ecological farming
-
Minimum Crop Space
One of the challenges of implementing cover crops in a zero-till system for our farm is that we still need to grow a lot of produce and keep the farm running! We need to figure out exactly what absolutely needs to stay inside a zero-till system. The rest, at least for one season, we can Continue reading
-
Adding Cover Crops to our No-Till System
After admitting a little bit of defeat and looking at the positives of our system, we need to find a way to both be able to continue within the system while we work on a solution to the problem. The most obvious solution is to start over. If the weeds continue to return regardless of Continue reading
-
What We Did Before Informs The Future
One of the more rewarding things about plant husbandry is watching things that you take care of grow. As skills and understanding get better, as developing science expands how we think about plants and how plants communicate with their environment, we too must grow as people to be able to absorb new information and apply Continue reading
-
Looking At The Positives
Week two here of examining the Shortfalls Of Our Zero Till system, and maybe the first thing after admitting defeat should be to look at all the positives and see what lessons we can and should carry forward. This past 2023 season we saw a record amount of productivity out of the field…we were more Continue reading
-
Shortfalls of Our Zero-Till
For a few years now we have, at the end of each season, applied a large amount of compost to our zero-till beds. Through the years we experimented with different sorts of combinations of leaves, mulch and broadforking, all in attempt to loosen up our hard clay. In general it worked. We accomplished our goals: Continue reading
-
Starting Over
One of the best parts of farming, or agriculture, is that starting over and doing it all again is built into the process. You get the opportunity to do it all over again, bringing forward everything learned and experienced. It allows for growth, infrastructure improvements, and design efficiencies. We’ve had several years now with our Continue reading
-
Life Finds a Way
Even though we had some very light frost….not all plants are down and out, even sensitive ones. Though the top leaves of our Patty Pan Squash crop was damaged by frost, the rest of the plant was able to hang on. With some nice weather following, the plants are starting to rebound….we may even get Continue reading
-
Trials and Errors
Regardless of how many books you’ve read, YouTubes you’ve watched, and examples you’ve heard, there is no substitute for doing the work, making your own observations, and trying again. All the theory in the world only helps us understand what we’re seeing. More often than not we are our own problem. The trick to a Continue reading
-
Nature’s Economic Paradox
Several times this summer I have come across comments or opinions relating to fertilizers (specifically Nitrogen) on various social media platforms. Usually these comments are in the realm of needing to feed the world, the high cost of the fertilizer to the farmer, or how emissions from producing nitrogen are necessary and therefore shouldn’t be Continue reading
-
Bumblebees Love Oregano
Was delighted to check on the herb garden and see an enormous amount of Bumblebees having a great time on Oregano flowers…and not just one species of Bumblebee but two. Nothing is more fascinating than watching bumblebees in late summer. They are easy to approach, and slowly walk all over each flower. Having a wide Continue reading
About Graham
Graham is an ecologist-farmer from Canada working on educating about the wonders and beauty of the natural world, and how we can design biodiverse food production systems.
Complimentary Blueberry Juice 