Did you want to visit the farm last season?

pasture lambs chicken Birds Nest Garden Farm
Lambs and chickens roam the pasture at Birds Nest Garden Farm.

Maybe we talked at market, but the timing just didn’t work out. Or maybe you were too shy to ask. Or maybe you didn’t even know it was a possibility.

Well, this year we can officially remedy that.

Our farm is a member of Rural Gardens of Grey and Bruce Counties. We refer to ourselves as being members of a “garden tour,” but it’s more like a choose-your-own-adventure story than a scripted tour. It’s up to you which gardens you visit and when you visit them.

Rural Garden Tours in Grey and Bruce

There are 22 gardens ranging from homesteads (like ours), to restored historic sites, to plant nurseries that have developed lovely gardens. Some gardens are open all the time, others on specific dates and others by appointment only (that’d be us.) Many of the gardens have plants for sale and some are even set up to handle bus tours.

We are excited–and nervous–to be part of this group. Over the years, we’ve enjoyed visiting many of these gardens as we developed our own landscape. There is no better way to learn about what grows in your climate than by visiting another plant geek to see what they are doing!

birds nest garden farm wiarton sage flowers
Sage blooms are a welcome sight and a sign that summer is here.

Some of these gardens are now integrated into our lives. Mother’s Day is not complete without a trip to Grange Hollow. “If Mama ain’t happy,” and all that. Art in the Garden at Keppel Croft is our new favourite date day. Like a date night, but it’s in the daytime. We get to wear clean clothes and be tourists. And go for ice cream the Big Bay General Store afterwards. Awesome.

Visiting Us

A visit to Bird’s Nest Garden Farm requires an appointment set up ahead of time. I put that in bold because it is important. Well-meaning folks don’t always understand that, as a working farm, we need to schedule your visit so we can give you our best attention. Please email erin@polkadothenproduce.com at least 24 hours before tour days for availability.

In July and August, we are open for guided tours Tuesdays and and Saturdays between 1 and 4pm.  Tours are $20/hour for up to 4 people. Meaning, up to four people can come for a tour for 20 bucks. There are no public washrooms, so plan accordingly.

So, if you’d like to see where your food is grown before we bring it to the Wiarton Farmers’ Market or learn details of our conversion to no-till growing, mobile livestock set-up or off-grid living, get in touch to set up your visit!

cordwood and straw bale house with blooming flower garden birds nest garden farm
In late June, the baptisia in full bloom attracts hummingbirds and butterflies.