First off, thank you all who have placed orders for plants. We will not be taking any more orders as of today (May 14). Those who have ordered the pick-up day is Saturday May 28 from 8:30 am to 4 pm. We will be filling the orders in sequence of when they were received and those who ordered late may not get everything they ordered. We will have some substitutions on hand if folks want to try something else! For those who did not place an order, unfortunately we will NOT be able to bring plants to the STC market day, but we WILL have plants at the Durham Herb Fair June 11.

The days of sun this week have given us the chance to work more with Flora and Marcus, the new power-houses (horses) of the farm. The goal for the summer is to have the team, which is both of the horses as well as the driver, cultivating rest areas of the garden where we can plant cover crops to continue feeding the soil during the season.

It’s really fun to see the horses get into the groove of working, they blow through their noses and set into a good walking pace together. These horses want to do work, and it’s a really amazing thing to see them listening well to their driver, Cory, and following commands in formation. It’s a bit of a process to acclimatize the horses to the farm and get them used to working again after a few years of a relaxed life, but it’s been going well, and ultimately we’re building a team in the process, the horses and the driver. “Good work team,” Cory says as Flora and Marcus head into the next garden bed.

Yes, this is what we woke up to this at Saugeen River, and there were a few “Merry Christmases” going around. Luckily, if you take a step through that greenhouse door you’re transported right into spring, it’s like going into another dimension. Seedlings are looking wonderful and we’re potting up tomatoes and peppers like crazy (SO many varieties to look forward to).

It has been a longer spring, it’s true, but we’re prepared and ready to to spring into things when it does arrive, which should be in the next week or so! Beds for peas were made in the fall, so we can plant as soon as the ground dries up a little. Yes, you can start dreaming of spring food, we definitely are!

The winter shares are finished for the season, but there was an over abundance of carrots and parsnips last fall, so there are still plenty for sale. They are keeping well in the root cellar, but as spring warms (it will, I promise), they won’t last. So if anyone out there would like a bulk order of at least 10 lbs let us know.

Hello CSA members, I’m sending out a quick edit to my previous post, egg pick-up will be informal from now until the summer pick-up time, not during Tuesday pick-up hours. There are lots of eggs, so NEW CUSTOMERS are welcome. Contact me at lydiadyck.sunspring@gmail.com for more info and/or to get on the “eggmail” list, the place for all egg updates.

I look forward to hearing from you, stay warm!

Lydia

We are now taking orders for vegetable, herb, and flower seedlings. Other events are coming back (The Herb Fair, and STC Market Day) and we will be at these venues with plants, but the more folks are able to order ahead, the better we can plant accordingly… It means less wasted time potting up and then composting unwanted plants. You can reply to this post or send me an email (saugeenrivercsa@gmail.com) with your name, the kinds and numbers of plants you want. If you wait too long what you want may not be available. There will be a pick-up for your seedling orders at the farm on Saturday May 28 from 8:30am to 4pm. Here is a list of what will be available:

Folks didn’t bring back too many egg cartons last winter pick-up and I need some before Friday. If anyone is able to drop some off (only the traditional paperboard ones… no plastic or Styrofoam please) you could just leave them in the farm truck. If the truck is so full of egg cartons you can’t fit any more in… I’ve probably gotten enough 🙂

I’d like to update you on some plans for the farm. As many of you may already know, Lydia Dyck will be joining the farm for the coming season.  You may have seen her at the art supply and framing store in Durham, since her family owns the Colour Jar. She’s grown up a part of the CSA, with her family having a working share picking peas and beans for nearly twenty years now (mostly Barb)!  Lydia’s spent the last couple years involved in other farming ventures, and will be ‘renting’ some land here to do her own project as well as helping with the CSA.  This has been called an “incubator” arrangement, where existing farms can help up and coming farmers get started without them needing to buy all their own equipment and land as they figure life out.  This is very much a win/win since she knows the farm so well already… She will be doing some of the postings and contributing in many ways, so I wanted to let her introduce what she is planning for the coming season: 

Hey everyone! I’m excited to meet you all in the upcoming season. I know it seems far away but we’ve already been planning for it since last year! I’m super excited to be apprenticing with Cory as well as growing a small garden plot of my own and starting a new venture to add to Saugeen River CSA. In developing this venture I am seeking to address two important points: 1) YOU want more eggs (or so a little bird told me) and 2) the farm wants more animals. It just so happens that the perfect solution is to pasture-raise a flock of laying hens. So I look forward to keeping you up to date as this adventure unfolds, keep your eyes and eggs peeled for more info!

Happy New Year everyone! With so much uncertain in the world, one thing I can say is that the days are already getting longer, and seeds have begun arriving for the coming season! As in other years, I start signing up previous members in the month of January. In February I open shares up to others if there’s space. Many of you have already signed up, but for those who have not, if you could at least let me know your intention if you want a share this season. Winter plans are underway, and neglected bookkeeping. I’ll post more details about the coming season soon…

A group of biologists from Bird Ecology and Conservation Ontario have been studying ground nesting birds (Bobolinks, Eastern Meadowlarks, and Grasshopper Sparrows) in this area for several years. This past year they did a study of our farm, among others. Their goal is to help farmers develop pasture and haying practices that can take into consideration the needs of these endangered birds. It was a great experience to learn how adjusting grazing and cutting timing can make it more possible for these birds to raise their young. I’ve attached the report they gave me about the farm. They also recorded all the bird species they observed here (47 total!).