In the last week I have been removing old diseased apple trees from the orchard, as we plan to plant new rootstock and better varieties.. Heres how the tractor helped in that operation
From time to time I profile things going on on our small farm here in Metchosin.
In the last week I have been removing old diseased apple trees from the orchard, as we plan to plant new rootstock and better varieties.. Heres how the tractor helped in that operation
I find that using a raised bed with recycled windows for cover and planting winter crops in September is a great solution here for supply of winter lettuces and spinach for early spring harvest. Here is the process I used:
12 – 2’X2’concrete pavers were used and scrap lumber was used to tie it together
Well not much of a harvest yet this year but my two trees planted over 10 years ago have finally produced some cones..2 each!! They fell off near the beginning of September and now I am keeping them in a warm place until they ripen. The cones exude sap so its best to wear disposable gloves when handling. The key to transplanting Pinenuts is that you must scatter soil and needles from the ground around another pine… any variety, around the base of the new tree in order to inoculate the soil with the mycorrhiza necessary for growth.
There are many websites available with information on how to grow and harvest the nuts.
Apparently the real challenge comes in having to crack the hard casing of each seed in order to yield the nut inside which is prized for eating.
While we were away, high winds brought a power outage for a day and this casualty: A very old Bosc Pear tree fell over. Today I sawed off the branches and hauled them with the tractor up to the pile for chipping and turning into compost. Some of the 4inch sized branches I have saved for future mushroom logs.
Picked the Kiwi fruit today to move in to the refrigerator so they will last through the winter.
After thegarden fields were levelled, we got a heavy rain. However a afer a few dry days they were still able to finish the drainage ditch in the barn field and install heavy gauge 6 ” PVC drain pipe.
Alex and the backhoe operator were trying to get the leveling done today before the rains are scheduled to arrive.
This summer, our son Alex and his partner Virginie have taken a year off for their Wind-whipped Farm , “the Local Food Box Project,” to improve infrastructure for their farming business. This week it has been the excavation of their garden area for the installation of weeping tile for drainage. The purpose is to allow them to get on the land a month or two earlier in the spring. I took this set of photos to show the extent of the job. It gave us a great opportunity to have a “window into the underground”, and see what the glaciers left 10,000 years ago.
Our son Alex Fletcher just published this item on the National Farmer’s Union Website. It is one of the best statements I have seen for some time on the issues around sustainability in Farming:
“There isn’t much talk about agriculture and the farm succession crisis this election. The political calculation seems to be that agriculture is a rural issue and rural issues don’t matter because they don’t swing votes. The assumption being that urban voters, who make up the majority, don’t understand or don’t care much about agriculture.
But Agriculture isn’t just another special interest group and it’s certainly not just a “rural issue”. It’s the heart of our food system and part of the backbone of our economy. Yet its under strain and suffering from neglect as is indicated by the decline of the young farmer demographic, which has dropped by 69% over the last 20 year census period”………See the complete article at: http://www.nfu.ca/blog/NewFarmersNewGovernment/670
Alex and his partner Virginie also have the following Blog:
The local foodbox