Farm Glance: our own, cheaper take on making Johnny’s High Tunnel System mobile
Last year Vanessa and I tried out Johnny’s High-Tunnel Hoophouse design using chainlink fence toprail and a Johnny’s bender that renders the rail into hoops. The system produces a solid hoophouse that is 12′ wide by as long as you want. It has worked out really well for us and we would recommend it to other small scale farmers and gardeners.
That system, however, was based on permanent ground posts, which means the hoophouse can’t be moved. A year later, Johnny’s updated their system with a new design that makes it possible to move the hoophouse along a set of tracks. It looks really cool, but our ideal mobile system would allow us to move the hoophouse wherever we want rather than just back and forth on tracks. We also wanted to keep expenses as low as possible, and the design I came up with is much cheaper.
The Ruminant Podcast, Episode 2: growing quinoa and amaranth on a small scale
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Ok. Episode 2 is ready. You can stream it here or find it in iTunes by searching for The Ruminant Podcast.
Guests on this episode: Dan Jason, founder of Saltspring Seeds, who graciously agreed to come on the show to share his expertise on producing quinoa and amaranth. Urban farmer Curtis Stone also came on to ask Dan questions following his first attempt at growing quinoa last season.
Strongly suggested reading to accompany this episode: Dan’s very informative primer on growing quinoa and amaranth.
So listen: I recorded this interview prior to successfully figuring out how to record phone conversations to a decent quality. I apologize for the fact you’ll have to strain your ears in places. The recordings for episode 3 sound terrific, so I don’t expect this to happen again.
With thanks to Dan and Curtis for taking the time to talk to me.
Farm Glance: Ripple Farm’s DIY Hoophouse
After a bit of a dry-spell, submission-wise, I received these photos from Moss Dance at Ripple Farm, who just built a new hoophouse using a neighbour’s design:
Webinar Review: Utilizing Cover Crops in Organic Production
The photo submissions aren’t coming. I’m a prince locked in a tower, waiting for my princess to come and slay Dobi, The Dragon Of Blog Inertia. See the sidebar at right if you don’t know what the hell I’m talking about.
While I’m waiting, I’ll try to fill this space with other stuff farmers and gardeners might find useful. Today, a new feature: I watch an archived webinar, then review it for your reading and viewing delight.
What’s a webinar? I’ll refer you to Urban Dictionary’s two definitions, one of which does not include a reference to self-gratification.
What’s the point of featuring webinars? Well,
The Ruminant Podcast, Episode 1: a conversation with the Potting Block Guru
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
I finally did it. Sort of. For a while now I’ve been wanting to start a podcast–for those unfamiliar with the term, basically a downloadable internet broadcast–about farming. I’ve been…wait for it…ruminating on how the show would work for a long time, but finding the time to put it together has been challenging. Challenging enough, in fact, that this first episode is just a shell of what I’d like the show to be. This episode has just one lonely segment in it. But it’s the segment I’m most excited about, in which I’ll talk to experts on various farming and gardening skills about the skill in question. Usually, I’ll also include a novice who has had one or two seasons’ experience with the skill.
In this first episode, I speak with Jason Beam, founder of pottingblocks.com, on the topic of potting blocks–the practice of starting seeds without plastic pots by creating dense, free-standing blocks of soil. Potting blocks have a number of purported advantages: seedlings don’t become root-bound, they experience less transplant shock, and don’t result in having to throw out plastic trays when they wear out. Vanessa and I used potting blocks in our market garden for the first time last season, and in my interview with Jason I ask him about some of the challenges we experienced as we went along.
It’s a long interview: almost an hour. So below I’ve listed a few topics covered in the interview and where to skip to to find them. I hope you enjoy the recording. And hopefully I’ll have another one soon.
5:20 What are potting blocks?
8:14 Making the right potting mix
17:49 Fertilizer considerations
22:44 Watering the potting mix
26:17 Spacing of blocks
28:09 Good Germination
36:18 Watering seedlings
46:15 Multiplant Blocks
52:23 Transplanting
57:40 Endorsements
You can stream or download the episode using the media player above. I should also be on iTunes after not too long.
Here’s hoping this becomes a regular thing (he says as farming season looms…)
Five Books Dan Brisebois thinks new farmers should read
Today The Ruminant debuts a new feature that shares readers’ recommended reading for new farmers
About a month ago I unceremoniously created a page on this site that allows readers to suggest up to five books new farmers (or really, any farmers wishing to brush up on their knowledge) should consider reading. Until yesterday I hadn’t received any submissions. I now have three, and I’ve decided to feature the odd one on the main blog. The first is by Daniel Brisebois, an organic market gardener, seed producer, and co-author of Crop Planning for Vegetable Growers. Here are Dan’s suggestions:
Type of farming this list instructs: Great vegetable farming
Farming/Gardening Background of the submitter: I’ve been farming for 12 years. I run a CSA, market garden and seed company with 4 other folks (Tourne-Sol co-operative farm).
Book 1:
The Organic Farmer’s Handook, Richard Wiswall
This book will challenge you understanding of your farms profitability and make you wonder whether you should be growing so many peas. Tons of good business management advice.
Book 2:
Diseaese and Pests of Vegetable Crops in Canada. Entomological Society of Canada
Great pictures of horrible pests and diseases. 500+ pages of information and some management solutions. The best disease/pest reference.
Book 3:
Whole Farm Planning. Elizabeth Henderson and Karl North
A guide to set your farm goals to meet your financial, ecological, and quality of life targets. If you don’t take the time to set your targets, how can you know if you’re working towards them?
This a simplified version of Allan Savory’s holistic management model.
Book 4:
Seed to Seed. Suzanne Ashworth
Because farmers should be saving seed and this book has all the basics.
Book 5:
Crop Planning for Organic Vegetable Growers. Fred Thériault and Dan Brisebois
As one of the co-authors I am a touch biased but we wrote the book we wished we could have read when we were starting.
*******
Thanks, Dan, for taking the time to submit. Anyone else who would like to recommend some books for new farmers can do so using the form I’ve got set up in the right-hand column there.
Seven Axioms Farmers Use to Justify Crappy Compensation for their Apprentices
by Jordan Marr
A former apprentice and soon-to-be apprenticeship host suggests that farm apprentices, on average, aren’t compensated enough, and shares his ideas for improving their lot
This season, for the first time, my partner and I are going to join the ranks of dozens of small-scale farms across Canada that offer apprenticeships to eager, would-be farmers. We’re now really excited at this prospect, despite long feeling conflicted about it. For quite a while we were uncertain about whether we would be able to stay on the right side of a line separating a mutually beneficial trade of labour for education on one side, and exploitation on the other.
Because here’s the thing:
Farm Glance: When Livestock Goes Camping
Three coops, A Goat RV, and further proof that Bag Boy missed his true calling as a farmer
Recently Jan Steinman and friends were kind enough to receive my friend John and I out to EcoReality Co-op on Salt Spring Island, BC, for a meal and a tour. Here’s what we saw first:
Farm Glance: A Plumber’s Crack…at firming down a seedbed
This week’s post is brought to you by an idiot’s overconfidence in the bearing properties of cast iron, and the nemesis-plumber who saw a chance to score points with a MILF (that’s Mother-in-Law/Friend).
Book Review: Feeds and Feeding by Frank B. Morrison
I’ve got a decent bit of content lined up to post. With special thanks to George Wright of Castor River Farm, who wrote the following review:
Reviewed here: Feeds and Feeding: A Handbook for the Student and Stockman
by Frank B. Morrison
Published by Morrison Publishing Company in 1959
Reviewed by George Wright
I picked this book up at a used book store for $5 dollars. I did not realize how much it would become part of our farm. This book turned out to be the bible of feeding animals. Horses, mules, dairy cattle, beef cattle, goats, sheep, and swine are covered in extensive detail. It was first published in 1898 and
