The Green Point Newsletter
August 11, 2009
Hi Everyone,
Summer is flying by, the rain has been incredible and has definitely affected crops and trees. We have heard from farmers all over eastern Canada this summer and the sto
ry is pretty much the same, everyone is having trouble with their fruit and vegetable crops this year because of incessant rain and lack of sunshine, that’s why we believe crop diversity is so important. By diversity we mean not just different varieties of the same fruit but different types of fruit which react differently to weather conditions that you can harvest at different times of the year to minimize costs and loses and maximize yields and profits.
We had good production of currants and the blueberries did quite well this year. The raspberry production was average. We had our strawberries early so we did alright with them but plums and chums took a hit and cherries are almost non-existent.
As usual the pear trees are producing abundantly and we will have many delicious pears for sale as of this week. A more unusual crop is the medlar and we have our first fruit this year which is really exciting.
Our seminars are starting on the 16th of August, so if you are interested this is your last chance to sign up.
We will be posting more pictures and videos on the website (www.greenbarnnursery.ca) so that you can see first hand what some of the varieties of trees look like at different stages in their lives. The first 2 minute video will be a quick overview of the seaberry, it should be on our site by the end of the week.
For the Saturday market crowd the tomatoes are coming...they should be ready to sell this weekend. We will also have kale, lettuce, blueberries, currants, tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, herbs and chums available this weekend. Don't forget Luc and Collette are on site every Saturday with their various eco friendly hand made glycerine soap products.
We will be on the road during the month of August doing some consulting and farm planning. If you'd like us to drop in for a consultation and see you, now is a good time to prepare for next spring.
We would like to start a network of farm service providers. If you or anyone you know are distributors or can
process fruits and veggies (dry, juice, jams etc.) let us know and we'll add a link to your website on our site so that we can help other farmers turn their fruit crops into various saleable items.
Because of the horrible weather conditions we have had to endure (no sun, rain, cold) we've decided to compile a list of the top 5 performing trees for this year:
#5 MONTREAL MULBERRY. It produces steadily (June to September), grows well and never has any real problems.
#4 RELIANCE seedless grape. Although all of our grapes are doing well the Reliance has stood out as a great
producer in weather where grapes are supposed to struggle.
#3 HEARTNUTS. Both the grafted variety and seedling are having a great crop year and the young trees are
showing really strong growth. As long as you can keep the squirrels away you'll love this tree!
#2 ASIAN PEAR especially the "KIKUSUI". No diseases, no fungus, tons of fruit, great growth, need I say more?
And the #1 tree of 2009 is the "SO SWEET" EUROPEAN PEAR. Every year this tree amazes us with it's growth and ridiculous production (branches break off they are so full of fruit). As most of you know we are completely pesticide and fungicide free and almost every single fruit is perfect.
I will post some pictures on the “farm life” section of our website of the fruit from these trees. Some aren't ripe yet but you'll be able to see just how great they are.
Thanks for your support and speak to you in the fall.
The Green Barn