Availability
No Plant Is The Same
Even in their families, plants have different times of the growing season where their best parts are ready for harvesting. Besides being ready for harvest at different times, there is also a difference in duration of harvestability and how many times a plant can be harvested. From experience, the sheet below highlights knowledge gained from growing.
Fresh Is Fresh
With grocery stores selling produce year-round from all over the world, it's easy to forget that there are windows of availability of the edible parts of plants. Living in a seasonal climate like Canada makes local fresh produce a challenge to provide sometimes. Some produce like apples, carrots, pears and potatoes can be chilled after harvest for use in Winter months and there are greenhouses that can grow cucumbers, tomatoes and sweet peppers year-round. But for the majority of produce, it's ready when it's ready during the growing season.
Available Where?
Most produce is grown for the Farm Shares clients. Subscribing into a Farm Share lets us know how much to plan to grow. But we do grow more on top of that. We don't have an on-farm store, but can take orders ahead of time. When the production from the gardens is overflowing, we will set a roadside stand where the laneway meets the road (actually it's a wagon stand). Root crops are brought indoors with the end of their growing season. Please contact us to ask.
Timeline In A Year
January: Seed supplies are inventoried and new seed ordered
February: Seedlings are started indoors
March: More seedlings are started indoors
April: Working on the ground starts, tilled ground is covered with tarps
May: Planting seeds outdoors starts, rhubarb is ready
Early-June: Heat-loving seedlings planted
Late-June: CSA/Farm Share pick-ups start
Late-September: Harvesting winter squash and root crops starts
Mid-October: Turkeys from CSA/Farm Share delivered
Late-October: Garlic is planted
Early-November: CSA/Farm Share pick-ups end
What's Available Right Now
It's spring! Perennials are waking up and soil is being prepared to plant seeds. Here is what is currently available:
- Chives
- Sorrel
- Rhubarb