Flow

Remnants from a Saturday night party. The Cogmagun River is misting a lot at this time of year

A well-meaning friend of the family suggested we run pipes to the river, set up a pump, and irrigate our fields that way. I guess he didn’t know the river has salt water in it.

David and I had an amazing trip to Bethany Garden in Antigonish. We wanted to ‘put the garden to bed’ before winter. First we visited their market stand at the Antigonish Farmers’ Market, and said hello to a couple of farmers we knew from previous work. At Bethany, we welcomed Chad and Zulfiya, who were interested in the educational program for new growers offered there. They both helped with the work of moving silage plastic and bags of rocks; mowing weeds and crops on beds to be covered; and planting cover crops. Rita, Wyanne, and Werner were asking questions and helping to lead the session. Sisters Donna and Florence were providing encouragement and pitching in along with David and I. It has been a tough year, and the sudden accomplishment of much of the winter preparation work was a real emotional boost. The more our spirits lifted, the more our work flowed, and the more we got done!

Back home on the farm, we are wondering why crops are still growing and looking beautiful in the front field. Why our tomatoes are producing such flawless crops. We are still irrigating as much as possible, but our ponds are empty so we’ll have to stop if we don’t get rain. The peat-based compost we’ve been using has been a real blessing for absorbing and retaining moisture. It also cuts way down on weeding time. Our next big step is to apply farm-based compost (“juicy, alive compost”) in preparation for crops that will be planted in the spring. We’ve found that works really well too. David and I have been farming for a long time, but we are learning new things every year.

Here are a few photos from the last week:

Dermot and David applying peat-based compost to Dakota’s middle field. This is where the fall and winter crops will be planted in portable hoop houses.