming week is looking to be…

We’re off!

This entry marks the launch of our 2023 CSA basket deliveries!We’ve been busy over the last month, and what a month it has been! Four real frosts, some pretty chilly weather AND our first heat wave of the season…We did what we had to do, but it demanded an extraordinary expenditure of energy installing protective…

Going Full Tilt

One month since our last newsletter and the pace is really picking up. Seedling production is going full tilt, so much so that our seedling greenhouse extension is bursting at the seams. One of our big cold greenhouses is already full (with spinach, lettuce, beets and coriander…), the other two will be filled this week.…

Greenhouse Rituals

The opening of our seedling greenhouse is something of a ritual,a familiar routine that one cannot circumvent, a to-do list that one repeats year after year, albeit always with some apprehension: will the furnace fire up as it should – or not? Will there water flow – or not? Fortunately, the furnace started; but sure…