Local Farms Gear Up For The Season, Each In Their Own Way

Jeff Green | May 17, 2023

There are a number of constants in the world of gardening: seeds, water, sun, soil. And there are variables many many variables.

Are the seeds viable. Is there enough sun, too much sun, enough water, the right kind of soil. And everything changes from year to year, week to week, even day to day.

The same is true for gardeners, and for those who make the fateful decision to sell bedding plants, garden produce, or both, success depends on controlling what is under their control, and being able to adapt to what the ever changing reality on the ground.

For Reid Parkhill, of Fen Valley Farm near Sharbot Lake, that meant jumping out of bed a 3:30am early this week, to uncover a row of greens.

“I happened to wake up, and saw that the temperature had dropped to 2 degrees. The row covers I use sometimes will freeze to the tops of the greens if it freezes, and I did not want to take the chance, so I came out to pull off the row cover just in case. The plants are frost hardy, but getting iced over by the cover could brown the tops.”

Although it is still mid-May, the greens are already hitting the market, thanks in part to a season extending hoop greenhouse he put in last fall along with a couple of new garden plots.

Parkhill started his market season last weekend at the Perth Market, will also be at the opening day of the Harrowsmith Market on Friday. He also supplies greens to two restaurants, Gather in Perth and Belong Sharbot Lake, and is starting to take online orders at Fenvalleyfarm.ca this week.

The greens will be followed by other produce later in the season, but they are a core part of the business plan at Fen Valley.

It is plan that has been taking shape for a few years, ever since Reid and his wife Sarah bought the first of two 60 acre parcels on the Tryon Road, with the intention of making a go of it in Frontenac County.

Since then, they built a tiny house, then a larger one on the second parcel, and have welcomed their first child.

They began gardening, with a focus on permaculture when they first arrived, putting in some fruit and nut trees, starting an asparagus bed, etc.

Reid then took a job which required a commute, not to the city however, but the Patchwork Gardens in Battersea, which was an experience that was pivotal to the development of FenValley.

“At Patchwork, they have been growing vegetables for 21 years, I think, and they know a lot about how to grow, how to treat employees, everything,” he said. “I tell anyone who says they are interested in farming that the best thing they can do is get a job on a farm. I learned so much working at Patchwork.”

When Reid and Sarah went to Frontenac Business Services to vet their business plan, they were pleased when they were told that “it might actually work”. So far, revenue from the farm has mostly been reinvested in the business, and Sarah has a job locally which helps pay the bills.

It's never going to be an easy business, but between the markets, the restaurants and the local market, the transformation of what had been developed as pasture land for decades, back into productive farm land, Fen Valley farms could be a local success story in a region where agriculture has been on the decline for many years.

Later in the season, FenValley will have seasonal vegetables to sell, and successive plantings of greens should be available all the way until Christmas time. The mix will change as conditions change, but with any luck the supply will remain steady through all three seasons. All of the produce is grown using organic farming principles, without the use of synthetic fertilisers of herbicides.

Mark Millar of Sydenham had a different introduction to the property he calls Sloat's Lake Farm than Reid Parkhill did near Sharbot Lake.

He was born on the property where he farms on Alton Road just north of Sydenham (at the junction with Bedford Rd), which has been in his family for generations.

“When were kids we lived in a house near the road, and our mother would send us back here to play all afternoon. She would head out the back porch and call us in for supper when it was time. Aside from that we were free to roam,” Mark recalled last week from the edge of one of the garden beds that he is preparing for planting this year.

He has had a varied career in the building trades, working on large construction projects in a management capacity, but for the last 15 years Mark has been developing the farm property, building a new house, and learning about organic and bio-dynamic farming techniques from people like Janette Hasse and others.

He decided to name the farm Sloat's Lake Farm as a nod to the United Empire Loyalist roots of the region and his family.

“Our Farm is named in honour of my Great Grandfather Lieutenant Michael Henry Sloat the original UEL Settler to come to Loughborough Township. He set up the first mill at his own expense and Sydenham Lake was original named Sloat's Lake. The mill was sold after his death in 1833,” he says on his website.

Most of Mark's produce is sold through what he calls his Honour Stand at the roadside in front of his property.

In season, that will include: beets, brussels sprouts, carrots, collards, corn, kale, leeks, head lettuces, onions, peas, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, spinach, tomatoes, radishes, strawberries and raspberries.

This month he is selling tomato and pepper starts that he started under lights at the house and then brought out to a small greenhouse later in April and early May.

He also overwinters seed potatoes in barrels buried under straw, which he has pulled out and has prepared for planting.

“I use some old techniques and new ideas as well,” he said, “bit no artificial fertilizers. We have horses and I use the manure, as well as sheep, pig and chicken manure at times and get all my seeds from companies that provide organic and heirloom varieties. Over the long weekend and next weekend he will be selling the 1500 or so seedlings he has developed, mostly at the farm gate.

“I think it is an advantage for gardeners to buy plants that have been grown in local conditions and are tied to our season,” he said, “at least that is what I have found to be the best.”

Aside from selling seedlings, Mark is hard at work putting up deer fencing, growing on pea plants so he can begin harvesting and selling peas in June, and planning out the rest of the growing season.

Up in Clarendon, Sarah Weight and Pete Nilson have been developing Unusual Acres for the last five years. They have been exploring worm composting, and many other natural fertilizing techniques along the way.

At one point in the evolution of Unusual Acres, they were developing insect casings as a potential food source, and had success, but regulatory issues made bringing a product to market quite difficult. They grow garlic for sale in August, as well as a lot of different squash and pumpkins .In the fall, organize a large event that combines their farm business with a passion for Halloween in the weeks and days preceding Halloween.

A couple of years ago, the put in a large, heated greenhouse, where they are able to grow extremely strong and health seedlings, which they will be selling this weekend at a farm gate plant sale.

“The greenhouse allows us to start early, and we like to grow herbs, tomatoes and peppers, eggplant, zucchinni, and flowers that are ready to go in the garden and really take off,” said Pete. “We quite like hot peppers, and we have some very hot ones for sale, and some that don't pack as much punch.”

They will also have Basil, Lavender, Oregano, Thyme, and flowers (Marigolds, several varieties of Petunia, Verbena, Borage and more)

These are three of many farm and garden businesses that dot the landscape in Frontenac County. As the garden season hits high gear this weekend, plants that are sourced locally and regionally are for sale at places like Silverbook Gardens, which grows and sells seedlings, and has been a fixture in Sydenham for decades. Other retailers, such as 1010 Garden Centre in Sharbot Lake that has been operating for over 10 years, sells plants they bring in as well as soils, compost, mulch, and other materials for gardening and landscaping. Even unrelated businesses, such as Atkinson's Building Centre (Hartington) and Ram's Esso (Sharbot Lake) have a good selection of plants for sale a this time of year.

This weekend, the Harrowsmith Farmer's Market kicks off a new season with music, plants, food, and local beer on Friday afternoon. And all weekend, plant sales are underway in every community.

And while the anniversary of the 2022 Derecho is looming on Saturday, nothing can stop the enthusiasm of growers at this time of year, be they full time farmer's of backyard or even front porch gardeners.