May 6, 2012

It’s that time again. Time to get the garden in. Let the preparations begin… well, actually they already did! Colin is in British Columbia for another few weeks so Kathy is standing in until his return. There’s quite a lot of work to do…. checking to see how many of the strawberry plants survived the ice-heavy winter; answer: lots! And almost all the plants are now sporting nice white little blossoms… signs of treats to come! The blueberry bush we planted last year survived as did the new Minnesota grape vine. The raspberry plants are leafing up.

As he has done for a number of years now, our neighbour, Bob V. came up this evening on his Kubota tractor with tiller attached. He made fast work of a dozen 70 foot beds, tilling up beautiful beds 4 feet wide, light fluffy stuff. Oh my, that soil is just calling out for seed. And the first to answer the call are likely to be peas and potatoes.  Stay tuned….

January4 2012

Regrettably it has become the time where blossoms turn to blizzards and fresh fruit and veggies become frozen hands and feet, it’s time to inform all of you on the progress we achieved throughout the year. It was a year of ups and downs, having great success in certain areas of the garden (tomatoes, peppers etc.), as well as bitter disappointment in others (peas and sunflowers). Not only did we try our expertise in the planting and harvesting side of the sustainable farm project but also adventured outside the realm of regularity, pursuing and completing things such as the cheese press, rainwater harvesting and distribution system and crop storage. For myself personally it was extremely enjoyable to tackle projects I had never experienced before as there is no better way to learn… and learn I did. Also having the opportunity to start and finish my own garden was very rewarding. The respect I have for agriculturalists, farmers and hobbyists has certainly multiplied over this past year, as I recognized how much work there is to not only start and maintain a garden, but to plan out all the steps in between to make sure our ‘sustainable farm project’ goes according to plan. Necessities like companion planting, crop rotation and animal deterrence are all crucial pieces of this puzzle, yet often overlooked. One piece of advice I would have for anyone looking to follow in our footsteps would be to make sure you do not rush past the planning process. It is so easy to head straight to the planting process, getting those seeds in the ground, spreading compost and watering them. You need to figure out if you want to save seeds from the veggies you harvest, which plants need what type of soil and maintain those pH levels, and the locations of plants in your garden so they can be rotated effectively from year to year to avoid disease. If even one of these important steps is overlooked, major problems are almost certain to arrive. Therefore, take your time…. and PLAN!

The crazy part of it all is… just as this year has come to an end, the planning time is just about to begin all over again. Soon we will be ordering more seeds from our friends at Vesey’s and McFayden Seeds and determining their roles in the garden for this coming season. In fact, later this afternoon we will be cleaning out the greenhouse and planting some tomatoes… and I thought the growing season was over! Have a prosperous and healthy New Year!

Colin Phillips

September 14 2011

As the growing season begins to come to an end, which saddens us all, this is the prime time for a majority of the fruits and veggies we have growing in the garden to mature and be harvested. This morning we collected some of the them, hoping to make a nice arrangement that can later be eaten! On the first Friday of the month at the company staff party we had our first opportunity to taste and enjoy veggies out of the garden like beans, carrots and tomatoes. Here is a photo of a few of the veggies we harvested just an hour ago.

On a side note, since the growing season is coming to a close, a whole new list of tasks forms. We have recently begun experimenting with the storage aspect of gardening and running a successful sustainable farm. Freezing and drying fruits and vegetables from the garden for storage.. so we do not produce any waste is something we take pride in. Furthermore, saving the seeds from vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, broccoli and lettuce have become a common hobby of ours, not only to save money, but to save seeds from specific plants that exceeded expectations in terms of the amount of produce they create but by the size as well. That way we can make sure the seeds in our arsenal are from the highest quality of fruit or vegetable, making our garden that much better and efficient in years to come.

Colin Phillips

July 25 2011

As promised in the blog before, I said that i would update our followers with many photos of the fruits and veggies that are growing in the garden. After many days of hard work, the foods of our labour are beginning to show, despite the best efforts of the local deer to eat everything in sight. Most mornings new footprints from deer appear in the garden, not to mention missing plants that existed only the day previous. We have actually done quite a respectable job at protecting the plants from the deer this growing season. Oddly enough, the deer have taken an interest in the potatoes and the sunflowers, completely destroying the sunflower patch and chomping off around a dozen potatoes as well. These were two things we thought deer never had much interest in;  but apparently that has changed this year! Overall, all the fruits and vegetables have slowly begun to appear, so as promised here are some pictures of the growth that is taking place outside in our garden.

Colin Phillips

June 15 2011

With all this rain that we have been having, and the many previous days of sunshine, the garden here at NCR Inc. is quickly taking shape! For myself, one sign of progress happening in the garden is when our June-bearing strawberries begin to form. We have been keeping a close eye on the berries, to make sure we can get the ripe ones before the birds do… which unfortunately is inevitable. This morning was our first real harvest of anything in the garden..

… and here was the result!                            

Speaking for myself, I know that after putting so much time into the garden with the watering, weeding, mulching and pruning, getting something back from it is certainly encouraging and very rewarding. Stay tuned for photos of what other fruits and veggies are currently appearing on a daily basis!

Colin Phillips

June 3 2011

Here are some photos of what the plant protection system were using looks like as a final product!

June 2 2011

In regards to the garden, nearly every fruit and vegetable we wanted to have in the garden is in there! The weather, which has been extremely difficult to predict has caused some challenges for the recently transplanted tomatoes and peppers. I think the cold nights and heavy winds have certainly caused them some shock… but they are pushing through!

Now that everything is in the garden, a different set of challenges arises! Due to our location there is certainly no shortage of wildlife in the area. Unfortunately, these animals view our hard work not as an accomplishment, but more as a delicious snack! As a result we have come up with a neat design to prevent deer, birds, rabbits and other other critters from getting to our plants! Basically we have strung twine through stakes pounded into the soil, and ran a plastic mesh called “Bird D-Fence” over the twine so it is suspended off the ground. To keep it in place I manufactured some tent pegs out of wire to secure them to the ground. When weeding time comes I can lift the pegs out of the ground, fold up the mesh and weed without interruption.  Only time will tell if this contraption will work… so far.. so good!

May 19 2011

Since it has been such a long time from my last blog until now, there have been a bunch of changes in the sustainable farm process! Our gardening has finally taken off now that the weather is beginning to cooperate… allowing us to plant potatoes, peas, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, grapes, broccoli and cucumber which is not even half of the fruits, veggies and grains we hope to have in our garden and field by years end. In regards to the strawberries, we uncovered a nice surprise when we determined that there was a 60′ x 3′ bed full of tristar strawberries that had not only survived the winter but had sent out plenty of runners which will increase the density of strawberry plants in that bed, and provide us with a larger harvest at the end of the year! This may translate into a few pies as well

Another accomplishment we tackled at NCR Inc. last week was the re-introduction of our ‘drip’ line system to the garden layout. It operates solely through the use of gravity, where watered is collected from the eavestrough, deposited into metal tanks, ran through a garden hose to a series of slow-dripping lines  which release water into all our garden beds. Since the beds lie down-grade of the house and the water tanks, we simply clear the garden hose of any air and water can run constantly to the garden using zero electricity or energy. A highly recommended system for anyone wondering how to provide water to their gardens and harness what nature gives us in unison.

I’m continuing to work in the garden and in the field planting, preparing, maintaining and expanding our facilities and operations in hopes of reaching our goal of a fully sustainable farm.

Colin Phillips

April 21 2011

I’m not sure if anyone else feels this way but i’m beginning to get frustrated with the weather outside. If I remember correctly it was sunny and warm around this time last year! Warm enough for me to golf at least! I’m sick of the cold, rain and snow and just want to get started outside in the garden. Not only is the frustration starting to build but some of our tomato plants are becoming too big for the greenhouse and need to get outside. The weather needs to change ASAP for myself and the plants. Hopefully my prayers are answered.

Colin Phillips

April 19 2011

It’s been a while since I last posted a blog, and believe me a lot has happened in that time! With spring just around the corner the first thing we hope to do soon is till up the 14 strip beds on the east side of the buildings, where we will eventually plant all sorts of fruits and veggies (from turnips to tomatoes and peas to potatoes). We hope to have this chore knocked off the list asap considering some of our tomato and pepper plants are becoming too big for the greenhouse as you will see in the pictures below.

We have also began the ‘hardening off’ process for some of our broccoli, lettuce and spinach plants. We have a south facing greenhouse which is generally 10-15 degrees cooler than our indoor one, which will get these cool weather crops ready for transplanting as soon as the soil rises in temperature and looses some moisture.

On a separate note, I took on an interesting and hopefully very useful project, which was to construct a cheese press out of scrap materials, since Kathy has become not only interested in, but quite proficient at making delicious cheese! After some quick research and hard work I completed a completely operational press. Here are some pics of the finished product… and of course feel free to comment and ask how to make one for yourself!

March 31 2011

Another important aspect of the sustainable farm project, and the one we have certainly spent a lot of time developing, would be our focus on renewable energy solutions around the property. Our goal is to become entirely energy independent, essentially going ‘off the grid’. With the likes of a wind turbine, rainwater harvesting system, multiple solar panels used for electricity, as well as a solar thermal energy system used to provide the house with hot water, we are consistently looking for new and exciting options on the green energy front. Not only have we installed systems to provide us with alternative energy, but simply cutting down on our current use of energy is also a goal and concern of NCR Inc.  For example, we harvest rainwater, which flows through lines down to the garden, requiring only gravity to make the system work. Other examples of energy efficiency projects around the house would be things such as energy efficient light bulbs, caulking all windows to stop drafts and introducing new insulation solutions for the basement, in the hopes of drastically lowering our green footprint! Whether it’s installing new energy producing systems or overhauling already established ones, we enjoy and look forward to turning what we have into a consolidated, efficient and sustainable establishment.

Colin Phillips

March 30 2011

Just a quick update on the vegetable front…we have noticed that one of the tomato plants that is being maintained in our greenhouse has started to produce some tomatoes. Although not mature, hopefully this little tomato is a great sign of things to come for many of the other varieties of tomato that are currently establishing themselves in our greenhouse as well. We knowingly planted different varieties at different times in the past couple months, which should give us a great yield of tomatoes throughout the entire growing season.

March 24 2011

Although it’s not quite that time of year where we can work in the garden, preparations are already taking place for what we are going to grow this year. I have been planting seeds indoors and taking cuttings from adult plants over the last month or so, to help us be ready for transplanting these vegetables and herbs outside when the weather is right!! Roma and Brandywine tomatoes, thyme, basil, parsley, mint, Bell and California wonder peppers, as well as geranium cuttings are well on their way in our greenhouse. Here are some pictures that might help peak interest

Soon enough it will be time for these plants to take their new home out in the garden!!

Colin Phillips

March 17 2011

A new and very exciting project is unfolding here at Natural Capital Resources. In the works since early January 2011, it blossomed originally as some brainstormed ideas jotted down on a piece of paper. But over the last couple months, we have transformed these vague ideas into a focused project that will change the landscape at NCR Inc…literally.

We’re calling it the Sustainable Farm Project. We are about to use our 10-acre property as a “living lab” for a (small) sustainable farm. As much as possible, we will be growing our food, generating our own renewable energy, with the ultimate goal of  seeing whether 10 acres of land in Eastern Ontario could support 12 people. We chose an even dozen because Kathy really likes to set the bar high!

As the Sustainable Farm Project Leader, I will be posting updates on this blog devoted to the Sustainable Farm Project. Here you will find updates on how we will be using this 10 acre parcel,  new crops, techniques and technologies, what we’re doing indoors and out to transform the property,  our latest construction projects, business expansions, the progress we’re making in each area of sustainability, every other new interesting event or activity that happens here at NCR Inc.

So check back in often! Spring is just around the corner… but we’re already hard at work on the Sustainable Farm Project!!!!

Colin Phillips

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