Seasons Greetings, A farm Update, and More!
Seasons greetings to everyone from all of us at Sweet Rock Seeds. It has been a long time since I have last updated you folks about the farm and there is of course much to tell!
Our growing season this year was a learning experience for us. We had huge ambition this year, wanting to grow more seed than ever. We no longer grow for our local Farmer’s Market, wanting to focus just on growing the best seeds we can, and to that end we are all in. Except… as they say, “Nature bats last.” Normally, the East Coast of Vancouver Island is a premier seed growing area for dry-seeded crops like spinach, beets, all of the Brassicas, etc., not just in Canada., but in the world! This area rivals the best seed growing regions for dry-seeded crops on the planet. Why is it so good?
The East Coast of Vancouver Island usually has mild winters and dry summers, which are perfect growing conditions for certain crops that need to dry down their seeds in the heat of the summer and not get rained on, which can ruin the seed. For example, Kale can live through our winters and reliably dry down a crop of seeds in July and August. In much of the world the winters can be too cold, and the summers too hot, or too wet to grow the seeds out.
This year we had a rainy August, which was a disaster for some of our crops. We lost our entire onion seed crop. The seed heads, which were late to bloom because of our unusually cold, wet spring were in full flower, and the dampness let to a fungus that molded all of the flower heads. Our broccoli crop had a similar problem and was a total loss. Yet, we had large, beautiful broccolis just a month earlier. Oh well. These are the vagaries of seed growing, and we lost a few seed crops.
On the positive side, we had some great successes too. We had stellar harvests of squashes, corn (a sweet corn!), peas, and even the tomatoes did wonderfully. They seemed to appreciate the August weather. The wonderful thing about having a diverse farm is that something almost always thrives!
We have several new varieties on offer this year: Two new tomatoes great for both growing in pots and in the ground, a tasty and good-keeper winter squash, a funky and awesome cucumber, a new sweet corn, a fiery pepper for those who like the heat, and a couple of interesting herbs. You can check them out here if you like.
If you have a gardener in the family and are not sure what to get them, our gift card is a great idea. Easy to use, secure, and redeemable at any time.
In the spirit of Christmas we are offering a 15% discount on everything in the store until Christmas Day. We promise to ship all orders within a day of receiving them, but realistically with the postal strike just ending, I would’nt count on getting your seeds by Christmas. But— we don’t need to plant anything now. Spring is coming….
Thank you for continuing to support small-scale, local agriculture. Merry Christmas!