I was reminded at a Farmer’s Forum that some folks may not be aware of where peat comes from, or why we might want to use alternatives. So if you are new to this idea or new to our nursery, we are peat-free in order to support healthy wetlands! 🌿🌰 #peatfree #pottingmix #wetlands
Progress update… building raised beds in the big high tunnel to grow clean veggies over contaminated soil — and keep the gophers out!! 🌿🌰#raisedbed #hugelkultur #farming
There is nothing like a hardy veggie that persists into the winter to bring hope on cold, short days. If I had mulched over these, they would like be in pretty decent shape. Still, a lot of them are salvageable. Yum! 🌿#daikon #winter #farmtotable
Sweet! Fun to connect across the globe on similar techniques working well 😁
Nice!! I’ve done loads of hugelkultur— check out my blog if you’re interested: www.woodforfood.blogspot.com It really is incredible what a difference it makes to bury wood in your beds! Hope this year is great for you 🌿
I make content because I like sharing what I learn when I do things a little differently… 🌿🌰#nativeplants #farming #restoration
Winter is a time of hope for spring and all that it brings. What are you hoping to grow this year? #seeds #planning #spring
Resilience to drought, flooding, and wildfire centers on one thing: water storage. Investing in our wetlands is an investment in having water when we need it. 🌿🌰 #wetlands #waterstorage #peat
We’re getting closer to growing in raised beds! It’s a key part of our strategy for growing clean veggies on a former orchard where lead arsenate was sprayed as a pesticide in the past. Follow for other methods of responsible growing that support human and watershed health 🌿 #growing #tips #farming
After a month of filling and testing the cistern and troubleshooting possibilities, here is my latest cistern update — and the clearest conclusion I can come to till spring. What a saga! Has anyone else got experience with repairing old concrete to hold water?? 🌿#cistern #rehabilitation #farmlife
It may seem like it goes without saying, but make sure you know where the sun will shine — and not shine — at various points in the year, before you pick a spot for your greenhouse! (*siting not citing in the closed captions!) 🌿 #greenhouse #planning #passivesolar #tips
Retirement sounds like the way to go! 🙌
When we think of farming and ecological restoration, we don’t necessarily think of hours spent at a computer. However, behind the scenes of my (and so many others’) outdoor work is a boatload of screen time. 🌿 🌰 #farmlife #behindthescenes
Ahaha!
Some things in life continue even when you lose someone you love and nothing feels real. And surprisingly, I found that celebrating the new year with friends can still feel good and even fun, the fire still feels warm… and maybe life really does go on. #newyears #newexperience #griefjourney
Gotcha! It always surprises me how many of the stratification protocols call for fridge-like temps but not freezing temps
I know that some seeds can be damaged by freezing but I’ve never been able to reconcile that concept with the fact that they evolved in a climate that freezes. The only explanation that makes sense to me is that you get higher and more uniform germination by carefully controlling the conditions
Yes! I have sooooo many to do still. If it’s a plant adapted to your area, I always figure it must be okay to do the cold moist stratification outdoors in whatever conditions naturally exist, even if that means they freeze… 1/2
The fact that anything is alive, ever, is incredible. Despite the pain of loss, seeds are sprouting, things are growing, and someday spring will even come 🌿 🌰 #seeds #wonder #life
I used to think I was imagining it when the willow and red osier dogwood bark colours would seem to pop in winter. It turns out it’s a natural phenomenon of increased pigmentation in the bark due to increased access to sunshine when the leaves fall off the plant. 🌿🌰 #winter #colour #bark
Our farm has old apricot trees growing that go pretty far back in time. While they produced abundant fruit last summer, the apricots were tiny, which poses issues with being able to sell them, and efficiency of picking and processing. To prune or not? Tough decisions! 🌿 #farmlife #apricot #pruning
Every year I go into winter with illusions of things slowing down, a season for rest and hibernation. And every year it shocks me how quickly the season for cold, moist seed stratification evaporates in front of me, just like summer does with its promises of so many things to grow and harvest.
If you want to grow native plants from seeds, this is your reminder to get those seeds planted and set out in the winter weather (if you’re in the Northern hemisphere). Continued in comments 🌿🌰 #nativeplants #seed #stratification
I’m a big fan of reusing my old growing media, and it’s safe to use once it’s heat treated, but often needs some oomph added. Sheep wool pellets are an easy, effective way to add that oomph! They hold water while allowing drainage, and release nutrients slowly 🌿 #woolpellets #peatfree #pottingmix
This sled has done SO many different jobs over the past year, many with no snow underneath it! It felt like a lot of money to spend, but it was worth every penny. When you’re problem solving in your garden or on your farm, consider whether a utility sled might help! #farmlife #gardeningtips #sled
On the shortest day of the year, I put some questionable seeds in moist paper towel to find out if they were viable. By not using potting mix, you can save yourself an enormous amount of space and labor, and you only need to plant the seeds that do sprout. 🌿#gardeningtips #germination #seeds
Thank you Nick! I don’t know if the same is true in the UK, but legacy contamination with lead and arsenic is certainly common across the former orchards of the Western US and Canada. Yes, we have to be creative and not afraid to talk about it!
People often avoid talking about it because it’s such a big problem that it can feel like too much to address. We’re meeting the challenge head-on and trying a number of different ways to grow in this setting. Stay tuned to see how it goes!
One of our strategies for growing clean veggies on a farm with contaminated soil is to build raised beds. Most land that used to be orchard has lead and arsenic in the soil, from lead arsenate, a once-common pesticide… (see comments) 🌿🌰 #soil #contamination #strategies #peatfree
So far I’m just enjoying them where they are, and thinking of my Mom and her immaculate and tasteful decorations
