My presence on here has been fairly dismal. I'm not sorry, life took hold.
Farming isn't exactly easy work, let alone starting from scratch. With no land, and very little infrastructure, toss in a full time job, stir it up...the result is chaos.
Chaos is a word that often gets associated with negativity, anarchy and violence. That's not my brand of chaos. Mine is structured, growing and always needs more from me.
At the end of the day, farming is the most beautiful and controlled chaos this planet has to offer.
I once read that the biggest mistake you can make in an endeavor such as is this is to assume that you're in control.
Re-read that last line. Burn it into your head. 'Cause that' the truth;
You're not in control . Accept it.
If you've even grown so much as a small vegetable plot or home garden, this should really hit home. How many times have you walked out to water and found something new eating your prized veggies? All the fucking time - that's how often .
All we can do as organic growers is continue to learn.
Learn about the relationships happening in your garden. Are the pests so heavy because your soil has limited biological life? Bad compost? You'll never really know what you can do to improve if you don't WANT to find out.
Mistakes happen. They are an inevitability of life. I make them, everyone makes them. Learning and growing from them is all that really matters.
For example :
My first zucchini crop was completely decimated by cucumber beetles.
This happened for several reasons :
-My plants weren't mature enough
- I wasn't diligent enough in my removal of the beetle.
- I made a mistake in my crop rotation
I planted my zucchini in the same row that finished with zucchini the season previous.
This isn't great for my mineral count in my soil... More importantly for this example though, I placed the exact food the beetle was looking for right out in front of it .
The previous season the beetles would have pigged-out and laid their offspring in the soil nearby.
So when they emerged this season , I had graciously placed a buffet right in front of their stupid faces. I'm totally in control... right?
When it comes to what you're growing at home: control what you can, learn from what you can't, and strive for some form of harmony in your garden.
But....what the fuck is happening at the farm right now?
Well, I'm glad you asked - Well, technically I asked, but you feel me.
The fields are full, crops are coming in and out on a weekly basis, and we are starting to get in the groove of the chaos left to come.
Our first CSA shares will be headed off to their loving owners this weekend. This is always a nerve-racking time of the season for me personally. New members or returning..it doesn't matter- The pressure I place on myself is weighty. I strive to deliver a superior product to everyone who purchases from the farm. I want them to be able to tell the difference between our produce and what they are typically used to. All of this paired with how fast bad news flies around Charlottetown makes for some serious weight. All things considered though I think I'm moving it just fine.
I do miss sharing content so over the coming season I'm going to do my best to work on my time management skills so I can share as much information, laughs and knowledge as possible.
Stay Dirty !
-The Burly Farmer .