“You should grow some bitter melon” is what Aabir told me when we were catching up on the phone. I’m a strong adherent to #bitterbetter so I was easily convinced. Aabir sent me some seeds he’d kept from his own garden. The original seeds came from his mother who got them from a cousin in … More More better bitter with Bitter Melon
There are a bunch of spinach seed packs in the mail right now, travelling from different seed companies to Tourne-Sol farm. They are all in my crop plan spreadsheets – scheduled to be planted in the field this fall side by side in the same bed. We’re going to harvest the leaves in the fall … More Planning for some fall/winter spinach ?
One challenge of selling seeds versus selling vegetables or fresh cut flowers is how to build strong relationships with the gardeners looking for seats. Yeah, yeah – I know you post engaging content on your social media feed that shows your authentic self and your beautiful crops. But you aren’t building the same kind of … More Seedy Saturday Season is back
Have you been thinking about growing seeds on your farm? I’ve put together a little New Year’s Seed Resolution to get you inspired. (This can be done alone or with your farm team. With family members or with friends. Heck, if you want to record yourself and broadcast your resolution to the world on social … More A New Year’s Seed Resolution
The flower I’d like to start 2023 with is an artichoke A big disk of purple florets wrapped in thick greened bracts tipped with thorns. A flower that I had never seen until this past year. Artichoke plants have never been a staple in our gardens. But every few years we’ll plant a few plants. … More Starting the year with an artichoke in bloom
This week’s farm essay is a reflection on an email I received from a farmer about their Season Review. “On my farm, we’re a 7 person team: 5 workers, my wife and me. I’ve been doing season reviews for the last 2 years. Both as individual and in group meetings (I haven’t tried a survey … More What to do with a difficult farm season review
Today, I’m trying out a new idea – Crop Planning Profiles. Essentially – how do you get a crop to fit into your planning spreadsheets? I thought I would start with a crop that folks keep asking about – asparagus. I would love to hear what you think of this new feature. Disclaimer time: The … More Crop Planning For Asparagus
These days, seeds make up a bigger part of our gross sales than vegetables at Tourne-Sol co-operative farm. This is a big change from year one when we sold $600 of seeds. Let me tell you how we came to actually sell $600 of seeds. Summer 2003 I was managing La Ferme Du Fort Senneville … More My two first seed contracts
I spent the 2001 growing season at Switch Farm in Milton, Ontario. It was my second season working on a farm and everything was still new to me and I didn’t yet know what was the important stuff. I just filed all the experience away in that mental filing cabinet as I went along bunching … More How seed saving sneaks into your brain
Well I could tell you to grow profitable crops. I could also tell you to grow crops that don’t take a lot of space for the volume you harvest. Or I could tell you to grow crops that fit with your current weeding tools and systems. But today, I’m going to tell you to grow … More What vegetables should you grow?