All members are encouraged to attend this important planning meeting to help guide the Co-operative forward in 2011, and begin preparations for spring planting!
See you at 7:00 pm at Ron and Sheila's home on Wren Road, on Sunday, November 28th. Please call 1209 for info.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Harvest followup mailout
Details in the following mailout dated September 25th refer to notes regarding our 2010 harvest that you can reference in the previous post, complete with photos!
sent September 25, 2010
Dear Spudsters,
Congratulations on a successful 2010 harvest! For a detailed report and photos from the field, please visit our blog.
Please also note that the MEETING of SPUDS whole co-operative membership proposed in the harvest field for Monday, September 27th at Susan Marie's has been POSTPONED. A new meeting date will be set sometime in late October/early November so stay tuned. Planning for 2011 has already begun, and everyone's input is welcome and significant to our cooperative efforts!
In the meantime, if you have not already done so, please confirm your membership renewal so we have an idea of how many folks are on board for 2011...and please spread the word that more members are welcome!
........HARVEST FOLLOWUP:
All 2010 spuds have been divvied up and distributed among our active members (delivered to those who were unable to attend the harvest). 'Extras' set aside at the time for gifting have been, or are being delivered this weekend with notes of appreciation to the following generous SPUDS supporters ...
-Brian Miles for continually loaning us his hand-pulled roller when we've needed it to press our cover crop into the soil to increase germination potential, and avoid additional fossil fuel use;
- Mike Lindsay who has borrowed tilling equipment on SPUDS behalf, delivered it to and fro the field, and this time ploughed the whole field in preparation for total field covercropping... which we hope will now lead to a significaint decrease in fossil fuel use in the field next year;
-Derek Tanneker for his valuable input both on and off the field with soil management strategy, planting, covercropping and more;
-DI's Volunteer Fire Department for a total of four refills of our cistern during our long summer drought, thanks to organization by Charlie Johnston!
......COVER CROPPING UPDATE:
Mike Lindsay made it into the field with a tractor on Thursday, September, 23rd and prepared all four quadrants for reseeding. Jan, Lindsay, Fireweed and Mike of the FSC (field management sub committee) successfully planted our winter peas today in the one quadrant we will be using for potatoes next year, and clover in the other three quadrants with the help of member Ron Dobie.
Charlie, Mike and Fireweed will finish planting the hairy vetch in the two remaining clover covered areas waiting, on Sunday (that's a total of three quadrants planted with a mix of vetch and clover, one quadrant with peas only). Ron and Mike hauled the water-filled roller over the entire half of the field that has been fully planted, and the same thing will happen with the upper half of the field once the hairy vetch is down in those last two remaining quadrants as well.
The warm wet weather right now is ideal for sprouting, and we could see many volunteer peas already taking off throughout the field where this year's cover crop went to seed. High winds are a worry, so impregnating the seed into the soil with the roller will hopefully increase our chances of even coverage and good germination.
To avoid wasting any seed and to ensure best possible field coverage, each of our four quadrants was divided into another four sections today using stakes marked with flagging tape. The three cover crop seed varieties were then laboriously divided into just the right amount for each of the four strips per quadrant where destined, and in the case of the very tiny clover seed, successfully mixed with sand (at an approximate 10 to 1 ratio) to aid broadcasting coverage.
Total time cover cropping by hand this way estimated at 4 hours for the whole field.
......MULCH-
If everyone could put out feelers for spoiled hay, it's not too early to start finding sources of mulch for next spring's potato planting. Please get in touch if you have a lead on any free bales of hay! (Pickup can be arranged for mid October)
The next SPUDS update will include a date for the whole membership meeting and proposed agenda. Additional agenda items, thoughts/ideas for collective deliberation, etc, welcome. In the meantime, happy potato eating!
-Fireweed,
on behalf of the FSC
sent September 25, 2010
Dear Spudsters,
Congratulations on a successful 2010 harvest! For a detailed report and photos from the field, please visit our blog.
Please also note that the MEETING of SPUDS whole co-operative membership proposed in the harvest field for Monday, September 27th at Susan Marie's has been POSTPONED. A new meeting date will be set sometime in late October/early November so stay tuned. Planning for 2011 has already begun, and everyone's input is welcome and significant to our cooperative efforts!
In the meantime, if you have not already done so, please confirm your membership renewal so we have an idea of how many folks are on board for 2011...and please spread the word that more members are welcome!
........HARVEST FOLLOWUP:
All 2010 spuds have been divvied up and distributed among our active members (delivered to those who were unable to attend the harvest). 'Extras' set aside at the time for gifting have been, or are being delivered this weekend with notes of appreciation to the following generous SPUDS supporters ...
-Brian Miles for continually loaning us his hand-pulled roller when we've needed it to press our cover crop into the soil to increase germination potential, and avoid additional fossil fuel use;
- Mike Lindsay who has borrowed tilling equipment on SPUDS behalf, delivered it to and fro the field, and this time ploughed the whole field in preparation for total field covercropping... which we hope will now lead to a significaint decrease in fossil fuel use in the field next year;
-Derek Tanneker for his valuable input both on and off the field with soil management strategy, planting, covercropping and more;
-DI's Volunteer Fire Department for a total of four refills of our cistern during our long summer drought, thanks to organization by Charlie Johnston!
......COVER CROPPING UPDATE:
Mike Lindsay made it into the field with a tractor on Thursday, September, 23rd and prepared all four quadrants for reseeding. Jan, Lindsay, Fireweed and Mike of the FSC (field management sub committee) successfully planted our winter peas today in the one quadrant we will be using for potatoes next year, and clover in the other three quadrants with the help of member Ron Dobie.
Charlie, Mike and Fireweed will finish planting the hairy vetch in the two remaining clover covered areas waiting, on Sunday (that's a total of three quadrants planted with a mix of vetch and clover, one quadrant with peas only). Ron and Mike hauled the water-filled roller over the entire half of the field that has been fully planted, and the same thing will happen with the upper half of the field once the hairy vetch is down in those last two remaining quadrants as well.
The warm wet weather right now is ideal for sprouting, and we could see many volunteer peas already taking off throughout the field where this year's cover crop went to seed. High winds are a worry, so impregnating the seed into the soil with the roller will hopefully increase our chances of even coverage and good germination.
To avoid wasting any seed and to ensure best possible field coverage, each of our four quadrants was divided into another four sections today using stakes marked with flagging tape. The three cover crop seed varieties were then laboriously divided into just the right amount for each of the four strips per quadrant where destined, and in the case of the very tiny clover seed, successfully mixed with sand (at an approximate 10 to 1 ratio) to aid broadcasting coverage.
Total time cover cropping by hand this way estimated at 4 hours for the whole field.
......MULCH-
If everyone could put out feelers for spoiled hay, it's not too early to start finding sources of mulch for next spring's potato planting. Please get in touch if you have a lead on any free bales of hay! (Pickup can be arranged for mid October)
The next SPUDS update will include a date for the whole membership meeting and proposed agenda. Additional agenda items, thoughts/ideas for collective deliberation, etc, welcome. In the meantime, happy potato eating!
-Fireweed,
on behalf of the FSC
Monday, September 27, 2010
Cover Cropping for Fall 2010 completed!
For an update on our 2010 SPUDS harvest on September 18th, please see the previous entry (click on 'older post' at the end of this entry)
Mike Lindsay got into the field with a tractor the following Thursday, September 23rd. Anticipating a big storm, he raced the raindrops to get the whole field tilled so our cover cropping would not be delayed on the weekend. (CLICK on any photo for enlargement)
The FSC thought Mike L was going to use a brushcutter first to break down the old standing stalks of pea (and some rye) that were laying flat in the field. On another occasion Mike had found it difficult to till the field with long stringy stalks getting caught up in the blades. But this time he made the call in the field to proceed with tilling only, saving on time and fossil fuel use. The old stalks were not a problem, but he avoided cutting any of the long grass along the edge of the field, and that will have to be dealt with at a later date by hand or sheet mulch. It doesn't affect our cover cropping but can creep into the field as competitive growth.. And now there are still big chunks of sod in the rest of the field that might have benefited from the brushcutter to help them break down faster. We'll just have to hope the grass doesn't reroot and gain control of the field before our cover crops can mature sufficiently to suppress unwanted growth.
Saturday, September 25th was a blustery day, but the FSC (field management sub-committee) managed to get most of our cover crop for Fall 2010 in the ground in about 2 and a half hours (the remainder took about 1.5 hours on Sunday.)
Jan, Lyndsey, Fireweed, Mike N and Ron Dobie staked out the four quadrants with flagging tape (photo further down.) Each quadrant was then divided into four strips. The quadrant where our 2011 potatoes will be planted received one more seeding of overwintering pea to continue adding nitrogen back into the soil in that area. We could see that some of the pea planted this past spring that went to seed and is now tilled under to add more humus to the soil, has begun to sprout anew after all the rain. The new pea just added had been soaked overnite, as this seemed to aid in germination significantly last time.
We used a full 25 pounds of pea on this one quadrant (or half a bag at the cost of approximately $ 40)
In the quadrant where we harvested our potatoes this year, we planted a mixture of hairy vetch and clover, beginning with the latter. We had approximately 3 pounds of clover total (one pound per quadrant)
and mixed it with an approximate 10 -1 ratio of sand to seed to aid hand broadcasting coverage. Dividing up the field into strips and measuring out the seed exactly was especially beneficial for ensuring that we had adequate clover seed coverage in the areas designated. The cost of the clover, purchased locally at South Country Feed, was $29.39.
We seeded one third of our vetch in the area where we had just harvested our potatoes for 2010 as well. Mike and Ron Dobie rolled the entire field with the tank loaned to us by Brian Miles, and filled at the Hermitage Barn. The power had been out overnite, so it was fortunate that we could rely on the pump at the Barn by the time of cover cropping, since we have no water left in our cistern to use to fill the roller..
The next day, Sunday, September 26th, Fireweed and Mike returned to the field to finish seeding the top two quadrants with hairy vetch (top, meaning nearest the cistern). Jan and Lyndsey had already seeded the clover throughout this entire half of the field on Saturday.
Total cost of the hairy vetch seed was $63.42...we split the cost of a whole bag with Ironwood Farm in Fanny Bay, which included an extra $7.50 each for shipping from the U-Pick warehouse in Delta to the Vacouver bus depot where Lyndsey picked it up while in the city. Buying the vetch directly from the distributor saved us about $40 over Vancouver Island retail prices.
Welcome, new SPUDster, David Graf
New SPUDS member, Dave Graf, signed up for the 2011 season at the Fall Faire. He arrived by bicycle to lend a hand with the vetch seeding and to assist in pressing all the seed in the top half of the field into the soil with the hand-pulled roller. The high winds we had anticipated failed to materialize, and it was a spectacular warm fall day! Between mild temperatures, wet soil and planting ahead of the absolute last minute this year, we have our fingers crossed that our cover crop will take hold before winter kicks in and do its intended job of boosting soil nutrient levels by spring time!
The total cost of this fall's covercrop is $132.81 for seed and $100 for tillage. If successsful, we will not be cover cropping the whole field again anytime soon. The plan is to leave those quadrants not in potato production to mature and self-reseed as perrenials. Fossil fuel should also be significantly reduced.
Charlie Johnston arrived to lend a hand, drained the main hose from the cistern, and advised against removing the bottom cistern valve for now. It will need to be insulated over the winter so it doesn't crack from freezing if water is left standing in it. But until we build some kind of water catchment over the cistern (it would make sense to catch winter rains for at least one fill) leaving the valve attached shouldn't be a problem.
NOTE: A reminder that you can find info about proper potato storage on the LINKS list on the right hand side of this page. There are also links to information about various potato issues, like the wire worm it seems likely put tiny holes in a lot of our potatoes this year. The latter is a problem that can be reduced with earlier harvest. But it is also known to increase in fields that have previously been 'sod' in the 3rd or 4th year of new cultivation. Next year's anticipated earlier planting should help!
Pill bugs can invade wire worm holes, so all potatoes should be checked before storage to avoid further spoiling by these opportunistic crustaceans (yes, they are not really insects!)
Mike Lindsay got into the field with a tractor the following Thursday, September 23rd. Anticipating a big storm, he raced the raindrops to get the whole field tilled so our cover cropping would not be delayed on the weekend. (CLICK on any photo for enlargement)
toMembers had previously rolled up all the hoses from the field to clear the way for the tractor. Here we've attached them to the fence to avoid entanglement by weed growth over winter. Red maples line the Hermitage driveway behind.
The FSC thought Mike L was going to use a brushcutter first to break down the old standing stalks of pea (and some rye) that were laying flat in the field. On another occasion Mike had found it difficult to till the field with long stringy stalks getting caught up in the blades. But this time he made the call in the field to proceed with tilling only, saving on time and fossil fuel use. The old stalks were not a problem, but he avoided cutting any of the long grass along the edge of the field, and that will have to be dealt with at a later date by hand or sheet mulch. It doesn't affect our cover cropping but can creep into the field as competitive growth.. And now there are still big chunks of sod in the rest of the field that might have benefited from the brushcutter to help them break down faster. We'll just have to hope the grass doesn't reroot and gain control of the field before our cover crops can mature sufficiently to suppress unwanted growth.
spiders were back at work right after tilling, and rain bejeweled webs laced the field
Saturday, September 25th was a blustery day, but the FSC (field management sub-committee) managed to get most of our cover crop for Fall 2010 in the ground in about 2 and a half hours (the remainder took about 1.5 hours on Sunday.)
Jan, Lyndsey, Fireweed, Mike N and Ron Dobie staked out the four quadrants with flagging tape (photo further down.) Each quadrant was then divided into four strips. The quadrant where our 2011 potatoes will be planted received one more seeding of overwintering pea to continue adding nitrogen back into the soil in that area. We could see that some of the pea planted this past spring that went to seed and is now tilled under to add more humus to the soil, has begun to sprout anew after all the rain. The new pea just added had been soaked overnite, as this seemed to aid in germination significantly last time.
We used a full 25 pounds of pea on this one quadrant (or half a bag at the cost of approximately $ 40)
In the quadrant where we harvested our potatoes this year, we planted a mixture of hairy vetch and clover, beginning with the latter. We had approximately 3 pounds of clover total (one pound per quadrant)
and mixed it with an approximate 10 -1 ratio of sand to seed to aid hand broadcasting coverage. Dividing up the field into strips and measuring out the seed exactly was especially beneficial for ensuring that we had adequate clover seed coverage in the areas designated. The cost of the clover, purchased locally at South Country Feed, was $29.39.
We seeded one third of our vetch in the area where we had just harvested our potatoes for 2010 as well. Mike and Ron Dobie rolled the entire field with the tank loaned to us by Brian Miles, and filled at the Hermitage Barn. The power had been out overnite, so it was fortunate that we could rely on the pump at the Barn by the time of cover cropping, since we have no water left in our cistern to use to fill the roller..
Mike N hauls the water-filled roller over cover cropped ground to increase soil contact and help improve germination
The next day, Sunday, September 26th, Fireweed and Mike returned to the field to finish seeding the top two quadrants with hairy vetch (top, meaning nearest the cistern). Jan and Lyndsey had already seeded the clover throughout this entire half of the field on Saturday.
Total cost of the hairy vetch seed was $63.42...we split the cost of a whole bag with Ironwood Farm in Fanny Bay, which included an extra $7.50 each for shipping from the U-Pick warehouse in Delta to the Vacouver bus depot where Lyndsey picked it up while in the city. Buying the vetch directly from the distributor saved us about $40 over Vancouver Island retail prices.
New SPUDS member, Dave Graf, signed up for the 2011 season at the Fall Faire. He arrived by bicycle to lend a hand with the vetch seeding and to assist in pressing all the seed in the top half of the field into the soil with the hand-pulled roller. The high winds we had anticipated failed to materialize, and it was a spectacular warm fall day! Between mild temperatures, wet soil and planting ahead of the absolute last minute this year, we have our fingers crossed that our cover crop will take hold before winter kicks in and do its intended job of boosting soil nutrient levels by spring time!
The total cost of this fall's covercrop is $132.81 for seed and $100 for tillage. If successsful, we will not be cover cropping the whole field again anytime soon. The plan is to leave those quadrants not in potato production to mature and self-reseed as perrenials. Fossil fuel should also be significantly reduced.
Dave broadcasts hairy vetch.Circles drawn over the photo below reveal sectioning of the field with markers for most even distribution of seeds possible.
Mike and Dave. It's easier for two people to pull the roller. Ron Dobie and Mike N shared this work on the other half of the field the day before.
Charlie Johnston arrived to lend a hand, drained the main hose from the cistern, and advised against removing the bottom cistern valve for now. It will need to be insulated over the winter so it doesn't crack from freezing if water is left standing in it. But until we build some kind of water catchment over the cistern (it would make sense to catch winter rains for at least one fill) leaving the valve attached shouldn't be a problem.
NOTE: A reminder that you can find info about proper potato storage on the LINKS list on the right hand side of this page. There are also links to information about various potato issues, like the wire worm it seems likely put tiny holes in a lot of our potatoes this year. The latter is a problem that can be reduced with earlier harvest. But it is also known to increase in fields that have previously been 'sod' in the 3rd or 4th year of new cultivation. Next year's anticipated earlier planting should help!
Pill bugs can invade wire worm holes, so all potatoes should be checked before storage to avoid further spoiling by these opportunistic crustaceans (yes, they are not really insects!)
Thursday, September 23, 2010
2010 Harvest Success!
After a rainy start to the day, the skies cleared above and eleven SPUDS members plus one made it out to the field to unearth this year's harvest at 3:00 pm on Saturday, September 18th..
Photos: top- Ron, Sheila, Kevin, Vern, and Herb's son Ollie digging away
middle- Susan Marie shows a variety of sizes in her bucket
bottom- V has her mojo on! Ollie, Herb and Karl
We each took a row or two and worked from the bottom of the field to the top. Mike retrieved our potatoes as we dug them, and busied himself running back and forth to a scale so we could have an accurate account of this year's harvest. We think everyone got about the same volume of potatoes as they did last year, but this is the first year we are keeping detailed records. Last year there were more SPUDS members and the Seglindes were much bigger because they received additional fertilizer (the Yukons we planted last year didn't produce well at all, we couldn't get any White Rose this year although we had been happy with them in 2009, hence our decision to simply stick with Seglindes which had produced really well for us. We had been advised not to plant red or blue potatoes to reduce the chance of increasing scab in the field)
Photos: top- Kevin works his guitar muscles digging, and Mike lugs buckets of spuds to the scale
bottom- Mike is in his element weighing the harvest and divying up the piles
Some of our Seglindes this year are slightly pitted, and some plants had very few potatoes at all. But we expected a lower yield since we are still working on boosting nutrient levels in the depleted soil, water was insufficient ( even with four refills of the cistern) and as previously mentioned last year the spuds were boosted artificially with the addition of alfalfa meal and another additive (anyone remember if it was rock phosphate or something else?) This year we fed only the soil, and not the plants, in keeping with our Basis of Unity Statement adherence to organic principles that put the soil first.
So it was nice to be able to take home as many potatoes as we did ranging in size from very small...to perfect meal-sized specimens!
Photos: top- Sheila models a potato 'earring'... fundraiser idea?!
Middle- Vern shows off a nice plump spud
Below- another 'big' tater
In about two and a half hours, we had harvested 750 pounds which Mike seperated methodically into 15 piles. Family memberships netted 51 pounds each, and our two single memberships this year, 46 pounds a piece. This leaves us one pile to share between kind hearted folks that have helped us out this year!
We ate around 5:30 pm and chatted briefly about dates for a meeting of the whole membership to debrief 2010 and plan ahead for next year's crop. Before then, the whole field will be tilled by Mike Lindsay, and covercropped with fall pea, red clover and hairy vetch...hopefully by/or on the weekend of Sept. 25/26. Helpers needed!
middle- Susan Marie shows a variety of sizes in her bucket
bottom- V has her mojo on! Ollie, Herb and Karl
We each took a row or two and worked from the bottom of the field to the top. Mike retrieved our potatoes as we dug them, and busied himself running back and forth to a scale so we could have an accurate account of this year's harvest. We think everyone got about the same volume of potatoes as they did last year, but this is the first year we are keeping detailed records. Last year there were more SPUDS members and the Seglindes were much bigger because they received additional fertilizer (the Yukons we planted last year didn't produce well at all, we couldn't get any White Rose this year although we had been happy with them in 2009, hence our decision to simply stick with Seglindes which had produced really well for us. We had been advised not to plant red or blue potatoes to reduce the chance of increasing scab in the field)
Photos: top- Kevin works his guitar muscles digging, and Mike lugs buckets of spuds to the scale
bottom- Mike is in his element weighing the harvest and divying up the piles
Some of our Seglindes this year are slightly pitted, and some plants had very few potatoes at all. But we expected a lower yield since we are still working on boosting nutrient levels in the depleted soil, water was insufficient ( even with four refills of the cistern) and as previously mentioned last year the spuds were boosted artificially with the addition of alfalfa meal and another additive (anyone remember if it was rock phosphate or something else?) This year we fed only the soil, and not the plants, in keeping with our Basis of Unity Statement adherence to organic principles that put the soil first.
So it was nice to be able to take home as many potatoes as we did ranging in size from very small...to perfect meal-sized specimens!
Photos: top- Sheila models a potato 'earring'... fundraiser idea?!
Middle- Vern shows off a nice plump spud
Below- another 'big' tater
In about two and a half hours, we had harvested 750 pounds which Mike seperated methodically into 15 piles. Family memberships netted 51 pounds each, and our two single memberships this year, 46 pounds a piece. This leaves us one pile to share between kind hearted folks that have helped us out this year!
Photos: Above- 2010 harvest crew minus Herb's son Ollie, filling in for Bob V, and Fireweed on camera.
Including Karl, Kevin, Mike Ron, Herb, Vern, Veronica, Sheila, Lyndsey, Susan Marie
Below- everybody but Ollie, and Lyndsey on camera
Active SPUDS memberships unable to participate in the 2010 harvest included Bob Vosburg (for whom Ollie attended), Ron and Max, Fox and Margaret, Charlie Johnston and Bill Engelson. Their share of our harvest was set aside for later delivery or pickup. Also missed were SPUDS 2010 Communications Committee members Rae and deNeen
Above: celebrating the harvest with FW's homemade chili (which turned into supper!) with cornbread on the side and our traditional chili salute!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Wondering About our Saturday Harvest Weather?!
RAIN, RAIN, RAIN!
As of 8:10 am Saturday, the weather forecast for Bowser and Courtenay says SHOWERS till 3 pm. Actually, Bowser clears up a little sooner.
THE HARVEST IS CURRENTLY RESCHEDULED FOR THIS AFTERNOON AT 3:OO pm.
Please check back for any changes! If we are unable to harvest all the potatoes (or any) today, our fall back plan is for late MONDAY which is currently looking like a sunny day.
So keep your fingers crossed, and dress accordingly for this afternoon for now! Bringing along an extra container for your potatoes in the form of bucket or bags might also be helpful, although we will have some boxes and mesh bags with us. If you have an extra spade, someone might appreciate borrowing it, too.
You can also click THIS link to see an HOURLY weather forecast for our region.
As of 8:10 am Saturday, the weather forecast for Bowser and Courtenay says SHOWERS till 3 pm. Actually, Bowser clears up a little sooner.
THE HARVEST IS CURRENTLY RESCHEDULED FOR THIS AFTERNOON AT 3:OO pm.
Please check back for any changes! If we are unable to harvest all the potatoes (or any) today, our fall back plan is for late MONDAY which is currently looking like a sunny day.
So keep your fingers crossed, and dress accordingly for this afternoon for now! Bringing along an extra container for your potatoes in the form of bucket or bags might also be helpful, although we will have some boxes and mesh bags with us. If you have an extra spade, someone might appreciate borrowing it, too.
You can also click THIS link to see an HOURLY weather forecast for our region.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
2010 HARVEST on Sept. 18th!
This coming Saturday is Harvest Day in the Spuds patch beginning at 10:00 am, and as many of us as possible are needed to dig this year's potatoes!
Please read to the bottom for list of what to bring, and other pertinent details.
First of all though, a head's up about this year's crop-
Inspite of our late planting date this past spring, our plants got off to a vigorous start. However there are several factors that have influenced our expected reduced yield in the field, including smaller potatoes...
1) this is the first year of our new four year crop rotation schedule and enhanced cover crop planning, so the nutrient levels depleted after SPUDS earlier plantings in the field still need more time to recover and increase.
2) the Seglinde potatoes we harvested last year were large in part because they were artificially boosted by the addition of supplements at planting time to try and compensate for decreased nutrient levels in the soil. SPUDS more recently developed Basis of Unity Statement embraces the principle of organic growing that puts the health of the soil first, rather than bypassing the soil in the quest to boost individual plants.
3) although the rains have finally found us once again, our incredibly dry summer was problematic. Inspite of the generosity of our Volunteer Fire Dept. and four cistern refills, we had more thirsty plants than we had sufficient water availability.
NOTE: It could be worth mentioning in our records that some growers on the island are linking very low fruit tree yields this year with poor pollination as a result of our cool, wet spring. We don't know if this year's SPUDS crop might have also been similarly handicapped, so this topic could use some research.
What we DO know is that we continue to have a wonderful opportunity to collectively further local knowledge about organically growing a food staple that all may share... and that cover crop TIMING for proper soil fertility maintenance is crucial!
To that end, our late potato harvest means we must get our fall legumes and red clover in the ground as soon as possible. Mike Lindsay will be chopping up and turning in this summer's cover crop for us once we have our potatoes out of the ground. So a number of members will be needed to reconvene in the field the following weekend (September 25 or 26) to accomplish our next seeding. Please let the FSC know if you can volunteer a little extra time for this important component of SPUDS field management as well when you respond by phone or email, and we'll set an exact time.
What to Bring on Saturday at 10:00 am:
-helping hands (including friends who might be inspired to become new SPUDS members!)
-spades (NOT pitchforks)
-buckets for hauling
-gloves for gently rustling up stray spuds -any strong storage bags (like large mesh onion sacks, or burlap bags)
-water bottle (and a hat if it's sunny)
-suggested $3 donation if you would like to enjoy some home made chili for lunch after the harvest!
-bowl and spoon
Fall Co-operative Meeting
For sometime in the latter half of October, a date will soon be proposed for a general meeting of the membership where FSC learning experiences and recommendations for next year, along with budget updates, member input, etc, can be shared by all.
What if it's Raining this coming Saturday?
Please check back here for an update on the morning of if you're in doubt abou the weather.
In the meantime, hope to see you soon, and please don't forget to rsvp so we know how many names to put in the chili pot, etc! 335-1209
UPDATE ADD ON:
On August 30th, Bill, Ron S, Fireweed, Mike, Ron D, and Herb arrived in the field to weed. Susan Marie and her son had gotten out to the patch a few days earlier and taken care of the vast majority! So we spent less than an hour attending to the rest of the field, and then rolling up the drip lines that we would no longer be needing since no more cistern refills are scheduled for this year's crop.
Please read to the bottom for list of what to bring, and other pertinent details.
First of all though, a head's up about this year's crop-
Inspite of our late planting date this past spring, our plants got off to a vigorous start. However there are several factors that have influenced our expected reduced yield in the field, including smaller potatoes...
1) this is the first year of our new four year crop rotation schedule and enhanced cover crop planning, so the nutrient levels depleted after SPUDS earlier plantings in the field still need more time to recover and increase.
2) the Seglinde potatoes we harvested last year were large in part because they were artificially boosted by the addition of supplements at planting time to try and compensate for decreased nutrient levels in the soil. SPUDS more recently developed Basis of Unity Statement embraces the principle of organic growing that puts the health of the soil first, rather than bypassing the soil in the quest to boost individual plants.
3) although the rains have finally found us once again, our incredibly dry summer was problematic. Inspite of the generosity of our Volunteer Fire Dept. and four cistern refills, we had more thirsty plants than we had sufficient water availability.
NOTE: It could be worth mentioning in our records that some growers on the island are linking very low fruit tree yields this year with poor pollination as a result of our cool, wet spring. We don't know if this year's SPUDS crop might have also been similarly handicapped, so this topic could use some research.
What we DO know is that we continue to have a wonderful opportunity to collectively further local knowledge about organically growing a food staple that all may share... and that cover crop TIMING for proper soil fertility maintenance is crucial!
To that end, our late potato harvest means we must get our fall legumes and red clover in the ground as soon as possible. Mike Lindsay will be chopping up and turning in this summer's cover crop for us once we have our potatoes out of the ground. So a number of members will be needed to reconvene in the field the following weekend (September 25 or 26) to accomplish our next seeding. Please let the FSC know if you can volunteer a little extra time for this important component of SPUDS field management as well when you respond by phone or email, and we'll set an exact time.
What to Bring on Saturday at 10:00 am:
-helping hands (including friends who might be inspired to become new SPUDS members!)
-spades (NOT pitchforks)
-buckets for hauling
-gloves for gently rustling up stray spuds -any strong storage bags (like large mesh onion sacks, or burlap bags)
-water bottle (and a hat if it's sunny)
-suggested $3 donation if you would like to enjoy some home made chili for lunch after the harvest!
-bowl and spoon
Fall Co-operative Meeting
For sometime in the latter half of October, a date will soon be proposed for a general meeting of the membership where FSC learning experiences and recommendations for next year, along with budget updates, member input, etc, can be shared by all.
What if it's Raining this coming Saturday?
Please check back here for an update on the morning of if you're in doubt abou the weather.
In the meantime, hope to see you soon, and please don't forget to rsvp so we know how many names to put in the chili pot, etc! 335-1209
On August 30th, Bill, Ron S, Fireweed, Mike, Ron D, and Herb arrived in the field to weed. Susan Marie and her son had gotten out to the patch a few days earlier and taken care of the vast majority! So we spent less than an hour attending to the rest of the field, and then rolling up the drip lines that we would no longer be needing since no more cistern refills are scheduled for this year's crop.
FSC UPDATE August 27th, 2010
Harvest time is fast approaching!
Thanks to Charlie and the generous support of our Volunteer Fire Department, SPUDS potato plants have suffered through but survived our extremely dry summer so far (driest July on record since 1985!)
While next week's weather forecast sounds promising, the little bit of rain we have had since the dry spell began has been negligible, so the SPUDS patch has been watered as judiciously as possible. With no more cistern refills coming this year, we are now solely reliant on Mother Nature. We have just a few short weeks of needed tuber development left so help is needed now to remove weeds that may otherwise retard remaining growth potential.
Please come on out to the field this coming Monday evening at 7:00 pm (Aug. 30th) to help get this relatively small job accomplished swiftly. A quick call or email response will let us know how many members intend to participate. We’ll also roll up the hoses that are no longer needed on the field this year.
A reminder will be sent out closer to the date, but please also mark your calendar now for our 2010 HARVEST, set for Saturday, September 18th at 10:00 am!
SPUDS member Bob V notified the FSC that he will be away in September but has arranged for someone to take his place (and share his potatoes) so we are not short-handed in the field on harvest day. We hope others unable to attend may be inspired and able to do the same!
Mike Lindsay will be back in the field to prepare all four quadrants for cover crop sowing as soon as possible after our harvest. Members will be needed to reconvene in the field on Saturday, September 25th (and/or possibly Sunday, Sept. 26th) for this vital task. There won't be many weeks left in the growing season for the seed to establish itself, so time is of the essence. Next year we should be able to plant our potatoes earlier and harvest them sooner so there is a longer window available to us for fall cover cropping.
The BLACKBERRY FAIRE is on Sunday, September 5th This isn't an official SPUDS date, so therefore not included on the list of field parties below. However it would be great to have a SPUDS table at the faire, so if anyone is interested in helping host our small display, please get in touch! We could really use a few more members for 2011 and this might be just the time to interest neighbours and island newcomers.
Finally, another reminder that anyone interested in assisting SPUDS FSC or Communications Team is welcome and encouraged to do so. A general meeting of the membership will be in order after the harvest for budget reports, sharing learning experiences and recommendations for the 2011 growing season. Stay tuned!
For your convenience in the meanwhile, here again are the several SPUDS field dates requiring membership involvement. RSVP’s always appreciated!
Thanks to Charlie and the generous support of our Volunteer Fire Department, SPUDS potato plants have suffered through but survived our extremely dry summer so far (driest July on record since 1985!)
While next week's weather forecast sounds promising, the little bit of rain we have had since the dry spell began has been negligible, so the SPUDS patch has been watered as judiciously as possible. With no more cistern refills coming this year, we are now solely reliant on Mother Nature. We have just a few short weeks of needed tuber development left so help is needed now to remove weeds that may otherwise retard remaining growth potential.
Please come on out to the field this coming Monday evening at 7:00 pm (Aug. 30th) to help get this relatively small job accomplished swiftly. A quick call or email response will let us know how many members intend to participate. We’ll also roll up the hoses that are no longer needed on the field this year.
A reminder will be sent out closer to the date, but please also mark your calendar now for our 2010 HARVEST, set for Saturday, September 18th at 10:00 am!
SPUDS member Bob V notified the FSC that he will be away in September but has arranged for someone to take his place (and share his potatoes) so we are not short-handed in the field on harvest day. We hope others unable to attend may be inspired and able to do the same!
Mike Lindsay will be back in the field to prepare all four quadrants for cover crop sowing as soon as possible after our harvest. Members will be needed to reconvene in the field on Saturday, September 25th (and/or possibly Sunday, Sept. 26th) for this vital task. There won't be many weeks left in the growing season for the seed to establish itself, so time is of the essence. Next year we should be able to plant our potatoes earlier and harvest them sooner so there is a longer window available to us for fall cover cropping.
The BLACKBERRY FAIRE is on Sunday, September 5th This isn't an official SPUDS date, so therefore not included on the list of field parties below. However it would be great to have a SPUDS table at the faire, so if anyone is interested in helping host our small display, please get in touch! We could really use a few more members for 2011 and this might be just the time to interest neighbours and island newcomers.
Finally, another reminder that anyone interested in assisting SPUDS FSC or Communications Team is welcome and encouraged to do so. A general meeting of the membership will be in order after the harvest for budget reports, sharing learning experiences and recommendations for the 2011 growing season. Stay tuned!
For your convenience in the meanwhile, here again are the several SPUDS field dates requiring membership involvement. RSVP’s always appreciated!
Monday, August 30th, 7:00 pm (WEEDING)
Saturday, September 18th, 10:00 am (HARVEST TIME!)
Saturday, September 25 (COVER CROP SOWING, time TBA)
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Mulching and Watering! Sunday, July 11th, 2010
Twice as many members came out to our mulching bee than expected (12), at 8:30 am Sunday morning. Bill also brought his young nephew, amd Susan Marie's visiting friend Dianne pitched in too. Many hands make light the load, and we completed the mulching job in just under an hour!
The hay on hand 'just made it' around the field, and later in the day the first couple of rows which were very heavily mulched were pilfered to even out the thinner areas of the patch .
Members piled hay on top of the hoses with the idea that doing so would help hold them in place, and make sure water from the drip irrigation system reached the roots and didn't just saturate the hay. In order to try and keep dirt from clogging the emitters, we elevated the hoses slighty by shoving a litlle hay under individual emitter locations. NOTE: later in the day the hoses were pulled up on all the rows and repositioned on top of the hay. More info below!
We shared some homemade treats and a group photo, thinking our work for the day was done! Scroll down for photos, details on the actual watering situation, and how it now works!
WATERING ISSUES
The cistern tap was turned on as soon as we'd finished mulching. It didn't take long to determine that the pressure was not evenly distribued throughout the field. Mike and Fireweed stayed on to sort out the problem, and ended up hauling all of the hoses up from under the hay mulch and repositioning them on top to find a few leaks in the line and monitor emitters. LESSON LEARNED: it's advantageous to lie the hoses on top, instead of under the hay, inspite of reasons for doing the latter
Duct tape was used to repair the few weak spots, or new emitters were inserted where water was squirting out. Sections of hose between the rows that were not laying flat because this year's rows are closer together were trimmed in case the formerly arching sections were impeding the flow. These improvements seemed only marginal, as only the top section of the field appeared to be getting watered.
The tank valve was left open so that half the water in the cistern could be allowed to saturate the field over the next 3-4 hours. Upon return, it was again noted that the system was simply not distributing water to the whole patch. Advice obtained in the interim suggested that limiting flow to specific areas of the field with valves would likely allow for a more equitable distribution of water.
We found enough extra hose available to create a second line so that we could actually divide the quadrant in half and water the upper half seperately from the lower half and vice versa. Below are photos that illustrate the system now operating.
These will be added later......
The hay on hand 'just made it' around the field, and later in the day the first couple of rows which were very heavily mulched were pilfered to even out the thinner areas of the patch .
Members piled hay on top of the hoses with the idea that doing so would help hold them in place, and make sure water from the drip irrigation system reached the roots and didn't just saturate the hay. In order to try and keep dirt from clogging the emitters, we elevated the hoses slighty by shoving a litlle hay under individual emitter locations. NOTE: later in the day the hoses were pulled up on all the rows and repositioned on top of the hay. More info below!
We shared some homemade treats and a group photo, thinking our work for the day was done! Scroll down for photos, details on the actual watering situation, and how it now works!
 | ||||||||||||||||||||
14 folks pitched in at 8:30 Sunday morning to mulch our healthy, blossoming plants |
 |
| Above: Vern; Below: Herb, Ron and Max, Bill and nephew, Fox |
 | |
| July 11th, 2010 Mulching Crew: Vern, Karl, Mike, Bob, Fox, Bill, Aiden, Max, Dianne, Kevin, Ron S, Susan Marie, Ron D, Fireweed on camera |
The cistern tap was turned on as soon as we'd finished mulching. It didn't take long to determine that the pressure was not evenly distribued throughout the field. Mike and Fireweed stayed on to sort out the problem, and ended up hauling all of the hoses up from under the hay mulch and repositioning them on top to find a few leaks in the line and monitor emitters. LESSON LEARNED: it's advantageous to lie the hoses on top, instead of under the hay, inspite of reasons for doing the latter
Duct tape was used to repair the few weak spots, or new emitters were inserted where water was squirting out. Sections of hose between the rows that were not laying flat because this year's rows are closer together were trimmed in case the formerly arching sections were impeding the flow. These improvements seemed only marginal, as only the top section of the field appeared to be getting watered.
The tank valve was left open so that half the water in the cistern could be allowed to saturate the field over the next 3-4 hours. Upon return, it was again noted that the system was simply not distributing water to the whole patch. Advice obtained in the interim suggested that limiting flow to specific areas of the field with valves would likely allow for a more equitable distribution of water.
We found enough extra hose available to create a second line so that we could actually divide the quadrant in half and water the upper half seperately from the lower half and vice versa. Below are photos that illustrate the system now operating.
These will be added later......
Second Hilling, July 7th, 2010
We did it! The second hilling was completed on July 7th in about two hours time, and the hoses were moved onto our rows. Many thanks to Derek, Jan and Mike for reconfiguring the water system for this year's crop layout, and to Charlie for arranging the filling of the water cistern. Scroll down for photos.
The plants had already started producing, as the odd baby spud was found near the surface. With hot sunny days now the norm, it was obvious that mulching, and getting the field watered as soon as possible should take place as soon as possible.
The plan was made to mulch on Sunday, July 11th at 8:30 am, then turn on the cistern tap! The idea of working before the sun gets too high in the sky was our motivation for picking this early start time, and six folks agreed to attend.
We hoped that anyone who hadn't had the opportunity so far this year to participate in the field at least 3 out of the 4-5 times per season that SPUDS membership involves, and might be free on Sunday morning would join us for the mulching bee, bring a wheelbarrow, pitchfork along with the usual gloves, water, and a hat. About twice as many folks as expected showed up, and the following post will include that report, along with photos.
Below- members at work busy hilling our 2010 crop for a second and final time, on July 7th
The plants had already started producing, as the odd baby spud was found near the surface. With hot sunny days now the norm, it was obvious that mulching, and getting the field watered as soon as possible should take place as soon as possible.
The plan was made to mulch on Sunday, July 11th at 8:30 am, then turn on the cistern tap! The idea of working before the sun gets too high in the sky was our motivation for picking this early start time, and six folks agreed to attend.
We hoped that anyone who hadn't had the opportunity so far this year to participate in the field at least 3 out of the 4-5 times per season that SPUDS membership involves, and might be free on Sunday morning would join us for the mulching bee, bring a wheelbarrow, pitchfork along with the usual gloves, water, and a hat. About twice as many folks as expected showed up, and the following post will include that report, along with photos.
Below- members at work busy hilling our 2010 crop for a second and final time, on July 7th
 |
| Above and Below: rolling out the hoses to position down each row |
 |
| Above: Jan and Vern attach individual row drip hoses to main water line |
 |
- group shot of hilling crew sharing fruit kabobs after their work is complete! Jan, Bill, Charlie, Mike, Bob, Ron D, Karl, Vern and Susan Marie (missing from photo: Sheila and Ron who had just left, and Fireweed on camera) |
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Next Hilling: evening of Wednesday July 7th
Our potato plants are looking happy and healthy so far!
You are needed for our second hilling, scheduled for Wednesday evening, July 7th at 6:30 pm when the sun's heat will be off the field. Thankyou for rsvping as soon as possible so we know what our numbers will look like.
The eleven members who made it out to our first official hilling on June 19th worked hard on yet another beautiful sunny day! We shared some fresh organic fruit kabobs to take the edge off the heat, and left hoping that other members absent that day might be able to help finish the remaining rows.
A hanful of members met again in the field on the following Tuesday nite to continue hillng. And now it's already time for a second go at the whole field!
NOTE 2: It would also be great to hear from any folks passionate about working the field without machinery as much as posible, for eventual scything of volunteer buckwheat emerging in next year's planting quadrant! (see photos further down)
Please remember to bring a hoe, gloves and water with you on the 7th, and bring along an extra toonie towards refreshments if you like. Hope to see you soon!
...............................................................................................................
Below: here's a closeup of the pea cover crop in the 2011 quadrant, beside this year's potato quadrant. There are a couple of volunteer potatoes visible from last year's planting, and also some buckwheat that has reseeded. This will need to be removed before it goes to seed again, but we want the peas to grow more before we get in there to scythe it down...
Below: We still need to keep deadheading the rye in the upper half of the field for the same reason...we don't want it to reseed. In the second photo below, you'll see how the remaining stalks in the field mature, and what they look like when they've already gone to seed...these need to be deadheaded into a bucket!
Below: the pea cover crop in the upper half of the field as of June 27th - very pretty, but taller than anticipated! This will have to be cut up before the soil is tilled in the fall, otherwise the machinery will not be able to turn it all under. It's also interspersed with grasses. THe FSC considered cutting it now and using it as mulch in the potato quadrant, but determined it best to leave where it is so that it can properly feed the soil in that section as intended
Below: A Journey Through Time!
Here's how the field looked when it was freshly laid out with planting row strings, back in May...
Next, the May 22nd planting brigade at work...we dug holes 18 inches apart in 14 and a half rows two feet apart, with approximately 60 plants per row.
Because some of the potatoes were planted with their long sprouts up in the air, and others were planted with the spouts mostly buried, the growth rate varied from plant to plant. Both photos below were taken on the same day of different plants...one just emerging from the ground, the other showing leaf growth off its long eyes that were planted straight up
The long spindly plants required hilling earlier than the rest of the plants, so Lindsey and Jan got in there a week or so before our first 'official' hilling with the membership. They put in an estimated 45 minutes. It seemed prudent to limit soil compaction with fewer feet searching out the plants that we didn't want to postpone hilling while waiting for the others to catch up (like the one below, racing ahead of the pack)
Below: our first 'official' hilling crew, June 19th (following in Jan and Lyndsey's earlier footstep)
Thanks to Ron Dobie for this photo!
Below: hilling the plants in the rows closest to the fence on the south east side was tough going, so we all took on tackling some of those plants first before filling up the potato holes and mounding some of the other plants where the weeds weren't so thick. Carboard was collected and positoned by the FSC (field management sub-committee) members the week before along the area where the long grass threatened to invade our planted area ...
Above: you can also see here, that weeds dug up from the tough planting areas and elsewhere in the field have been spread out on the cardboard to kill off the roots, and weigh down the carboard mulch suppressing further growth along that side of the field
Below: take a look at the different heights of the various plants after our first hilling, even though we planted them all at the same depth (six inches down, covered with three inches of soil). Because the long sprouts were positioned in various ways there is no overall uniformity. Our initial idea was that the first 'hilling' would be simply filling in the six inch hole that the potatoes were planted in, but additional mounding has already been necessary for most plants
Below: Membership attendance for the first hilling was lower than necessary to complete the job. Most members worked for about two and a half hours, but we still had tough patches to weed, and two or three entire rows left to finish hilling and weeding. So a second crew went out on Tuesday nite, June 22nd to continue working... here's Jan depositing some of the weeds and clumps of grass roots collected from the field earlier by Sheila and Rae onto the cardboard mulch stretching out along the southeast side of the 2010 potato quadrant
Jan and Lyndsey are new members of the Co-op this year, and a great asset to the FSC. Below, Lyndsey demonstrates her talent as a multi-tasker extraordinaire! She does keep asking, though, if anyone else has expressed interest yet in joining the four of us on the FSC...please get in touch if you're inspired to contribute to the co-op this way(no tool juggling actually required!) You can see that the soil is still moist here, just after the Summer Solstice since we've had so much rain this spring/early summer
Above: the Tuesday, June 22nd evening crew- Lydsey, Sheila, Jan, Ron, Mike (missing from photo, the photographer, Fireweed) We put in another two and a half hours in the field hilling and weeding
Below: the FSC met in the field on Sunday, May 27th to discuss field management issues, and address the water system. The cistern has already been filled by our volunteer Fire Department, thanks to Charlie. Mike Lindsay and Charlie put on the new spout that hopefully made filling the tank easier this year.
Above: Lyndsey, Derek, Mike, and Jan (missing from photo, the photographer, Fireweed) stand in front of the shrinking pile of hay mulch we plan to spread over our potato crop as far as it will go after the water system is in place
Below: the various lenghts of plastic tubing for our irrigation system are stretched out in the quadrant next to this year's potato patch for measuring. Since the photo below was taken on June 27th, Jan has purchased clamps and connectors for reconfiguring the system to suit our current planting layout. And Derek and Mike have started assembling the tubing which had to have approximately fifteen more feet added to each of fourteen lengths for this year's existing number of rows.
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