Last fall i put in a small peony patch. There is 4 varieties blooming early, mid and late.they come as 60 plant bunches so i have 240.
Peonies
Livestock on the farm
We have a small flock of laying hens that provide us lots of eggs.
My wife has 4 milk goats. We were on the fence about getting another billy or shipping the girls. Seems we are keeping them and getting a boer goat billy to breed them with
This spring we got 2 calves from the auction. We’ve never had cows before so this will be an interesting adventure.
Also this spring we got 3 wiener pigs for us to pack in the fall. We’ve done pigs a number of times and bred sows for a while. We found that there was no money in raising pigs for market. Buying all the feed and paying for a butcher left no. Profits left for us. Once it warms up and these guys get a bit bigger they will spend the summer on pasture eating scraps and the cover crop i put down for them.
tobacco
This year i am going to grow 3 varieties of tobacco. The goal is to roll some cigars and make some pipe tobacco. March 16th i seeded out 1 tray and put them into the germination box.
The white bits on the top are perlite. Tobacco seeds need light to germinate and I’ve found that a thin layer of perlite helps with moisture retention and lets the light in. Ive done trials in the past and the perlite trays always germinated better and faster
April 27th update
I potted the seedlings up into a 50 cell tray. I think my timing was off by a couple weeks. I’m thinking another week and these would want to go outside. I’m likely 3 weeks away from planting.
Germination box for summer crops
Germination box
When i was just starting with farming i initially used heating mats big enough for 1 flat. After 2 wasnt enough and i needed like 8 or 10 flats on a heat mat at once i decided to build one.
I decided 12 flats would be enough for a germination box. I could always build another one if i needed it. I measured the dimensions i needed for 12 flats to fit on my bench system in the greenhouse. I added an extra couple inches for ease of getting trays in and out and then built a box out of plywood. I then added eaves trough melter cable as evenly as i could on the bottom of the box. Finally covering the cables with a layer of sand to help even out the heat hitting the trays.
The cable is plugged into one of the inkbird controllers i use for everything (multiple uses for each item) and set to 75 degrees.
Lastly i built a frame lid and put greenhouse plastic on it so that it closes all the way
The result is i can set the temperature in my greenhouse to 12 degrees celcius and my warm weather starts are unaffected. The cost saving of the lower temps in the greenhouse are quite significant.
This same box has worked for the past 4 seasons. I had to replace the plastic on the lids once as they got stored badly one summer and were damaged. I have rarely needed more than 12 flats in the germination box at a time with my staggered start for my summer crops.
cannabis breeding project
Cannabis
Shelved since 2019 is my cannabis breeding project. A lot of my side projects had to be out on the back burner as i was focused on growing lots of produce for market. This year has me backed off from that and getting back to what made me love farming in the beginning. Trial and error and learning, reading and research.
For me, this is just for fun and curiosity. And a bit of science. Admittedly this project is developing a strain for a grower not a smoker. Meaning i choose plants for appearance and aroma while growing. I still dry the flower and pass it around for review to testers, but have found mostly that no one is a good tester for feedback, as i would like. It either gets them high as fuck and is good or doesn’t and it sucks. Very few people will rate the flavour profile and give nuances and the such. Good feedback on a certain strain grown has been when everyone wants to get more or buy a bunch its usually an indicator of a win. With my current jack cheese strain which is F1 currently i gave out seeds to be grown in 2020 and everyone wanted more seeds for 2021 which i declined.
Jack cheese is a cross between Jack the Ripper which i have grown out and picked winners from and blue cheese which is the new addition.
Plant 1 is Jack the Ripper originally from sub cool seeds. Ive grown this out and saved seed multiple times. My packet says F4 on it, meaning its been grown out and back crossed 4 times by me. It’s been a very stable plant for me. Very frosty, great smell. You’ll see from the genetic breakdown that there is a lot going on with JTR(jack the ripper) and the potential for underlying traits to come through is a lot
Blue cheese from Barneys farm was of interest to me. Crossing blueberry and cheese makes for some interesting possibilities for new phenotypes.
Jack the Ripper genetics
JTR is crossed between space queen and jacks cleaner
Growing dahlias for market
I started growing dahlias a number of years ago. Here’s a brief history as i remember it. I bought a couple packs of mixed tubers from my local Home Depot. The first year i just stored the tubers as they came out of the ground. I didn’t know any better. The next spring i planted the clump of tubers as they were. the result was massive plants, easily six feet tall. Lots of blooms.
Again i stored the tuber clumps as they were, easily bigger than 1 foot.
By this time i had done more research into dahlias, knowing i had to seperate the tubers to grow. I also discarded some of the tubers I didn’t like. Too many yellows, too many single pedals that didn’t last long in the vase and so on. I also ordered a few Pom Pom type dahlias as i liked the way they looked.
I separated all the tubers and planted all of them in the field (way too many by the way). I started getting a game plan with my Dahlias. I had confirmed that i had a market for dahlias and i needed a better collection that i could be proud of. Fall of 2022 i marked and named all the varieties i wanted to keep and left the rest to rot in the field. I also purchased some new varieties of tubers to add in for 2023. Spring of 2023 i forced and took cuttings from my new tubers to get them multiplying faster. The tubers i bought were between 12-$15 each. That didn’t matter because the potential income that can be generated from these is endless. Results were amazing and i was happy with the bouquets i was able to put together for market.
Fall of 2023 i once again marked and kept only the tubers i wanted and left the rest in the field. I have found that the Pom Pom type hold their pedals the best and look the best also. I have kept only a few single pedal whites and pinks. In the future i need to get more Color’s and some larger dinner plate varieties.
but,
my game plan with each part of my operation is simplicity in Managment, income versus cost(actual dollars or labour) and general interest on my part.
So far this spring of 2024 i have started forcing some of my dahlia varieties that i am looking to multiply faster. The varieties i am forcing are
Peaches and cream
Ivanetti
Santa Claus
#7 dark purple (not sure of the name of this, ill look it up at some point)
Just splitting the tubers can get me anywhere from 4-10 viable tubers. Last year i was able to get 3-4 cuttings from each tuber and then plant the tuber in the field after. I would say 60% of the cuttings developed tubers. I am trying to force some of the plants that don’t have visable tubers to see if they are viable or not.
The plan for 2024 is to multiply and plant out tubers so that i have a balanced number of each. I would like to be able to sell tubers at some point if i want to, but mainly selling 8 stems for $15 is where its at for me.
April 27th update
I took the first round of cuttings from my tubers. I will continue to take cuttings until I plant the tubers outside in late May
Hot peppers 2024
This year I am planting a mix of saved seed and store bought seeds.
On March 9th I planted 5 trays of hot peppers (500 seeds)
Pepper seeds set out in the germination box
The germination box is set to 75 Fahrenheit
April 27th update
All the peppers were transplanted this week. To be honest it’s a bit of a mess. Planting saved seeds, I always plant way too many to ensure a good Selection to choose strong plants from. Some are going into a hoop house, some are going outside and some are going into the heated greenhouse.
Tomatoes for 2024
I grow a variety of tomatoes each year. “Sakura” is the variety I grow of cherry tomatoes. Extra early I plant in the heated greenhouse. The first planting was transplanted mid March. The second round of tomatoes get planted in a minimal heated 50 ft hoophouses is Sakura for cherrys and Frederick as a beefsteak. Both of these varieties are inter-determinate and will produce continuously until frost kills them.
For field tomatoes I have bush romas, yellow romas, both for making sauce. I have 2 bush types I am growing out with the plan to save seeds from both and then cross them from the saved seed next year. Manitoba and quinte are the 2 varieties of bush beefsteaks I am growing.
The single row of tomatoes growing in the left hand bed are being grown to 2 stems each and will cross over to fill the space once the brassicas are cropped out
Using a grow tent
In this post i want to discuss using a grow tent to start and grow your plant starts. Ive tried everything for starting plants early and setting up a climate controlled tent is by far the best way to get amazing quality starts for your gardening adventures. My recommendation is to use a 5×5 tent as the ideal minimum size but a 2×4 will work if space is an issue. The problem with the 2×4 is the space limitation in relation to the heater (plant trays dry out a lot faster near the heat).
If your starting out with no equipment buying a tent kit is an option but they only seem to come in 4×4 and that won’t fit the rack from Costco which is 4 ft, so a different rack would be needed. I would look at what comes in the kit and source the components separately.
For climate controls at the bare minimum a digital controller for heating and cooling is necessary.
I use an oil filled radiant space heater set to its max setting and use the controller for very accurate heating. The exhaust fan can be programmed to come on at a set temperature to cool the tent.
Ive been using this fan controller which allows you to set the exhaust fan to run on idle to have some airflow throughout the tent and then it will speed up the fan when necessary for cooling. Also the fan can be set to operate differently for day/ night operations. The second controller probably isn’t necessary if costs are a consideration but if more precise control of the grow environment (and better quality grow) then the fan speed controller is a good option.
For the setup i use a metal rack from Costco with 2 four foot led lights each shelf for plant starts and a drip tray for watering and for plants that need more space and light. On the left i have a mars hydro grow light that i use for tomato plants that are needing more light.
Also in the tent i run 2 small fans that are set up in opposing corners aimed slightly down to create a gentle vortex of air around the entire grow tent. For more info on air movement look up haf(horizontal air fans) used in greenhouses. Same idea. It creates slight air movement needed for plant health and stem strength.
This same setup also works great if you have a large collection of house plants. Running your house plants in a climate controlled grow tent will get them looking their best and then you can rotate them out with other house plants to keep them all looking their best.
If you wanted to grow cannabis or peppers(or any other summer crop) to maturity you would just need to add a better light for blooming.
A grow tent is a great way to get a jump on your season or to grow indoors only. I’m tempted to get a 5×10 tent and keep growing for my family through the winter. Usually though, once we hit the fall i am ready for a rest and some down time.
The plan is to start heating my greenhouse on March 3rd and get these plants out there soon after.
Farm season starting
It’s getting to that time of year once again. The planning is well underway, seeds are all here and the grow season is about to take off. For me it has already started. Where most home growers are planning around last frost dates for their seed starting adventures i work around 3 planting dates. The first one is march 15th in my heated greenhouse, then may 1st in the minimally heated greenhouse, then finally the after frost date which is around the third week of may here(zone 5a).
So far in my grow tent i have started February 3rd, Kale, broccoli, cauliflower, herbs and cabbage. Then on Feb 15th i planted tomatoes, pak choy, kohl rabi,spring onions, and lettuce.
Still to plant for the first round i have cucumbers, zucchini and direct seeding.
Generally for markets i would fill my main greenhouse with tomatoes interplanted with lettuce and pak choy but i am changing my focus this year, which is to feed myself and my family as much variety as possible early as possible and for as long as possible. Crops like cabbage are not profitable in the early greenhouse environment but i am feeding me first and markets second.
As soon as i start heating the greenhouse i will direct seed beans, peas, radish and hakurai turnips and interplant all my transplants.
Im looking at march 3-6th to start heating the greenhouse and the 10th for planting transplants as long as the soil is warm enough.
As soon as the heat is on onions, shallots and leeks need to be seeded as well. Shortly after that its peppers and on march 15th all the summer crops to get planted for the partially heated greenhouses.
The difference between the heated greenhouse and partially heated greenhouses is this. Heated greenhouse has double plastic and propane heaters and climate control. The partially heated greenhouses use forced air heaters and manual window and door openings, single layer of plastic.(photos to come when i get working out there). Thats the update of what’s been going on around here just now. another week and we will be full swing into growing.
this photo above was taken April 27th. It is my main heated greenhouse. Next wednesday May 1st i start back at market. Lettuce is ready. Spinach that was overwintered in a hoop house is ready. Hakurai turnips and pak choy will be ready for market as well. The cabbages, kale, broccoli and cauliflower need a few more weeks and they are mostly for us anyways. Cherry tomatoes are in flower and if im lucky harvest will start at the end of may for those.
in the middle bed with the black pots laid out every 2 feet. Marked out for cucumbers that will be going into the bed in 2 weeks.
Sage peasant 