Challenge & Gratitude

So far, every season has been quite different from the ones before: weather, staffing, CSA size and the particular challenges of growing have changed from year to year. It’s been quite the learning curve. This past year started with the familiar (but particularly extreme) cool/wet challenge, but then hit us hard with hot drought. I feel like all we did in July was harvest and wrestle with drip tape. We also struggled with operating short-handed for much of June & July after Sarah left her internship, and until Carrie came aboard to help us out.

Cool, wet weather tends to contribute to disease issues; whereas hot, dry conditions favour pests. This year was definitely the year of the worm. We had tomato hornworms, cabbage loopers and woolly bear caterpillars in quantities I’ve never seen before. The flea beetle was particularly aggressive as well. All the critters got under the row cover and in some cases (broccoli) ate so much greenery there were only leaf spines left! Distressing, to say the least. But not as distressing as our biggest problem this season: a chronic boron deficiency which has been liquefying many of our cabbage crops, reducing them to putrid goo. I’m still worried about the quality & quantity of our fall vegetables. The late season kale, cabbage, turnips, rutabaga, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, kohlrabi and asian greens have all been significantly affected by worm and boron damage. 

(An example of the boron damage goo-ifying the core of a turnip root.)

So yes. Challenges aplenty. But it makes me reflect again on how fortunate I am to be growing in the context of supportive community. We couldn’t have survived this season otherwise. We had an incredible squadron of committed volunteers show up to help through the really intense months of June & July, CSA members who stoically (even jovially!) spent hours removing rotting cabbages & squishing looper worms at our September work bee. People have dropped off meals on my doorstep and sent encouraging notes. And you – along with the fantastic market & Bailey’s customers – have continued to feed ME by providing our best year of sales yet.

Together, we’re doing something pretty incredible here. We’re creating a food system buffered from the vagaries of the world market. I ache for my neighbouring farmers whose stunted corn will have low yields, sold too cheaply at world commodity prices; whose poor hay crops will likely lead to smaller livestock sold too cheaply at the stockyards; and who will likely have to work more hours off-farm to inject income back into their farms this winter.

We are, instead, contributing to a healthy local food system. We’re building true food security by buffering risk and sharing labour over a broader base. You’re supporting me with a reasonable wage so I can continue to grow your food into the future. We’re building our community’s food-growing skills. We’re strengthening our resilience. A year like this one could have been a disaster, but instead it’s been our most profitable. I am encouraged and deeply grateful.  
(From the October CSA newsletter)

Volunteers from our Labour Day Work Bee - squishing cabbage loopers & culling the rotty cabbage heads...

 

... picking beans...

..trimming garlic...

 

...and rolling up the used drip tape.

A huge thank-you to all who have supported Fertile Ground by volunteering, purchasing shares, buying from us at market or Bailey's, sharing my excitement, or offering words of support, encouragement or advice.