Welcomes and Strawberries

Two more members of our crew arrived yesterday! Sam and Anne will be joining us for the season from Vancouver. Although that is where they were living most recently, Anne is originally from Ontario and Sam from Scotland. Anne lived in Scotland for 10 years, part of which was spent completing her Master’s degree in Human Ecology. Sam has a solid background as a bike mechanic and we’re excited to see what transpires in the shop this season. The combined brainstorming and experience between Paul and Sam will culminate in some fantastic ideas for the shop -- stay tuned as they are launched!

Sam will be working half-and-half in the bike shop and the market garden, whereas Anne will be farming full-time. Anne brings experience with community gardens in Scotland to Golden Ears and we’re looking forward to a great season ahead. Welcome, Sam and Anne!

Oli and Naomi are back on the farm this season. Oli is focusing his time on completing the straw bale building, the progress on which is beautiful. He has been smoothing over gaps in the cob along with farm friends Johnny and Roz. It is looking fantastic! Naomi will be managing her own garden plot, growing vegetables for winter storage for her and Oli. She was a key helper in planting our new patch of strawberries...it's wonderful to have them back here!

Oh, scrumptious strawberries. Approximately 4,500 crowns were planted -- a balanced mix of four varieties: Benton, Cavendish, Honeyoye, and Kent. The slideshow illustrates the transplanting process from orienting the group, feeding the planter, to having a tail person cover up any exposed roots or fill in gaps. We can’t wait to harvest them next year!