Location: Dave and Tanya’s- 2585 Piercy Road
Minute Taker: Michael Nestor
In attendance: Ron Dobie, Kathleen Holden, Dave Graf, Tanya Quinn, Fireweed, Mike Nestor, Robert Fox
In absentia, but confirmed as 2012 members: Susan Marie Yoshihara, Vern Wright, Karl Goodwin, Kevin Mitchell, Ron Sakolsky, Sheila Nopper, John Tansley, and Kathleen Dunster
AGENDA:
1) Membership update
2) Slide Show- year in review
3) Financial Report
4) Field Management Update
5) Seed Ordering
6) Ideas for edging of field/weed suppression/minimal tillage
7) Ideas/plans for spring planting
8) Water catchment project update
9) Garden Party suggestion
10) Communications
11) Fundraising/grant ideas
12) Other
13) Next field date
1) Membership update
Fireweed and Mike report 10 family memberships are confirmed so far for 2012 (9 active*), and 3 single memberships
*Veronica Timmons will be supporting the co-op with a 2012 membership, but not renewing active participation due to other priorities. She kindly sends her regards to everyone, with the message: “My time with SPUDS has been wonderful, and a great learning opportunity”. Update: Veronica has also written again to say she will be dropping off some cardboard for us in the field…thx, V!
A warm welcome to our two newest members (not in attendance): John Tansley (who built our water catchment over the cistern!), and Dr. Kathleen Dunster
Members are encouraged to talk up SPUDS, and invite friends, new islanders, families, etc, to consider getting involved with our community food security project.
2) Slide Show
Fireweed presented a detailed slide show and overview of field activity from last winter through to this fall, including images from work bee gatherings, cover crop development in each of the four quadrants, our new cistern roof, new hose/watering system, planting dates, challenges, successes, and celebrations. (Plans for an edited version highlighting our efforts may eventually manifest in a YouTube video format to incorporate some of our now fairly extensive photo documentation better online- but don’t hold your breath!)
3) Financial Report
Mike provided an update on SPUDS finances (not a detailed annual report). Please refer to separate attachment. Note: Additional figures provided for clarification in email to membership accompanying this Minutes mailout, include donated funds to SPUDS account, and money recouped from the sale of extra potato seed
4) Field Management Update
Fireweed reported that sections of the field were quickly cover-cropped in clover and partly in pea, not long after our fall harvest. Mike Lindsay dropped by to help members of the Field Management sub-committee consider whether or not we should plow areas of the field quite overgrown with hairy vetch, and grass, and a decision was made to wait till spring before any further tillage. Minimizing soil disturbance, conserving funds, and allowing natural reseeding of our cover crop made sense, as the long growth dies back, adding humus to the soil. It is likely still going to be necessary to plow under grasses and weeds in the spring however, and until we are able to suppress field growth we don’t want more effectively- perhaps in part through introducing vigorous alternatives (ideas discussed later- see below)
We will be planting in the upper left hand quadrant next year. Progress has been made since our fall harvest, suppressing encroaching weed growth in this area along the fence line closest to the woods with cardboard and hay mulch (also along the top edge of the field). Dried hairy vetch raked up in the neighbouring quadrant (closest to the cistern), has been redistributed/used as mulch to mark potentially no-till, or minimal till planting strips for our 2012 potato crop. All cover crop seems to have successfully ‘taken’, so will hopefully survive the winter and continue building soil fertility.
Members in attendance were in favor of sticking with the same amount of plants for 2012 (we had reduced our crop size considerably for 2011, and found this helpful, commensurate with membership numbers, water availability, and time involved in crop management).
5) Seed Ordering
Ron Dobie confirmed that Max will be able to pick up our potato seed again on Vancouver Island, and Fireweed will check with our distributor to see what will be available this year. Those present were interested in planting Sieglindes again, but we might also consider another variety if we can acquire a small quantity of certified organic seed that suits us. We will order the minimum 50 pounds of Sieglindes to get in on the group discount we have been accustomed to, and once again offer for sale the extra certified organic seed we don’t need.
6) Ideas for edging of field/weed suppression/minimal tillage
Prospective edging crops- cover crops for mulch, comfrey, sunflowers, kale, companion plants suitable for potatoes, and less attractive to wireworms (or attractive to predators of wireworms!) Cranberries were mentioned as a possible crop for watery areas of the field less well suited for potatoes.
Ron Dobie agreed to do some research about companion planting and the pros and cons of some of the plants proposed as potential candidates for weed suppression, etc. Update: please refer to additional document attached, regarding Ron’s followup research, which favors comfrey and kale!
Fireweed will look into ordering of hairy vetch from Vancouver again (favored as an edging plant, for growing our own mulch), and the possibility of splitting a bag with Ironwood Farms in Fanny Bay (which helped cut our costs two years ago) Dave and Tanya said they might be able to pick it up from the distributor in the lower mainland (a significant savings over ordering it up island from a retail outlet).
7) Ideas/plans for spring planting
Hopefully we can plant early again in 2012… this year we got our potato seed in the ground on April 9th, over a month earlier than the year before (May 27th, 2010!) Fireweed and Mike have acquired a hand mower, and presented the idea of limited till on strips currently mulched by hairy vetch pilings, with cover crop then encouraged between these rows to be mowed by hand (to avoid excessive growth, and utilize the ‘trimmings’ as super rich mulch/soil enhancer). Some discussion ensued about planting the rows across the quadrant as opposed to straight up and down, although this might not be advantageous.
Bringing Mike Lindsay in to do a three quarters plus plowing of the field NOT slated for cultivation was suggested as a means of getting on top of weeds, and will require immediate reseeding with cover crop. This tillage would be more intensive than usual, possibly requiring an equipment change for a second round in order to really break down the existing growth in the field to build humus and hold back grass and weeds. Our budget is looking good for 2012, and it was suggested that the additional expense might be a really appropriate use of our funds at this stage of field management (also in light of having reduced our fossil fuel usage in 2011, as well as our need to contract tillage since we did all our own rototilling in the spring, let the cover crops self re-seed, and chose not to till in the fall, also sparing our funds at that time)
8) Water catchment project update
Dave will talk to John Tansley, builder of our cistern roof and new SPUDS member, about finishing up the water catchment with the addition of eaves. Our grant monies ran out before the final stage could be completed, and John has kindly offered to volunteer his services to assist with the remainder of the project. Mike and Ron Dobie both have some eaves parts/gutters that could be used for this project. We also have money in our budget to purchase additional hardware as required.
Dave is in touch with Keith Walker about his own successful water catchment system, and will be furthering his investigation into how best to insulate our tank valve so we can avoid any freezer damage during cold temperatures without draining our tank. Dave has also offered to build an insulated, protective covering. We may have to totally drain the tank, in order to turn the whole thing slightly, to adjust access to the water filling valve at the top. We’ll do this altogether when we have a group available, or else John may be able to simply move a brace holding up the roof structure to alleviate any potential difficulty with fire department fillings.
Mike will ask Charlie about which option would be preferable from the standpoint of the Fire department which has so generously accommodated us with water, and will no doubt be appreciated again for that, during our next dry season.
9) Garden Party suggestion
A proposal was made to the group that we consider hosting a garden party (mini work bee) for a former SPUDSter (who has been a very supportive member in the past, and has experienced debilitating back problems this year- alongside his partner’s sprained ankle). All in attendance supported the idea in principle, and Fireweed will pursue whether or not such a gesture would be appropriately helpful before we set anything into motion.
10) Communications
Ron suggested that we include mention in a new year’s article about SPUDS, that we will have extra potato seed for sale, and enhance our networking that way. If we have lots of interest prior to placing our own order, we could even acquire a couple of cases of seed to share outside the co-op membership. Fireweed has volunteered to write something up for the January Flagstone.
Sheila Nopper and Fireweed are currently on the Communications team, and Sheila has compiled a hard copy of SPUDS material for public access in the library. Additional members are welcome to help out with communications and field management planning at any time. Dave Graf will be staying on board the Field Management sub-committee for 2012, along with Mike and Fireweed, and hopefully Tanya (if she has the time!)
11) Fundraising/grant ideas
Mike will reapply for a Regional Grant for 2012 (deadline in February). He explained that our acquisition of the Economic Enhancement Grant for our water catchment system project in 2011 resulted in us not qualifying for any additional RG funding in 2011.
12) Other- Cardboard, and Hay
We could really use more large cardboard, to suppress invasive grass and weed growth all around the entire perimeter of the field. Members are encouraged to keep on the lookout in town for large brown box cardboard without staples or colored ink. We can use cardboard with tape, as long as it is removed.
Kathy let us know that she has recently purchased hay from Fern and Dave Neidermoser for 2.50 a bale, and agreed to contact Dave to see how much we might acquire for $50. Tom Dennis’ hay was mentioned, but concerns raised about canary grass content. We have received free old hay from Doug Wright in previous years, and had discussed paying him the next time, as he does normally sell his hay as well.
Update: Dave Neidermoser will be delivering twenty bales of hay to the field for a total cost of $65, which includes transport and a reduced price on the bales (he normally charges $3 per bale, but had given Kathy a deal and has kindly agreed to extend this same price to SPUDS as well.)
13) Next field date
A short work bee was proposed for distributing the hay remaining from last year onto specific areas of the field to be planted next spring, and to position existing cardboard…sometime soon. Update: on Saturday, December 10th, at 2:oo pm, members are encouraged to come on out to also help move the hay that will now be delivered that day by Dave Neidermoser into our fenced area.
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