End of Summer 2009
One thing we have learned this past summer for sure is that we have to find a different way of dealing with the runners.
The biodegradable plastic was not a great success.
It broke down in the wrong places, along the sides where we had buried it at the foot of the ridges and thus began flapping in the wind.
This year we have chosen photo degradable plastich mulch. The sun is supposed to break this down in approximately 90 days, so we can plan our planting accordingly.
It is less than half the money of the biodegradable stuff (150 vs 450 for 4000 ft) and stays on long enough to prevent a lot of weeds from maturing.
May 2010
Strawberries are in bloom too early and we are expecting light freezing temperatures around Mothers Day.
Floating row covers may protect some. Will need more cover next year. Also a good idea to put straw on when the ground is still frozen in late March but when the snow is gone.
Especially the newest transplants seem to be the most impatient ones.
June 2010
As expected we lost a lot of blooms to the third night of frost which was not announced as such.
Also phytophtera appears to become a bigger problem and we have to find some way of dealing with that. The losses are quite severe in the Jewels. Because of a lot of rain gray rot became a big problem in especially the Jewels. The Cle des Champs seemed to cope better with it. Plant growth was more open too.
July 2010
Have received StorOx which used to be known as Oxidate, an OMRI (Organic Materials Registering Institute) registered pesticide. It is basically hydrogen peroxide. Strong enough to burn a hole in your shoe. Dilution 1:100. It should take care of most if not all of the leaf diseases, gray rot and crown and root rot, but only as a preventative. So we will have to keep a close watch on the first signs of trouble.
It leaves no residue, is completely safe and there is no last before date.
The Albions appear to be less affected by leaf problems and crown and root rot.
The biggest problem with those could be the wasps later in the year and the tarnish bug who damages the flowers after which the fruit develops poorly (catface, scrunched up, seedy).
We either have to live with it or spray with Sevin, to keep it a little under control.
Sevin is pretty harmless, but deadly for insects and that includes honey bees. So we would have to spray late at night when the bees have gone home. Maybe it takes care of the wasps too, because they don't go home anymore at the end of the season.
The new plantings are now (end of July) really taking off.
This year the settling of the runners is a bit easier since these are all on biodegradable plastic mulch, which breaks up easily, so there is rather quickly some more open ground for the new runners to put their roots down.
Even though the Harmonie was listed as moderately vigorous, that does not appear to be the case here. The ten rows are a riot of runners and many mother plants have two or more heads and it was not uncommon to find twenty well developed daughterplants.
The potash and especially the phosphate situation is still of some serious concern. Also the clay is quite heavy.
I think we will apply some super phosphate besides the regular rock, to give some quicker relief.
So far we have used 6-24-24, in order not to get too heavy a canopy as was already the case with the Jewels and with the Albions.
We have started improving the soil structure by applying several loads of wood chips.
Pine and spruce wood chips from Chisholm (Roslin) at a cost of about $6-$7 per cub yard.
We put on 6 loads or a total of about 35 yards.
It should improve soil permeability and in due time organic matter.
We would have like saw dust, but most of that was spoken for.
However the idea of a wood chip mulch is something to think about. It brings in quite a bit of organic matter, keeps the weeds down and keeps the berries off the ground.
August 2010
Since the south field is quite heavy clay and quite wet, we have begun thinking of an alternative crop.
Have ordered the first batch of two year old Haskaps from Lareault.
Borealis and two varieties still ony known as a number, like 9-91 or 9-15
What makes Haskap so remarkable?
and why do we think of introducing them?
Well.....Haskap has several features that make it stand out from among all other fruits and make them of special interest to us.
Hardiness
Coming from Siberia, it is an extremely hardy plant. It can withstand winter temperatures of -47° Celsius, and not only that, but its open flowers can endure -7° Celsius. Since we just lost a major part of our berry crop to a late May frost (only -2!!) that is definitely a big advantage.
They are the earliest to fruit in the season, usually in mid to late June – even earlier than strawberries. But since they can be left on the plant for several weeks before harvesting, without incurring any losses, we can market them alongside the strawberries.
Early & High Yield
One of the greatest thing about Haskap is that it doesn’t take seven years to start producing.
"My seedlings were planted in the spring of 2006 and I ate my first fruit in June 2007. In the studies at the University of Saskatchewan, they were yielding 1 kg (2.2 lbs.) per plant in their 3rd year and 4 kg per plant in their 6th year. The picture below is a three-year old plant in the test patch at the University of Saskatchewan." (Dr.Bob Bors)
Unique Flavor
Haskap is unlike any other fruit you’ve tried.
Some have compared it’s taste to blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, rhubarb, well ... saskatoons, and black currants. The flavor seems to vary with varieties. They are most often compared with blueberries, but without the seeds. The seeds are similar to that of kiwis, so you don’t even notice them. As for it’s uses, basically anything you would do with blueberries, you could also do with haskap – eat them fresh, in baking, as jams & jellies, frozen, or whatever else you may think of.
So there are a few advantages over strawberries.
There is also the fact that the Haskap is very high in antioxidants and polyphenols. According to some records as high as 5-10 times the value in blue berries
And now to the very latest.
Hopefully we will be planting our very first cherry orchard in the spring of 2011, with the first small crop expected in 2012 and enough to supply all of the Quinte by 2014.
These are shrub type sherries with a maximum height of about 6-7 feet.
They are called sour cherries, but they are anything but sour. More like tart and sweet.
Why Cherries?
First of all because there are hardly any cherry orchards left in the Quinte and Prince Edward County.
Secondly because these are all of a variety that is extremely winterhardy and have few known pests.
Thirdly because they are a shrub type, they would be ideal for u-pick.
Fourthly because they are incredibly healthy.
They are called Sour Cherries, but as mentioned they are anything but sour.
We plan to have at least four different varieties, three of which belong to the so called Romance Series developed over many years at the University of Saskatchewan.
The first one to bloom is Juliet and then Carmine Jewel, Romeo, and Cupid.
The first cherries can be expected in July and we may be able to pick through at least the middle of August.
There might even be a small harvest in 2012, but we will have to wait and see.
Brix levels (sweetness) range from 17 to 24.
Compare that to for instance the Thompson Seedless table grapes which have Brix levels between 17.7 and 18.8
For more information on the health aspects check the Cherry Page
