Arial view from 2025 🙂
Happy New Year!
2025 Was a difficult season with excessive heat & drought during the summer months. The fall season ran long, allowing us to catch up, but winter crashed in on us with below average temperatures… extreme changes.
Our hope is that 2026 will be a little more tempered.
It is January, and time to plan for the new season ahead.
Seeds are ordered, but have not yet arrived.
Now is time to get organized. It is way too soon to start anything.Â
Be patient.
–Greens such as spinach, kale & lettuce are cold weather plants and do quite well early, but ask yourself: When do you want to harvest them?
–Peppers & Eggpants are slower to germinate (10 – 14 days) and produce better when the plant is more mature. We usually start them towards the end of February. They need lots of light and warmth.
–Tomatoes should not be started until late March – mid April. They will become too tall and leggy (weak) if you start them too early. Roots are more important than size.
–Squash & Cucurbits should not be planted until mid May. Their roots do not like to be handled, and do better when direct seeded.
Helpful things to remember when you are growing indoors:
–Always water your plants from the bottom.
–Do not over water. It is best to water more often, than have them sitting in a wet tray. You want strong roots, not rotten ones 🙂Â
–Use fans. Wind resistance will help strengthen your seedlings, and keeps the top of your soil dry. This helps reduce the chance of dampening off. (Rot which will kill the seedling where the stock meets the soil)
-Lighting is very important.
-Heat mats are recommended, but only when germinating. After the seeds have popped, remove from heat to slow them down. This will put more energy into developing the roots, and reduces the chance of drying them out.
-Transplant when your seedlings have 2-3 true leaves to give them room to develop those roots. (Approx. 3 weeks). Rootbound plants will slow their growth.
-Don’t be afraid to divide the plants if 2 seeds germinated. They might be small, but they want to grow. It’s amazing how rezilient they are. 🙂
–Don’t forget to have fun, relax & enjoy the magic of creation
-If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us
–Remember: Smaller is better. All the plants you start will explode when they are transplanted into your garden.
–Imagine looking through a glass at the roots. A smaller healthy plant will show roots growing down from the stem towards the bottom. A bigger plant will have roots swirled around the bottom, and sometimes even twisted together. When transplanted they remain a ball of roots that never gets sorted out to find the nutrients in the soil, or the water table down below.
We have an “open door” policy. If you wish to view our growing operations, just ask, or visit during our operating hours. We would be delighted to show you, and answer any questions you might have while you are here.
We take pride in our gardens
We consider ourselves to be “regenerative farmers.” Our focus is on the health of the soil. Each year we add tons of compost to feed the ecology, in return our gardens bless us with healthy plants that reward us with produce fill with vitality. Bugs are another story. They require elbow grease, and an awareness that not all bugs are bad. Some are good, and will help manage the bad ones… It is all part of a healthy ecology. No chemicals or pesticides are needed or used. ‘Tis a happy balance 🙂
It is said: “We should eat vegetables in a variety of colors to get the best nutritional value.” In keeping with this philosophy, we are proud to offer produce in all spectrum’s of the rainbow, and most are heirloom in their varieties.
In 2026, we will be growing the following: Several varieties of sweet peppers which include no-heat jalapeno’s & habinero’s, but don’t fret, there are 18 varieties of hot peppers with varying heats to meet your needs. Greens which include, 5 types of kale, Swiss chard & spinach. 2 Varieties of Cabbage, our heirloom Spanish Onions, colosals & French shallots. In Root vegetables: red & gold beets, long beets, sweet orange carrots & a rainbow of heirloom varieties. Of course we will always have tomatoes, over 100 varieties to tantalize your taste buds. There will be 10 varieties of summer squash, a plethora of winter squash, and 8 varieties of egg plant. I almost forgot the tastiest ones. 8 varieties of bush, pole & baking beans and tasty additions of garlic & herbs galore. Perennial fruit include: Black, yellow & red raspberries, rhubarb and yummy little blackberries.
Yes, those are a lot of crops to manage.
For the vegetables not listed, and as a back up supply to meet the veracious demands put on our stand, we depend on a network of local farms to fill in the gaps. We have farm partners to provide local Strawberries from the beginning of June all the way to October, Red Raspberries from July to September, as well as Wild & Domestic Blueberries. Corn starts the middle of July and is brought in fresh-picked each morning until the first hard frost and apples all year long from our biggest farm partner & friend: Jean Marie 🙂
We have a driver that goes to the Niagara Region 3 times per week to bring back tree-ripened fruits as they come into season: Cherries, Plums, Apricots, Peaches, Nectarines, and Pears. We have another driver who connects us to several farms in the Eastern Townships of Quebec with a constant supply of Onions, Potatoes, Broccoli, Cauliflower, and all the salad fixings you could imagine throughout the entire growing season.
Patience, summer will be upon us again, and with it a bounty of flavor.
Cheers!
Steve & Tammy