Veggies

         

        As of this year I have one acre of total arable land. It’s located on an old farmyard that my grandparents lived on for most of their lives and then I lived on until I was 5. Now abandoned, I was given permission to use the large patch of soil that was supposed to be used for an orchard long ago. For the past few years, my grandpa has just been tilling it and taking care of the weeds while keeping it black. In 2014 I had a go at using it and the results were amazing. The soil is more like sandier potato land with less problems then my other garden behind my house. It drains easily, has high fertility and a favourable soil texture to work with. This garden will hold the majority of my vegetables as well as all fruits, grains and vining crops.

Here is a list of the vegetables I am going to grow this year:

Grains/Grasses
Corn, popcorn, wheat, oats, buckwheat, flax, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, sunflowers

Fruiting Veggies 
Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant

Legumes
String beans, dry beans, peas, and snap peas

Root Crops
Potato, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, parsnips, beets, radishes, turnips, rutabaga

Green/leafy Crops 
Lettuce, spinach, kale, cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, celery, asparagus, artichoke, sprouts

Vine Crops
Pumpkins, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, melon, cucumbers, zucchini, squash, gourds

Some images from the Carman Farmer's Market. 

          I strive to keep my management style holistic and environmentally friendly and work with nature instead of against it. I use no machinery except for a vehicle to get around, no inorganic pesticides and mainly manual labour to get things done like weeding, watering and harvesting. I have upgraded my seeding game with a precision garden seeder and an indoor greenhouse system. Everything else is mainly done by hand and will hopefully be upgraded in the future. I also want to practice seed saving and amateur plant breeding to drive down seed costs for future years. I also record a ridiculous amount of information that I collect and spend time analyzing in my winter season. 

            One thing I am also excited for in the 2015 season is an extra helping hand. My mother, Tara will be helping a lot with watering, harvesting and food processing. A helping hand is much appreciated because I also work at Jeffries Nurseries in Portage la Prairie full-time. This job will allows me to expand and learn about a whole different branch of the horticulture setting including woody perennials, nursery work and greenhouse production as well as sales.