April 21, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Written & Published by Scott Kelland
Written at New Terra Farm
13510 County Rd 15
Merrickville ON
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Well the early summer is apparently over and we're back to normal April temperatures, but things are proceeding apace in the greenhouses and the garden
Here's what's going on!
1. Thanks for participating
2. Farm update
3. Wanna help save the world?
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REVIEWED AND RECOMMENDED
This section presents stuff you should see (and maybe buy) because, well, I said so! Just kidding, as you know we only review products and services we have personal knowledge of and really believe deliver value, and that are worth your time to check out. So, uh, do it!
If you've been reading my messages for a while, you know I strongly believe in local food security. A big part of that is knowing how to grow your own food.
If you have thought about your own vegetable garden, but didn't think you had the time or the room, (or weren't sure WHAT to do)I've got good news: there's a new book and video series that will show you step by step how to have a productive vegetable garden in less time and room than you might think possible.
The Food4Wealth System is a step-by-step guide to starting and maintaining an easy-to-care-for organic home garden. The system includes an 80-page e-book and over 60 minutes of video. The author, Jonathan White, is an Environmental Scientist and Horticuluturalist who has gone to considerable effort to develop efficient and effective methods of food production on small plots of land.
I bought the system to check it out, and it's the real deal. This book is ideal for the novice or intermediate gardener who would like to have a productive organic vegetable garden, especially those with little time or space to spare.
The book is an easy read, and the videos demonstrate step by step how to build and maintain a productive home vegetable garden. Check out Jonathan's website:
She's not a product, but I'm going to mention her anyway . . . My daughter Danielle has just joined Royal LePage Team Realty as a sales representative. Some of you may remember Danielle from her home cleaning business; I nicknamed her the 'white tornado' because she was a whirlwind on the job. She will be bringing the same energy and enthusiasm to he new career.
If you have questions about selling or buying a home, contact Danielle at 613 692-3567 or
Danielle's e-mail
And, (by the way) Danielle will be supporting her new career with a website from SiteBuildIt! She had the option of a 'canned' site from her real estate company, but she checked out the facts for herself and decided she wanted a website that would actually help her generate income (dad MAY have had some influence.)
SiteBuildIt! (SBI!) is not just a software application but also an entire training course and system for creating e-commerce websites. You can read my
Review of Site Build It! here
END REVIEW
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Payment reminder: if you haven't already done so, please make arrangements to get share payment for the season to us as soon as possible.
The prices per share are remaining the same as last year, $500 for a half-share payable in two equal installments, and $900 for a full share, also payable in two installments.
You can send cheques payable to New Terra Farm, 13510 County Rd 15, Merrickville K0G 1N0. You can also pay in installments by credit card on my
New Terra Farm page
1. THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING
Thanks very much to those folks who came out to the 1st Annual Merrickville Eco-Fair. We had approx. 200 visitors, and my Merrickville Goes Green group was delighted with how things turned out.So a big 'thank you' to the artists, students, businesses, community groups, councilors and visitors who made the Fair a success. This was just the kick-off for Merrickville Goes Green; we are working on plans to move Merrickville to sustainability in food, water, energy, waste management and transportation.
Big plans are afoot; check out the last section of this newsletter if you want to get involved.
2. FARM UPDATE
Looks like we are on-track for a great season in the garden. The ground dried up a little sooner than usual, so I've been busily tilling away and making raised beds. The first direct-seeded outdoor crops are in - the peas, carrots and turnips. And the garlic we planted in the fall continues to grow nicely.We planted the garlic in a 'pig-prepared' area of the garden last October, and right now it is covered with row cover. You may recall we did this to try to thwart the leek moth that devastated our onions and garlic last year.
We will soon be transplanting out the the greenhouse-seeded broccoli and cabbage seedlings. We planted some of these seeds on March 19 in the unheated big greenhouse, and the little seedlings are up and doing fine, with no artificial light or heat. The experiment continues to see how well these seedlings do in the garden. If the seedlings survive and produce a crop, we can call this one a success.
We have many thousands of other seedlings in the greenhouses, ready to go in the garden over the next few weeks.
We just picked up our first batch of day-old chicks, the little yellow fuzzballs are pretty cute. We are on-track ton have the first meat birds ready in July.
Plans are firming up for the Mid-week Market in Merrickville. The market is intended to handle our garden overflow, and provides another outlet for our farm-raised meats.
Looks like we will be launching the market on Saturday May 8, from 11am to 3 pm; it's on Saturday this week only because we wanted to set up before Mother's Day. The market will subsequently be on each Wednesday afternoon, beginning May 12, from 2pm to 7pm. We have half a dozen vendors lined up so far, so come on down and check us out.
The market is located on Brock Street East in the village, about 1//2 block east of St. Lawrence. Look for the signs, and I hope to see you there.
3. WANNA HELP SAVE THE WORLD?
You know it is my belief that we are consuming resources at a rate far in excess of the capacity of the planet to sustain.Here's a couple or three Amazing Facts:
- Ontario, the 'breadbasket' of Canada, imports $4 Billion of fruit and vegetables each year. Many are cultivars we could grow for ourselves.
- Various experts predict we will pass Peak Oil by 2015 (if we haven't already.) 38% of the petro-chemicals used in conventional agriculture is found in fertilizers.
- If the WHOLE WORLD was to live at what is considered to be the POVERTY LEVEL in Canada, we would need 4 ½ more Earths to support everyone.
I've said before that I believe we are facing a lower-energy future; and our political leadership is nowhere on the radar with solutions (or even recognizing the problem.)
The REAL REASON we launched the Merrickville Goes Green initiative was not to have a Fair; the real purpose was to begin to create the community network that will face and fix these problems.
And we have made progress towards that end; people have come forward to ask how they can get involved. The impact and consequences of our unsustainable lifestyle will be first felt at the community level, and that's where the solutions will come from.
Read this document for a real eye-opener about the future of our society; the Green Party Vision Green policy and action document available here on the Green Party of Canada website
If you want to help us find solutions, drop me a line at the e-mail link below.
Scott's email