One steps at a time.

So the first step is complete, the offer has been accepted. The next step is to secure financing as I work with the bank; we also have to keep moving forward because we are coming to a time crunch.

Decisions on what to plant and where to plant it… Because the goal of the farm is to be as natural as possible, the planting plan is very important. There are plants that will work together in sharing resources and there are others that will aid in pest control.

The plan is to do true market gardening, which means we will grow a lot of different things. Here is the working list we’re looking at. Might be a bit excessive but the goal for the first year is to grow enough vegetables for 250 families by working 4 acres of the property.

Beans Green	Eggplants	Potatoes
Beans Yellow	Garlic	Pumpkins
Beets	Green Onion	Radish
Bok Choy	Ground Cherries	Rutabaga
Broccoli	Kale	Spanish onion
Brussels Sprouts	Kohlrabi	Spinach
Cabbage	Leeks	Squash
Cantaloupe	Lettuce	Swiss Chard
Carrots	Parsnips	Tomatoes
Cauliflower	Peas	Turnip
Celery	Pepper Hot	Watermelon
Cucumbers	Pepper Sweet	Zucchini

Some of the things we hope to do is to use the Three Sisters model. Corn, beans and squash are companion plants: corn is a nitrogen-taker and tall beans are a nitrogen giver and if you grow a climber, it will climb the corn. The squash then shades the ground around the base of the plants and keeps the soil moist and the weeds down.  We will do the three sisters planting if only as an experiment, with a soil test at the beginning and end of the season.

To that we will add herbs and some flowers like marigolds which are all pest deterrents and other plants that will hopefully feed and foster the local bee population.

Again if you would like to be part of the Farm Share =Food Share program let me know, it is filling up.

Our question to our readers:  what’s your favourite vegetable?

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The time has come to plant some roots.

Went and walked the land again. It just feels right. With no buildings, well or hydro yet, there’s lots to do. It will be a hard year(s) but I’ve never been afraid of hard work. The interesting thing is that as we walked along I could see where the buildings would be, and what would be planted where and I could even imagine the people visiting. I see a place that will become a community and a place that helps feed that community.

So what are the plans for February? Well, the first is to secure the land. Second is to start planning what we will grow and to start taking orders for it.  The Farm Share = Food Share program has been launched and I’m happy to say we all ready have people signing up.  We will be applying to markets and talking to small stores, ordering seed and supplies, looking for a few tons of manure.  It’s all leading to setting up a temporary greenhouse in the first week of March and starting the plants we’ll need for the season.

As well there’s the short and long term planning. Would love to have a Spring launch concert and picnic or something like that, a Fall harvest party and, who knows, even a pumpkin launching contest. Then there are the buildings we will need for food and equipment storage, a little fruit stand out by the road for passers-by and of course a chicken coop – what’s a farm without a couple of chickens, really?

As to this blog I will try to post every couple of weeks and let you know what’s happening and what’s coming up.