Greenhouse/Hoophouse
- 2021 was our first successful cucumber harvest; it was a bumper year.
- We planted ‘oriental cucumber’ cucumis sativus (40-45 days) from Richters
- We will do this again
- Tomatoes grew well but seemed like forever to ripen?
- It was a good harvest but a late one.
- Will focus on tomatoes with least amount of days.
- As of 2021greenhouse medicinals are now in their 3rd year.
- Root medicinals need 3 years to build potency.
- We harvested fo ti, maral root and sheep sorrel in somewhat large quantities.
- We are making teas this winter to work out tasty blends.
- I have sent out emails looking for labs to analyze phyto-nutrients.
Perennials
- Our focus at Blue Earth Forest Farm is to shift from annuals, which are more labor and energy intensive, to perennials as much as our diets will allow.
- The acre we have divided into quarters with rows of swales has 3 swales, dividing the quarters and swales on each fence line, 7 swales in total.
- These 7 swales are now in their 4th year and starting to produce fruits, berries, nuts and medicines.
- Last year we had success propagating grapes and basket willows.
- This year we will propagate basket willows, sea buckthorn and elder.
- We dug up many raspberry suckers at Michael and Katarina’s last spring.
- We have noticed the lower quarter of our acre is largely under water for much of spring/early summer.
- We are going to see if raspberries will take in raised beds.
- The food forest (zone 1 and 2 around the cottage) are now showing swales in decomposition and ready for perennial plants to populate.
- Sea buckthorn cuttings and mystery seed mixes will populate.
- The long term plan should, IMHO, be to thin the fire hazard away from zones 1 and 2 and install swales to bio-mimic the large dead trees that are no longer present.
- This process does many great things
- Many many years of firewood 6"d. and smaller,without splitting large dead trees that are better left as habitat.
- Many many fence posts and rails for above ground 'X' fencing (easier to assemble and maintain, and doesn't support chemical toxic posts).
- Larger logs can go to log cabin kits.
- Swales can be planted to multitudes of beneficial perennials for cows, bees, humans food needs. (example Pears beet the bears :))
- Fire resilience with the fire hazard pushed further up the mountain.
- This process does many great things
- We had a good pear harvest and I like that we can harvest these before they ripen, unlike apples which we need to sweat over with the bears.
- With this in mind I will go into more pear varieties this year.
- The acre we have divided into quarters with rows of swales has 3 swales, dividing the quarters and swales on each fence line, 7 swales in total.
Annuals
- 2021 we had great success with our no-till Styrian pumpkin and corn patch.
- We’ve been sharing our bumper harvest of styrian pumpkins, little green emerald seeds that are great roasted the wood stove with salt.
- We laid brown cardboard down on the bed and covered with compost. The pumpkins had extra compost in a mound.
- We will do this again.
- We have discovered that carrots like self seeding in our swales.
- We found many massive volunteer carrots in our swales.
Fungi
- 2020 we inoculated 30 aspen, birch and fir logs with mostly oyster strains of fungi, some bear claw and shiitake.
- This year we harvested about 10lbs of fungi.
- 2022 should be a productive year.
- We’d be interested in doing more this year with others if interested.
- We purchased the log hole driller and plug filler which greatly speeds up the process.
Animals
- We started ‘X’ fencing in 2021. It goes fast and it definitely is the way to go for Cows.
- We are ‘X’ fencing a large paddock for future cows/oxen.
- We are ‘X’ fencing our future apiary that is starting to take shape.
- On a side not there is huge fire hazard up and down Rathayatra drive.
- It is easy road access and the thinning could provide large quantities of ‘X’ fencing, not to mention firewood for all valley residents.
Pollinators
- I read ‘Keeping Bees with a Smile’ last year. I ordered a copy for my self as I love the shift from commercial to pollinator care so much. The local Ashcroft library has a copy on the shelf.
- I have ordered 2 nuts this year of, what I believe, to be the best quality queen’s in the area from a S. African’ bee keeper in the Kamloops area.
- I have a plan to encase these revolutionary horizontal, thick wood hives within a crude but hella strong log cabin style frame that is bear proof.
Medicinal Plants
- We are experimenting with a blend of fo-ti, maral root, and marshmallow, all which grow well here.
- It tastes good and has amazing healing/health qualities.
- I will expand these plants this year.
- I would be happy to share with others and build a base of these medicinals and others.
- I’m also focusing on the Essiac, anti-cancer blend. Sheep sorrel root is a rarity in the commercial blends. It grows well as an understory plant with tomatoes and cukes for sure.
- Licorice does will in the greenhouse and shows good Covid early treatment data.
Solar shower
- I have a good book on how to build one using wood chips as a heat source. I will bring it.
Goshala and Hay growing
- I can give an update on the milling for the goshala if people are interested.
- ox team and green tractor can cut hay, Bailer and Storage needed:
- This is interesting and i'd like to collaborate on how best to store this loose hay. See attached images for inspiration/discussion?
Need a valley-wide composting system
- I have installed 3 large composts from Helen and Scott Nearings work in homesteading.
- The aspen poles are good for this.
- I will see this spring if the worms have survived in them.
Blue Earth Forest Farm Reports: Wood Season + Food Medicine