Produce
Fruits & Vegetables. Since 2007 our vegetable garden has grown larger and larger each year, now to fitting into about an acre. We plant a diversified crop but the majority of crops have been:
Sweet Corn
Winter Squash & Pumpkins
Tomatoes
Potatoes
Broccoli, Cauliflower & Brussell Sprouts
Carrots
Sweet Peppers
Melons
Sweet Corn
Winter Squash & Pumpkins
Tomatoes
Potatoes
Broccoli, Cauliflower & Brussell Sprouts
Carrots
Sweet Peppers
Melons
We also have an asparagus patch started. We have planted pear, apricot, peach, plum, apple and cherry trees ( with plans to add a few more). We have strawberries and rhubarb patches that come up each spring as well.
An herb garden close to the house lets us run out for fresh spices when cooking. Sage, rosemary, thyme, dill, basil, cilantro, chives and some lettuce/mesclun.
We do not use pesticides on our land or on the food we produce. Natural manure fertilizers, compost, mulching and a little work enrich our garden. Through diverse plantings, all is not lost if one crop fails, as we can fall back on another. We have found that diversification can also help or slow insect and disease infestations. Rotating crops from year to year also seems to prevent infestations. Most of our weed control is done by hand, except for some initial tractor cultivation.
An herb garden close to the house lets us run out for fresh spices when cooking. Sage, rosemary, thyme, dill, basil, cilantro, chives and some lettuce/mesclun.
We do not use pesticides on our land or on the food we produce. Natural manure fertilizers, compost, mulching and a little work enrich our garden. Through diverse plantings, all is not lost if one crop fails, as we can fall back on another. We have found that diversification can also help or slow insect and disease infestations. Rotating crops from year to year also seems to prevent infestations. Most of our weed control is done by hand, except for some initial tractor cultivation.
Each year we have been really proud of the quality of produce we have been able to produce. You think we would get sick of some of the stuff but through August each year we eat sweet corn every night. Our joke was every night asking what we wanted for dinner, both really knowing the answer was "sweet corn!" At the Highgate Fair we have received numerous ribbons, including some 1st place winners for our produce.
The seeds for our garden are purchased through an Ontario distributor and seedlings from a local nursery. Manure is provided by our animals. Normally our winter squash & pumpkins is grown from seeds we have saved from our best stock. Mulch is all collected and distributed from the property, these include bark, grass clippings, shredded leaves and pine needles.
A home built grass catcher behind the tractor's mower allows us to collect abundant amounts of grass clippings, this allows us to get something back from grass cutting. The clippings hold moisture and deposits nutrients into the garden, controls weeds and in turn labour, as well as makes the garden look nice.
Through canning and freezing we are able to store our goods through the winter months to enjoy our harvest year round. August and September are busy months picking, cleaning, cutting and processing tomatoes into spaghetti sauce and salsa.