Courtesy of Jared Regier, Chain Reaction Urban Farm, Saskatoon SK So this is what a typical quiet evening at home looks like these days. My wife Rachel snuck this photo while I was in full head scratching planning mode a few nights ago. Now that I know how many families...
Courtesy of Adithya Ramachandran, Kaleidoscope Vegetable Gardens, Dundurn SK, Canada It looks like spring is arriving early this year in Saskatoon. My first plantings in high tunnels typically go in during the 4th week of March, but I may be able to plant a little earlier this year. Therefore now...
Courtesy of Wally S., Wally’s Urban Market Garden, Saskatoon SK Success at any scale of farming requires continuous production of certain crops, such as green beans and onions, leafy greens and radish. Staggered plantings are the way to accomplish that. Some call it succession planting. But don’t confuse this with...
Courtesy of Wally S., Wally’s Urban Market Garden, Saskatoon SK A frequent forum topic is whether to start your own transplants or buy them. Sounds like a simple cost/benefit analysis, and some forum members just expect a software program to give them an answer. But, as with most things farming-related,...
Courtesy of Wally S., Wally’s Urban Market Garden, Saskatoon SK In the SPIN online support group, business models are debated as hotly as growing practices. A recent topic was CSA’s. Some like the control it gives them over their planning, revenue and customer base. Others feel it limits a farmer’s...
Courtesy of Lois Thompson, Sprout Consultant, Mumm’s Sprouting Seeds A SPIN farmer who has gotten off to an impressive start with a microgreens business, Mary Ackley of Little Wild Things City Farm in Washington DC, posted an SOS in the Backyard Riches forum about yellowing micro basil. She has both an indoor...
Courtesy of Wally S., Wally’s Urban Market Garden, Saskatoon SK Crop repertoires always vary from year to year. SPIN farmers aim to change up their offerings, experimenting with exotic crops, and providing those not offered by their competition. Keep an eye out, too, for crops that are in short supply. Right...
Courtesy of Wally S., Wally’s Urban Market Garden, Saskatoon SK One of the mistakes I now see among SPIN farmers is they quit too soon. Once you get beyond the traditional end of season mentality you can add hundreds or thousands of dollars more, to your income, without much sweat....
Courtesy of Wally S., Wally’s Urban Market Garden, Saskatoon SK You’ve probably heard the joke that it’s time for pumpkin flavored everything. But my pumpkin patch is no joke. It’s a big contributor to my income. Different criteria come into play in deciding whether a crop is worth growing –...
Courtesy of Wally S., Wally’s Urban Market Garden, Saskatoon SK Because many SPIN farms, including mine, just look like a really big garden, I often get asked the difference between a gardener and a backyard farmer. To turn your garden into a business, you need to grow a wide variety...
