From February Dreaming to March Seeding

Monarch Butterfly - From February Dreaming to March Seeding

First let me say that it’s always so lovely to see familiar names appearing on my CSA registration list, and it’ll be even nicer to see your faces in person come June!

To those of you who are new, welcome, I look forward to meeting you all. I think you will find us a friendly bunch, even if we do have to socialize from a distance. We will have a little extra room for local members this Season, so please spread the word.

If you just haven’t had a chance yet, you can sign-up here.

To all of my members and farm friends in Toronto, I hope you will continue to enjoy following along with us despite our 2021 CSA hiatus.

Welcome also, to all of you who have signed up for our newsletter or facebook over the past year or so. I’m glad to have you along and will try to keep my farm ramblings interesting for all.

As the snow melts this week, it’s finally time to transition from farm planning to seed starting. It’s sometimes hard not to get ahead of myself when the days start to lengthen and the seeds arrive.  We don’t have a heated greenhouse here at Knuckle Down Farm, so it is important not to get too much of a jump on the Season.

Winter is a good time for taking a broader look at the farm. With no in-person conferences to attend this year I’m reading up on hoophouse growing, hoping to use that precious space more effectively (so I can justify building another one). There have been webinars a’plenty to check out, including a refresher course on interpreting soil tests. Sometimes it’s nice just hearing what other like minded farmers are up to. I’ve also joined the board of Harvest Hastings, who are working with Peter to refresh their website!

I’m hoping to update my own website (when Peter is a little less busy building online farmers’ markets and local farm directories of course), and would love to know what kinds of questions you have about how I grow your food, so that I can add more depth to the new site. E-mail me, talk to me when you are here, comment on fb or Instagram, whatever suits you, I love hearing from you.

Some of the things I think about in February include:

  • How can I increase the pollinator habitat and create more spaces for other wild creatures on the farm?
  • Can I increase my farm’s ability to draw down Carbon, by integrating more low-till or no-till techniques?
  • What do concepts of regenerative agriculture mean for a small farm like mine?
  • How do I balance growing healthy food for people who need it with keeping the farm sustainable both ecologically and financially?
  • Is talking to my plants a symptom of the pandemic? (Nope, I was definitely doing that already)

Thankfully, it is now March, so I can focus my attention on the more easily answered questions of what seeds do I need to start today? Why spicy salad mix and arugula of course!

I will keep you posted on when and how those things are available, as there will probably be a few people eager for some Spring greens before the CSA begins.

Until then, I hope you are all enjoying this lovely warmth and sunshine.

Sincerely,
— Jenny

Cherry Tomatoes and Sunflowers 1 1 scaled - From February Dreaming to March Seeding Young Corny Farmer 1 1 scaled - From February Dreaming to March Seeding Scythe 1 1 scaled - From February Dreaming to March Seeding Pink Sunset 1 1 scaled - From February Dreaming to March Seeding Monarch Butterfly 1 1 scaled - From February Dreaming to March Seeding