If anyone (members or friends of the farm) would like to come help harvest our squash from 3pm on, the help would be appreciated.
The squash is beside where the chickens are currently rotating in the covercrops, so I’ve been able to keep an eye on them passing them three times a day. Last week I saw one squash had been bored into by likely a field mouse getting at the seeds. This is pretty normal and often happens to squash that are partially rotten, so wasn’t a cause for concern. Yesterday I saw a second one. This morning I saw at least ten bored into!
I was planning to harvest them next week but it can’t wait now. If you think you can come, text me at 519 369 8116, or just show up.
Tanya is able to be in the CSA store today so can direct people if you don’t know where to go.

Thanks!

I did a post similar to this a few years ago but thought it was worth repeating.
When I say everyone loves broccoli I’m not just referring to people. The list of creatures that go for broccoli include: groundhogs, deer, flea beetles, cabbage worms, and the main one I wanted to talk about, Swede Midge.

The first few years of the CSA we had beautiful large headed broccoli, and was as consistent a crop as kale. The Swede Midge made it’s debut in North America in Ontario in 2000. It found us, and there were a couple years where we would have a whole row of beautiful looking broccoli plants with large lush leaves, but not a single head of broccoli. The Midge goes for the growth point of brassica plants where the head develops.

I started experimenting with sprouting broccoli finally finding a variety that was productive enough to yield a good crop. The sprouting broccoli makes a small main head but puts most of its energy into sending out side shoots for broccoli spears. These side shoots usually out grow the Midge’s efforts, until this year. The first planting had damage on many of the side shoots as well as the main head. The second planting has been better, but is still effected.

I’ve been giving out more leaf with the heads since the leaves have a nice broccoli flavour. I know if you are used to broccoli heads, this is not the same. And you’re right, it’s not the same. I’ve mainly been just chopping up the whole thing, leaves, head, and the tender part of the stem, and adding it to stir fries. I really enjoy it that way. But agreed it’s not the same as a nice big broccoli head.

Row cover is the best defense when we have wild mustard always around as a host plant, so I will keep trying my best to protect it, since everyone loves broccoli.

I was reminded that I hadn’t mentioned in the last post about potatoes in the winter shares. I don’t know the details yet, but am guessing it will be similar as the past few years: you will be able to order and pay separately for potatoes that I will get and store for you. Stay tuned as I get those details.
One of the reasons I do need people to start paying for the Winter shares now is because of hay. I used to make my own hay here. It was always an added stress on the season, but is an important part of the composting process and soil fertility needs for the vegetables. Last year I bought hay from a teenager in the community who is starting a hay business, and am doing the same this year. The hay was delivered unexpectedly on Saturday. It’s a couple thousand dollars that he was generously willing to wait for me to pay until I have the funds. I was counting on some of the winter share purchases to pay for the hay. Sorry to put a bit of pressure on, but the sooner some of you are able to pay for the winter shares the sooner I can pay him…
As always if you have any questions, let me know,
Thanks!

For the month of September I will be accepting previous Winter CSA share members to sign up for the 2026/27 winter season. You are welcome to sign up if you’ve ever had a winter share in the past (not just last year, but any previous year). If the Winter shares aren’t full by the end of September I will open it up to new members in October. The Winter CSA will begin early November and run bi-weekly until we’re done, usually end of February. The prices will be the same: $400 for a large share and $250 for a small. E-transfers to saugeenrivercsa@gmail.com is the easiest, but cash/cheque/Saubucks are good too.

If you have any questions let me know.

The basil keeps coming in so for non-members who may want to purchase some get in touch… Members feel free to take more!
Cabbages will be in the share again but there are more than needed so extra are for sale to members or non-members. I don’t have tons extra, but just ask.
And Tomatoes! The processing tomatoes are starting to come in. At this point I will sell them a half a bushel at a time on a Tuesday or Friday. Members or non-members can sign up for a day from now until the middle of September. If I have enough for people to get more than a half bushel, or not enough people sign up you can get more. Let me know what you are interested in and I can let you know what I can do… The best is email saugeenrivercsa@gmail.com but you can reach out anyway you know how!

The bean story (short version). So I was asked when the deluge of beans is coming as we’ve had the last couple years. Well this year it will be more like a short shower than a deluge. The first planting didn’t germinate so well (there’s a story behind that but too long winded to go into). I could have reseeded, but didn’t. This is because I didn’t have for sure working shares set up for the season. I had one that said they weren’t sure they could commit to every week. In the past I’ve usually had two working shares to help with the pea and bean harvest. Last year I only had one regular working share so I ended up picking half the beans. This is very time consuming and I wasn’t ready to commit to doing most of the bean picking this year. So when I saw the low germination of the first planting I decided to simply see what we would get….

Other crops are bountiful, just not the beans this year. Sorry.

There’s been extra basil at the end of each csa pick-up lately, so if non-members would like to purchase a half bushel please let me know. I’ll be only taking one order per Tuesday or Friday harvest at this point. We’ll see how production continues. Members feel free to take more. I’m also now selling garlic from Rony and Myriam’s farm LunaMia. It’s a good time to make pesto!

There’s a surplus of summer cabbage so I wanted to offer some for sale (not red ones, I just like this picture). This is for members or non-members. Contact me to get details and to arrange pick-up. saugeenrivercsa@gmail.com

I got to know Ziggy Blum and Sheila Stockton in the late 90’s when first moving to the area. They were part of the food co-op, and Herb Fair regulars, and I visited them at their beautiful artistic house and amazing gardens. They both were artists and loved all things plants. They later became CSA members when they had to cut back on gardening. When we bought this farm in 2001, every time (and I mean every time) Ziggy saw me he would address me as the Fool on the Hill, referring to the Beatles song. I have to admit I would find it either comically amusing, or a bit annoying, depending on my mood. He would always qualify it by asking how the wind was.

I’ve been thinking about this lately. This spring has been the windiest that I can remember. We are usually breezy here, but this spring there was almost a constant forceful wind, from every direction, often changing direction multiple times through the course of the day. It was a rare day (maybe only three in a month) that was calm. This has had its impact. I’m seeing transplant shock in several crops. When they go from the protection of the greenhouse to the exposed wind it can severely dry out their leaves, which then die off and the plant has to grow new ones. They usually recover from this, it just sets them back. I would often harden the plants off in the more protected space between my greenhouses, but that is exposed to the north wind, which sometimes damaged the seedlings in the flat… So always improvising. The other impact has been some of the crops under row cover. The wind has been so strong and so constant that some crops have suffered, being beaten non-stop by flapping covers. The kale and collards, when I took the cover off to first harvest them last week, had every leaf of significant size broken. I’ve never seen that before. The wind has settled and these crops are recovering nicely. A couple of the early crops will not recover though. The kohlrabi looks good but has more snapped leaves also beaten by the row cover. The scallions are next to these covered crops, and although they aren’t covered, the cover got pulled out of the rocks I had holding it down on a few occasions and slapped the scallions, bending and breaking them. So the scallions for the next couple weeks will look a bit rough, but will taste just as good.

It’s not all doom and gloom. Most crops are looking good as we hopefully settle into summer, but I wanted to share have this spring has affected the garden.

Cory

On Sunday June 7 from 1-3:30pm Tanya will host a workshop at the farm. Contact her for more info: tcoulter12@hotmail.com or 519 372 7898

Tomorrow is the final spring csa for the year. I don’t know when the summer shares will start but sometime between the middle and end of June. As the spring has progressed, I imagine it will be more towards the end.

Plant orders will be ready for pick-up as well between 3 and 6pm. I am filling the orders today in the order in which I received them. As mentioned you might not get everything on your list. I will have an invoice attached to your order and you can pay in cash, cheque, or e-transfer.

While you are here tomorrow, take a look at David Coulter’s (Tanya’s dad) paintings, sketches, and sculptures we have on display in the csa store space. It’s actually a really fun place to display art!