The End of the Spring Season *SALE*

This Saturday June 11, 2016 marks the end of our spring season for sales of perennial edible plants. As most people know, the summer is not the best time to put perennial plants into the ground (unless they are babied in the warmer weather).

Our farm business continues to be viable…financially, socially, and personally. This marks the end of our third spring season, with sales rising every year. Thank you everyone! As noted the financial piece is only one way that we measure success. Yes, our farm is financially viable, but just as important to us is that we make our permaculture homestead open to everyone to come by and visit and to simply look around on these nursery open house days. People seem to really enjoy themselves and this makes us happy. The final piece for us is that we enjoy the people that come to visit and the ensuing conversations about plants, life, philosophy and technical topics. So it is with sadness that the spring season is ending, (Gord’s input – and excitement to be able to sleep in…) however the fall season is only a few months away.

Even though we are closed for the nursery in the summer we do make private bookings for plant sales ALL YEAR round for people who cannot make it to the scheduled Nursery hours. But please note that these private nursery bookings are for the nursery only and not for free private tours. If you would like to book a paid private tour over the summer, please send an email to ann@eco-sense.ca. Two hour tours start at $200 for small groups of 1-5 people and go up to $275 for 20 people.

THIS WEEK AT THE NURSERY we have discounts on select plants…see below for items: plant list here (All prices include GST and Note: no credit cards – only cash, cheque, or on the spot email transfer)

TOONIES

Small strawberry plants…everbearing WITH strawberries…only $2 for a 4′ pot
some OCA plants left $2
Pepper and tomato and tomatillo plants – our extras in 4″ pots are for sale only $2 each.
Small comfrey (nibbled on by ducks). $2

TENS (in 1 gallon pots)

grapes – various varieties
small Figs – Desert Kings
Thornless Blackberries
Hops in 1 gallon pots
Small Josta Berry
Russian Olive (not an olive – berry producing nitrogen fixing tree)
Echinacea – purple cone flower

Last years OCA patch – looks like clover. The tubers are harvesting late in the fall – our favourite tuber.

TWENTIES (in 1 gallon pots)

Alaskan Blueberries
Dwarf Cherries (Valentin, Romeo, Juliet, cupid)
Small Goji (Firecracker and Dynamite)

We also have: See our plant list here

a new batch of hard to find sweet potato slips for sale ($4 per slip). Note that these amazing sweet tubers do extremely well in our climate but do require being grown in a very hot environment. We grow them in a raised mound under a poly tunnel. Our tubers have kept easily all through the winter. This is the perfect time to plant them out.
A large variety of large fruit trees and some with fruit on them. Many varieties of pears, plums, cherries, apples, apricots, almonds, FIGS, quince, paw paws, etc.
A large variety of berry bushes and some with fruit. Currants (red, black, pink, white), Sea berries (seabuckthorn), goji’s, gooseberries, elderberries, saskatoons, haskaps (honey berries), Josta berries, and more.
A large variety of vining fruit like thornless black berries, logan berries, kiwi’s (hardy, arctic, and fuzzy), grapes, etc.
Nuts: Walnuts, pecans, almonds, chestnuts, yellow horn, etc. Our new batch of blight resistant Hazelnuts is expected this fall (we ordered them 2 years ago).

The end of the spring season also brings a bit more time to our lives. Add this to a reduced meeting schedule for July and August for our council duties and we will finally have time to get some incomplete projects done around the farmstead. (Ann’s input – No Gord … that means there is no sleeping in!)

Tour and Presentation season: Starting this evening (June 8th) presentations start to ramp up with Gord’s presentation on all things water in East Sooke, then the Victoria Master Gardners’ tour on Sunday, Camosun Trade and Technical groups Monday and Tuesday… and later on the BCFTA (BC Fruit Testers Association).

Kudos to the RDN: The RDN has created an “Aquifer Protection DPA” which set stringent requirements for both subdivisions and residential building. LINK. No subdivision or development activities may occur within the DPA without first obtaining a Development Permit from the RDN
SUBDIVISIONS:

must asses aquifer characteristics at the most stressed time of the year including cross sectional analysis of the aquifer;
perform a 72 hr pump down test;
assess ability of the aquifer to provide a sustainable water supply without impacting adjacent rural properties  or agricultural activities;
identify recharge locations

RESIDENTIAL – All new dwelling units must include an external rainwater harvesting system which includes the following:

external equipment for collecting and distributing rainwater from the dwelling
unit roof;
a storage tank(s) with a minimum storage capacity of 18,000 litres which is
designed for rainwater collection and is rated for potable use;
a pumping system, an overflow handling system; and, the ability for future connection to the dwelling unit.

Thanks for reading and hope to see some of you on Saturday.

Ann and Gord