Special Saturday Open House

New sign

Open house for sales of perennial edible plants (or just looking around). This week we are open on Saturday Sept 12th from 10am to 2pm.  3295 Compton road.  Check out our new sign at the bottom of our driveway.  If you are buying plants feel free to drive on up…but if you are coming to walk around or visit, please park below and walk on up (unless of course you have trouble with the hill).

FALL IS THE BEST TIME TO PLANT Perennial edible plants.

We have a beautifully rearranged nursery with all kinds of nooks and crannies to explore.  Lots of new plants too.  Updated plant list here with prices (includes GST)

• Ground covers and perennial vegetables:  Good King Henry, Broad Leaved French Sorrel, Crosne, False Indigo (N2 fixer), edible Hostas.
• We have Gingko, established perennial Leek bulbs, Paw Paws, Japanese Pepper plant (edible leaves and corns), Sweet grass, Sweet Gale, Labrador Tea, Quince, Persimmon, Ziziphus (Jujube), Japanese climbing yam, evergreen huckleberry, salmon berry, oregon grapes, and LOTS more.
• Also Stevia plants (2-3 ft tall) – ready to dry these supper SWEET leaves or try to overwinter it (don’t let it freeze).
• Turmeric plants (ready to overwinter – don’t let freeze – put in heated greenhouse or sunny inside window).  Ours is outside in the front curvy bed with our lemons and ginger.  MICROCLIMATES for a changing climate.

Micro climate in zone 1 right outside the front door

Anyone following the latest science on climate change?  Not looking good…the news just keeps getting worse.  Here is an article written by Dr. James Hanson on his new paper here (July 2015) . (Not yet peer reviewed).

Ann sits on a new CRD climate committee made up of elected officials from the CRD.  Last week their group was briefed on sea level rise and the regions adaptation plans.  The plan is based on old science that says 1 meter sea level rise by 2100.  Ann shared Dr. Hanson’s latest paper which indicates “multi-meter sea-level rise by the the end of the century”.  They all discussed what this means for the region – quite a sobering discussion around the table acknowledging that the town of Sydney (near victoria, BC) would be our first community to “go under”…maybe by mid century or sooner.  35 YEARS  

They talked about what this means globally for food and water resources.  OMG.  Then things got really quiet when Ann commented that most of the human population lives at sea level – and we think we have a human migration catastrophe now – we are just getting started. 

Everyone also acknowleges that in our region, despite all of our GHG reduction targets and plans, we are on the business as usual scenario for emissions.  It was noted that we have a planetary emergency and we are essentially doing nothing.  Lots of talk and no do!

Ann shared these same comments with our Highlands council this week when she updated the rest of council on her appointed committee work.

Eco-Hut – plant sales office and example of off-grid tiny home

So, anyone motivated to plant some trees yet?  We all benefit from every tree we plant…they provide more food locally with less energy and water inputs while at the same time building soil and sequestering carbon.  We need to plant a lot of trees and protect our existing and remaining ecosystems.

Our TOP picks for Food Security (that we have in stock).

• Nuts:  Blight resistant Hazelnuts (check plant list for availability), walnuts, Chestnuts ( various varieties in 1 gal pot and IDEAL to plant now), Yellowhorn, Ultra Northern Pecan, stone pine.  Sorry, no almonds yet.
• FRUITS:  recommended for their productivity, easy processing or long storage.  Apples, plums, pears, grapes, kiwis (hardy and fuzzy), 3 types of Figs (dwarf and full size), Mulberry (2 types).
• Nitrogen fixing plants:  to feed your plants
  • Autumn Olive – also good berries and mulch
  • Russian Olive – berries and mulch
  • Black Locust – also favourite with bees – grows quick – awesome non rotting wood for posts
  • False Indigo – beautiful too!
  • Sea Buckthorn (sea berries) – good berries and tea and mulch
  • Eleaegnus X ebbingei – ideal for hedgerow
• Mulch plants
  • Comfrey (bocking 14 and the regular comfrey)
  • Most of the N2 fixing plants
• Medicinal
  • ALL fruits and veggies from your FARMacy
  • Echinacea (wonderful flowers too)
  • Siberian ginseng
  • Many of our berry plants – (currents – black, white, pink, red, sea berries, elderberries)
  • hops – either in tea or in beer…We keep telling ourselves that beer IS a medicinal…right?  RIGHT?  RIGHT?
  • Oregon grapes

Workshop notices:

***Water is on many peoples mind these days and Gord, along with Tayler from Hatchet and Seed, are giving a workshop in Nanaimo on Sept 27th. Click on this link for event details and registration. Drought-Proofing the Future: Planning for Water Resiliency.

***KeyLine Water Management – Opportunity for Farmers in Your Community! The Capital Regional District (CRD) Integrated Watershed Management Program (IWMP) and Climate Action Program (CAP) are pleased to lend in-kind support to the project entitled “Keyline Water Management’: Field Research and Education in the Capital Region” to be conducted by Tayler Krawczyk, of Hatchet & Seed.  Tayler successfully obtained funding from the Ministry of Agriculture’s Growing Forward 2, BC Farm Adaptation Innovator Program (FAIP) to implement and monitor innovative Keyline Design projects on three farms across the Capital Region.  Keyline Water Management is a permaculture technique that applies integrated watershed management in our agricultural areas. Hatchet & Seed’s three year project also includes an educational component, with free public seminars and several field days designed to empower famers to use GIS imaging technology and a simple field contour layout to better understand their farm’s micro-watershed.
The first workshop, Seminar #1: Future Proofing Your Farm: An Introduction to Keyline Design, is Tuesday, September 15th.

Thanks for reading,

Ann and Gord