Tag: gardening

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We’re Almost There (Newsletter)

fresh veggies polka dot hen produce 2021
Stir fry veggie pack: bok choi, mizuna, tatsoi, green garlic, purple orach and chives

It feels like we had a bit of a soft open last week with our emergency stir fry packages. Thank you to everyone who participated. It was really short notice. However, getting those veggies to you was a thrill.

Drought and Weird Weather

Part of the reason we had such an “emergency” with the greens was the crazy up and down temperatures we’ve had over the last few weeks. 

Cool weather transitioning to hot weather triggers some plants to make flowers, or bolt. Heat combined with a lack of rain can exacerbate this. 
Continue reading “We’re Almost There (Newsletter)”

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Adios 2020

 

While we’ve been spared the worst outcomes of the pandemic up to this point, it still feels very myopic to focus on our homestead experience given the state of the world.

Perhaps that’s why I’ve had such a hard time updating the blog this year. That coupled with my general dread of writing has meant a big lag in blog entries. I’d much rather tell a story through photographs. So here we go.

I’ve cobbled together a selection of pictures to get you through the 2020 season and up to date on the farm. It sure is nice to look at all that colourful produce right now.

Continue reading “Adios 2020”

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Reflecting on Summer 2019

cordwood and straw bale house with blooming flower garden birds nest garden farm
The baptisia in full bloom attracts hummingbirds an butterflies.

It’s January now and all the highs and lows of the 2019 summer season are having their sharp edges whittled away by time. We’ve seen snow, a melt, more snow and yet another mild spell in the last six weeks. Our lifestyle orbits around heating with wood, winter chicken chores and keeping the lane snow-free.

It wasn’t that long ago that the meadow was lusciously green and we were harvesting armloads of veggies for the farmers’ market. Looking back through our photos twigs my memory of the past season. Here’s a short and sweet list of three things that stood out.

no-till vegetable garden July onions
Dusk in the onion patch mid-July. The no-till beds are working well.

Best Move: Converting the Market Garden to No-Till

Over the past few years we’ve worked to reduce our tillage in the gardens. Exposure to a series of  books, articles and podcasts convinced us that a no-till/no-dig system would really benefit us and our shallow, heavy clay soil. Continue reading “Reflecting on Summer 2019”

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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.

Continue reading “Did you want to visit the farm last season?”

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Manic May

honeyberry flowers birds nest garden farm
Honeyberry (or haskap) blooms provide a much-needed early source of nectar for insects and hummingbirds.

It’s that time of year again.

Everything needs to be done. Yesterday.

Warm weather and sunshine have made everything pop. Believe me, I am not complaining. We are loving the weather here at Bird’s Nest Garden Farm.

It’s hard to believe that less than a month ago things looked like this:

snowy field polka dot hen produce wiarton
Yes, that is one of my main vegetable plots on April 22.  So, less than a month ago we had plenty of heavy snow on the ground.

Now we are full steam ahead on ALL of the projects. Continue reading “Manic May”