Soil, Dirt, and No Nutrients: A 2013 Ground Level View

It’s time to talk about dirt. When I bought the property last March/April I knew it would be a tough year. With any start up business there is a lot to do. When it came to the soil I got some hope from the previous farmer who told me of his successes. The problem was that as we move to sustainable /eco farming (you can say organic, I can’t) the soil was used to having large amounts of chemical fertilizer put on it.

The year before I bought the property corn had been planted on it. Corn is a tearable crop, which means it’s a nitrogen stripper, so I knew there would be problems but…

First off, the peas took longer than they should have to get started. I thought the slow start might have been because of the cold spring, but when the plants came out of the greenhouse looking healthy and then stumbled I knew there was a problem.

Then my lovely deep green tomato plants turned purple. This could have been caused by two problems: cold and/or a lack of phosphorous. I had some worm castings (read poop) that I had collected so I worked some into one row and gave them a little water. The next day they started to green up. So, from then on, every plant (including all 500 plum tomato babies), got a trowel full of worm castings. At this point I did a basic soil test. The results told me what I already knew: the soil was completely depleted of nutrients.
I knew I was in trouble at this point and that there wasn’t much I could do for this year. A bag of bone meal and a box of seaweed helped, but I was already looking ahead to 2014. The answer? Beans! Beans provide the soil with nitrogen so I ordered a variety of them. You name them, I bought them: flat green beans, red and white Romano beans and fava beans. I really didn’t care if I sold them because it was all about 2014. To my surprise I was able to more than cover the cost of growing them and my soil should benefit from them in 2014. Well, at least, let’s hope.

In 2013 we used much of the front 5 acres while the back 5 was used by a local farmer. In 2014 we’ll use all the front 5 and possibly part of the back but the area that is not used will be planted with something we can cut and mulch into the soil or, yes, more beans.

Getting the soil back to where it needs to be will take years. In 2013 our yields were around 10% of what they should be; this year, with the work I’ve done, that number will go up but it will be 4-5 years and a lot of natural fertilization before the soil will support proper yields.

But hey, where can you get a tan and play in the dirt all day and besides, if you get a little something on your boots well that washes off and it’s good for the soil.

And if the beans do well just think, there will be pasta fagioli all winter.

Chris

 

Advertisement

Winter is almost over

Ok, so February was cold with lots of snow so of course I spent most of the month shoveling and, in my “down time”, ordering and collecting supplies. I really didn’t mind the cold winter because the snow was light and relativity easy to shovel. The greenhouse seems to have held up well and is warming up during the day even without the wood stove on. On average it’s running at 12-16 degrees C during the day. With the arrival of the seeds, I must admit I had a ‘what have I done?’ moment. I now have roughly 100+ varieties of vegetables to seed, transplant, weed, water, bug protect and harvest. I may have to get some help or at least look into cloning myself. (Then I won’t have to pay minimum wage to myself)

The greenhouse is basically ready with just a couple of little things to take care of including getting the chimney set properly on the wood stove. At this point it works great on calm days, but if the wind comes up it pushes the smoke down the chimney and into the greenhouse. You can imagine the ‘smoky flavoring’ my clothes have picked up…

I must say that with all the snow I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t get a chance or make the time to build a snow man or something. It was not like I wasn’t moving it around between shoveling a path to the greenhouse and the drive way to the more important shoveling around the greenhouses. As the snow piled up it got to the point where it wouldn’t slide off the roof. At that point, out came the shovel. Hey, with 120 feet to shovel at least I don’t have to worry about a gym. The frustrating part was that, with the almost continuous windy conditions it either snowed or blew over my freshly cleared path every day.

That’s not to say it was all bad. The cold should have a definite effect on the bugs this season. Also I took some very pretty pictures without a ‘real’ camera, and Abby and I did some snow shoeing together and even a few friends came out.

So, I can honestly say I’m looking forward while trying not to get ahead of myself. March will bring some new changes and decisions. I will start to seed some vegetables for the summer and some others, mostly greens, to grow in the floor of one of the greenhouses. If all goes well we should start to have lettuce by the end of April. I’ll also be getting some flowers and other plants started for sales in May.  Along with that there is wood to collect to keep the stoves going and gravity fed watering system to build along with collecting water and keeping an eye on the fields to get the spring plantings started as soon as possible. There is also manure to spread so it’s going to be a busy month but I’m really looking forward to it and obviously the arrival of spring.

Chris

The Seasons turn.

I haven’t written in the blog in a while mainly because the farmer in me and the marketer – 20 years in marketing – have been at odds. The marketer is – (read: must be) positive and the farmer is, well, it is what it is. The nice thing is I think I have found some middle ground and in the end know that I’m not discouraged or disheartened; if anything I have more knowledge and am chomping at the bit for the new season to begin.

There are many stories from the 2013 season and the saga of the tractor (read: Massey Ferguson 1959 vintage) is perhaps the most interesting.

Yes I broke down and bought a used (read: old, very old)  tractor that naturally broke down. My bumping into (read: hitting) a tree was caused by, but not the cause of, the break down. After purchasing the tractor from a local fellow quite a few miles away, I then realized that I had to get it home. What followed was quite a story in itself, involving the Highway Traffic Act and Old Tractors and it’s a story I’m happy to tell to those that come out to the farm for a visit. But I digress. The break down was to say the least, frustrating. When I bought the tractor I informed the person selling it that I needed to put it to work as soon as possible and was there anything I should be aware of that would need fixing in the next 3-6 months? The answer was a definite no. So, with my trust in mankind clearly established, I went ahead with the purchase. After finally getting the tractor home (remember this is another story for another day) a neighbour offered to lend me his plow. I went over hooked up the plow and at that point the leveler arm on the 3 point hitch fell off. This was clearly not a good sign. After a struggle I was able to get it back together but I knew that in the next week I would have to pick up a new one.

It’s amazing how the things we learn as children stay with us. I’m not sure if I can explain this but that first day hooking up the plow was like I was a kid again. A three point hitch works very simply: it is basically three arms in-between the back tires; much like a glorified trailer hitch.  There are two hydraulic arms, one on either side about one foot in from each wheel with one centre arm. So I back the tractor in to place, get off and go around to the left side and hook up the left hydraulic arm. I then went to step over the left arm to get to the right and that’s when childhood kicked in.  A voice in my head started yelling – “What the #$@$# do you think you’re doing? (I think it was my Uncle’s voice) Do you want to lose a limb?” I just froze my foot halfway in the air – I must have looked ridiculous but I didn’t really care. You do everything possible to never put yourself between the implement and the tractor because if the tractor slips into gear or the break slips and the tractor goes forward or back well you can get caught under one or the other or get a limb pinned between the two.  It’s like we all unhook the spark plug before we pull grass out of the bottom of a lawn mower. —
Slowly I put my foot down and walked around the tractor to the right side and hooked up the right arm, then reached over to hook up the centre arm at the top. As I got back on the tractor to take the plow back to the homestead and finally get to work, I remembered all those times as kids that I and my cousins got the lecture about tractor safety. It just all came back, so if you happen to come out to lend a hand, know you will get the tractor safety lesson.

So now the plow is on and I am off to work. After some struggles, a few words of frustration (read: mild profanity) and some thinking I got the plow to pull a proper furl. It was at this point that I noticed the clutch was not quite right. The old tractor I have doesn’t change gears like a car. You have to stop the tractor, pick your gear and then release the clutch. Additionally, when you stop it’s a clutch and breaks tandem and if when you push it down the clutch doesn’t disengage the transmission the tractor doesn’t stop. (Can you see what’s coming?) So I’m working away and I get the row I’m on plowed. It is now time to stop. I lift the plow, push the clutch/break down and… just keep going towards a big spruce tree. Now the old tractor doesn’t go that fast and luckily I thought to drop (lower) the plow, making it act like an anchor which slowed the tractor down enough so that I only bumped into the tree.

Now I have a tractor that has no clutch but not to worry. The great thing about this tractor is because you don’t change gears on the fly, you can turn it off, select a gear, turn it on, and off you go. Not a great solution but one to get it out of the tree. Still, I have to get it fixed and the big question is where? I’m not sure where to take it and the cost well between transporting it to get repaired and then the repair itself, well, I didn’t even want to think about it. As luck would have it, I was talking to some of the farmers at the Port Hope market and they gave me the name of a tractor repair company that will do the work on site: they were a father and daughter team. After a bit of a search (not many businesses out here are on the web), I finally found him. A couple of calls and a quick on site look at the tractor and my original diagnosis was confirmed. It was indeed the clutch and the tractor had to be split. You may not realize it (I didn’t but now I do), but a tractor is nothing more than a transmission, an engine and wheels. There is no frame.

To be honest it looked like some weird magician sawing a woman in half and then walking between the parts before putting her back together but to my amazement they came out and on the first day pulled it apart and made a replacement parts list and then on day two came back put the new parts on and put it back together.

Then Ken (read: the father of the father and daughter team) gave me a quick lesson in how to use a two stage clutch and I must say the tractor now is running just fine. With the tractor now working I was able to get the fields prepped for the spring. It’s going to make life much easier in the upcoming season(s).

Next up the bugs and soil of 2013

A week of firsts

This was a bit of a week that ended with our first little Canada Celebration. It was a huge pleasure to have such great people come out and help make our little farm what it should be – a place where all are welcome, filled with laughter and a few nasty bug bites. Boy, the misquotes are big! Thanks to all for bringing stuff along and for your interest in what’s growing.

So what and how are things growing? Well, the weeds are doing OK…but all kidding aside, here are a few of the firsts.

The plumb tomatoes and round tomatoes have been spotted…meaning, they’re up!

Look close to see the first of the flowers on the eggplant

This one was a surprise the – first ground cherry

And close behind, the first tomatillo

The potatoes are flowering…

…and the zucchini are small but on the way

The latest to be planted are starting…here are the fava beans just poking through…

…and finally a try at 2 sisters – a climber bean on the left and a corn stock on the right.

There is much more going on, that’s just a sample. If you’re in the area please stop by, I’m happy to show you around…and if you’re inclined to try your hand at weeding, well there’s lots to do.

I’m off to pick peas for tomorrow’s market, hope everyone enjoyed Canada Day and has a great summer.

Chris Marcucci
Farmer – Sommelier

P.S. the peas are so good I had to get creative: Coming soon a new recipe for Halibut and Peas.

Planning for the 2014 season has begun…

…because the first week of market has shown me that I need to plant more.  On some levels I already knew this. The plan when I started was to produce vegetables for 250 families. When I started planting I didn’t  have a market to sell at and I only had a handful of people in the Farm Share = Food Share program. So I planted 100 head of lettuce and thought it would last 4 weeks. With the program, markets and some loss to bugs, it will last 2.  Now I’m planting 200 head every 2 weeks, and the plan for 2014 is 300/week.  I also planted almost and acre of beans – flat green beans, fava beens and teggia beans (I know these as romano beans).

My first deliveries and markets went OK. Did not have much but it was good to get out and meet people. In Oshawa, Rogers was doing a spot for their morning show so I got to talk to the Mayor and be on TV. (Note: the Downtown Oshawa Farmers’ Market  is closed this week -June 26- but back on July 3 right through to the fall).

I have started to put together recipes – and I will also add a wine paring suggestion –  that go with the veggies that I will be giving out at the markets. I’ll also be putting the recipes up in a section here.

Finally, the Beetle Battle continues and I think I’m losing; did a bug walk and picked 300 plus beetles off of the plants. Now they have moved over to the zucchini because it’s flowering.  I will keep trying. The beetle is only doing what it’s supposed to so I can’t blame it. I might not like it but…

Well it’s back out to the fields, have to start to get ready to open the veggie stand on the farm, there is more to plant and then there are the weeds…

The peas are coming along and won’t be long now.

If you’re driving by, stop in and say hi.

Chris Marcucci
Farmer – Sommelier

Many hurdles…

…. some that I was not expecting. This was a hard week. Many thanks to those who helped get the tomatoes and cucumbers in. I spent the rest of the week getting the remaining greenhouse plants in. Unfortunately I have hit the next hurdle. I was banking on having to keep the weeds down and on cleaning up. I  wasn’t expecting the cucumber beetle plague and the government red tape (which is another story). I have been left with hand-picking the beetle, probably a couple of hundred to date, with no end in site. Abby has taken to calling it my daily bug walk, (depending on the day, it happens twice).  At this point we have lost 30% of the cucumbers and 5% of the squash. I’m going to look into planting a few more cucumbers . My apologies to all those who put in the hard work to get them in. I’m doing what I can but really wasn’t expecting this.

As a friend and I kidded when I started this, “Chris you’ll make this work or die trying.” From sleeping in the greenhouse to chasing little striped beetles all over the fields, I’m still enjoying this and excited by each new development. In between chasing bug and getting the last of the plants in, I took on a couple of new projects. Spent a day, or part of, doing some companion planting, mixing basil and marigolds in amongst the cucumbers and tomatoes. This should, if all I’ve been reading is true,  help ward off some of these bugs.  I also put in a little herb/flower garden at the edge of what will be the parking lot and added some rhubarb that my neighbour asked me to dig up for her.

I’m going to see a organic grower in the next couple of days, to see what else I can learn and have spent some time understanding entomology so I know the good bugs when I see them.  I’m also looking into building habitat for birds, bugs (the good ones) and even bats. If all goes well next year I’ll have a little army of defences and call them The Company of 3Bs to take care of the cucumber beetle and his friends.

I’m up early to pick more beetles, wish me luck. I’ll get over this hurdle and then it’s on to the next one.

Chris Marcucci
Farmer – Sommelier

 

A little wound up…

It has probably been a good thing that it’s snowed the last couple of days. It has forced me to sit down and get more planning done. I know when the deal closes the last thing I will want to do – and it will be last thing I will have time for – is the planning . The deal closes on the 28th of March. Peas should be in the ground the first week of April and, well, tomatoes should be started in the greenhouse this week. So there is still lots to do between now and then. The seed order is done but there are still a couple of things I would like to get. The order was for about 40,000 seeds so far, so it might be enough but there are a couple of perennials I would like to start for next year and I can’t seem to find a heritage yellow corn.  The history of corn is actually very interesting and an example of how human intervention and experimentation with nature that deeply affect the planet.

So what do the next couple of days hold? There will be some measuring and marking out of the site; finishing the plans for a small greenhouse to get the tomatoes, peppers etc started – these need to be ready to start going in the ground as small plants by the end of May.  Figuring how to effectively heat the green house, this one may be a problem (I am open to suggestions); finish the planting schedule and map; then there is the business side, filling out forms to try to get into markets; working on a website so you can place orders directly; possibly a Facebook and/or google page; working out a picking and delivery schedule (this might be able to wait a bit as the markets will affect the delivery days); looking for restaurants and small grocers that may want seasonal vegetables; oh yeah, also coming up with a name that would be good.  Then to move toward, what I would like the farm to grow into,  working on some events and what I like to call open Sundays, which is about making the farm a community. At this point there are some logistic issues –  a toilet, for one.

I hope to make another post after the deal closes and after the Easter long weekend. Until then have a great week and long weekend.

Chris