By Owner Elva Tammemagi

written by Staff member Margret Taylor The month of September has come and (almost) gone, and has brought with it a mix of warm days, cool weather, and lots of rain! The Harvest Moon welcomed the Autumnal Equinox this week, marking the beginning of the fall season. Although the busiest summer months have passed, the hustle continues as we continue to sow, plant, harvest, and prep for the winter. Fruit season is coming to a close but we are still enjoying the sweet, wild, pesticide-free apples from the orchard! Cue reminiscing to the beginning of the season! Remember when the fields looked like this? The farm on June 9 2021- what would soon become glorious beds of kale, chard, cucumbers, squash, herbs, salad greens, tomatoes, radishes, beets, carrots, cabbage, beans, peas, bok choi, eggplants, peppers, sunflowers, and more. We've come so far! Plant Progress Special shoutout to our resident kale and swiss chard crops that have stuck with us throughout the entire season and generously provided us with plentiful harvests! Dino and Curly Kale June 2 - July 23 - September 23 (above) Rainbow Chard June 2 - August 20 - September 23 Here is a before and after of some of the slower growing and cool weather crops from this season that we are excited to harvest into the fall including: brussel sprouts, carrots, napa cabbage and winter squash! Purple Brussel Sprouts June 2 - August 4 (above) Purple Brussel Sprouts Aug 20 - September 23 (above) Napa Cabbage August 13 - September 23 (above) Carrots! August 4 - September 23 (above) Winter Prep We've been doing a few things around the farm to prepare for the colder months, including planting frost tolerant crops, securing the greenhouse for the chickens (who are dreading the snow) and harvesting dry beans for next years crop! It's been a great season and we've almost made it to the end. Despite dealing with power tool failure (Don't even get Elva started), pests and critters, unpredictable and sometimes less-than-ideal weather, burnout, and all of the other obstacles farmers face (not to mention all of this during our second year in the midst of a global pandemic), we've also experienced abundant and delicious harvests, some beautiful weather, a few cute critters, great employees and volunteers , and a continued appreciation for the land and the community that allows this all to happen! Until next year!

written by Staff member Margret Taylor The heat is raging on as August moves forward. Weeding continues as does more planting, staying on top of harvesting and getting rid of pesky bugs. The Japanese Beetle, Colorado Potato Beetle and Tomato Hornworm in particular have been making tasty treats for the chickens this year. Bright yellow aphids have been catching our attention as they take over some of the milkweed plants in the field - we leave patches of milkweed plants in the field for once endangered monarch butterflies to enjoy. The aphids feed on the sap of the milkweed and secrete a liquid called honeydew. This honeydew is loved by ants, and some species of ants have been known to herd the aphids on to these plants to later feed off of the honeydew they produce! Ants are farmers too!

August Updates written by Staff member Margret Taylor Succession planting continues into the month of August to ensure a steady supply of delicious veg, including arugula, green and red frills mustard, salad mix, dill, cabbage, and more! Arugula from July 23 (first two pictures above), to August 4 (last picture). Some of the warm season vegetables- purple, yellow, and dragon's tongue beans, heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers and summer squashes- have been busy producing some delicious fruits for harvest, with peppers, winter squashes, and eggplants coming soon! Blackberries are also in season and are gracing CSA baskets, as well as the Rhizome Farms Farmstand every Saturday and Sunday 11-5! See them in person, along with the above mentioned, as well as sunflower, hyacinth bean, mustard, cilantro and other seedlings! Tomato town Veggies to look forward to Purple bok choy, malabar spinach, carrots, brussel sprouts, corn, and more!

written by Staff member Margret Taylor As July comes to a close, the fields continue to provide, and the delicious results of new growth are readying for harvest! CSA Registration is still open and there are plenty of vegetables to go around- sign up here! Since the last update, yellow, purple, (and soon dragon's tongue beans) have been growing beautifully and filling CSA baskets along with kale, chard, peas, basil, parsley, and more. What's New Harvests continue as does nurturing new life! Lots of weeding and turning over beds for new plants has been happening. Tons of new seedlings have successfully been planted! Arugula, luffa gourds, malabar spinach, and red frills mustard are just a few of the seedlings that have recently gone into the ground, alongside the direct seeding of more beans! Plant Progress See some of the plant progress happening below! First two pictures are the same Carnival Squash just one week apart! You can enjoy some of the goodness yourself by signing up to be a part of the CSA program or by stopping by the Rhizome Farms farmstand every weekend 11-4 where an array of fresh veggies, seedlings, and other wonderful items are being sold! Rhizome Farms produce will also be available from Downtown St. Catharines Friday evenings 4:30-8pm and through-out pop-up summer markets, stay tuned to social media to find out more.

written by Staff member Margret Taylor 2021 CSA Registration is Open First, registration to become part of the CSA program is once again open! CSA members get to enjoy a weekly share of naturally grown produce from June-October. To learn more and become a Rhizome Farms CSA member click here! Shop Rhizome Farms Online! The Rhizome Farms online store has been updated with a bunch of delicious items! Check it out on the website here to see what fresh local produce and goods are available for purchase. Orders can be made by emailing rhizomefarms@gmail.com with the list and quantity of items you would like to buy. Orders can be delivered for a $5 fee, or they can be picked up on site at the weekly Farmgate on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11-4! See some of the goodies up for sale below: Updates Things have been busy on the farm this week as mulching, weeding, and more harvesting continues! This week we have also begun prepping some more beds for new life to be planted. Kale and chard continue to provide abundant harvests, and some new goodies have begun to come up. Beautiful green and purple snow peas have graced us with their presence, and mulberries, currants and gooseberries are fulfilling our fruit fantasies! The first zucchinis and cucumbers have been harvested, and beans, eggplants, tomatoes and peppers are thriving. Bamboo trellises have been installed to accommodate the growing cucumbers. The first peppers and tomatoes are ripening and will be making their way into CSA baskets very soon! Yellow and purple beans have exploded with abundance, and soon we will also have Dragon's Tongue Beans!

Flowers, Harvests, Deliveries, Farmgate! written by Staff member Margret Taylor (Shoutout to volunteer and friend of the farm Jules for the great mulch pun!!) Stop by the farm this weekend from 11-4 to pick up some fresh produce and other Rhizome Farms goodies including a variety of greens, lavender and lemonbalm bunches, honey, spices, mulberries, fresh eggs, and bamboo stakes! While we've been busy weeding and mulching away, we are getting closer to enjoying more of the fruits (and vegetables) of our labour!! Lots of things have started to flower around the farm meaning fruit and veggie production is hopefully not far behind! Beautiful fresh rainbow chard, radishes, mustard bunches, baby kale, and mixed lettuce made their way to The Peanut Mill and The Grove last week. To find out where you can purchase Rhizome Farms goodies throughout the season, follow @rhizome_farms on Instagram and Facebook!

With the rain and warm temperatures the fields are looking super green! (and white where row cover is protecting more vulnerable crops). Of course, this also includes lots of weeds so staying on top of weeding will continue to be a priority to ensure younger and smaller crops have enough space and sun to grow. This week we have been doing some more seeding including romaine, moose melon (aka cucamelon), and copenhagen cabbage, and have dug a few more holes in the field to make room for more squash! We saw our first radishes this past week and are looking forward to harvesting more CSA goodies very soon!! Below is some crop progress over the past few weeks. We’ve had some guest appearances on the farm by the flea beetle and Colorado potato beetle so managing these guys (and more) is also on our radar as the season continues. The first CSA harvest will begin soon! CSA customers- keep your eyes peeled for a fun section coming soon to the website :)

It's been an endlessly long winter (for many reasons), but things are finally starting to heat up at Rhizome Farms! Here are some long awaited updates on everything that's been happening. First, for the cutest update of the week: the chickens are settling in nicely and are enjoying socializing with all of our new employees!! Field Updates As for the fields, the past few weeks have been a whirlwind of transplanting, seeding, mulching, weeding, covering beds, uncovering beds, and wishful thinking!! We've been busy at work planting and seeding a ton of stuff including; an array of squashes (carnival, patty pan, mashed potato squash, green and yellow zucchini), basil, parsley, salad greens, brussel sprouts, cucumbers, radishes, beets, carrots, potatoes, a variety of beans, peas, eggplants and more! Prepping and planting potatoes! Baby Kale (below) Yellow Swiss Chard (below) Purple Brussel Sprout (below) The cooler temperatures of last week left us scrambling to cover some of our new transplants. Apart from a few unlucky ones, most survived and are loving the warm temperatures this week has brought us so far! Some lucky veggies enjoying the sun: Tomato (below) Peter Pepper (below) What's Next? Plans for next week include (more!) weeding, covering crops to protect them from insects, field mice and other predators (like the adorable bunny, deer and groundhog!), mulching, seeding trays, etc ! We're looking forward to our first CSA basket of the year! Exciting things are in store for the greenhouse! With a little bit of TLC, we hope to turn the greenhouse into a garden sanctuary with dreams of hanging ivy, luffa gourds, cucamelons, along with some comfy seating to retreat to after a long day in the fields! Harvests to look forward to: Radishes, kale, salad greens, arugula, rainbow chard, baby chard, mustard bunches, lemon balm, green garlic and scapes, red clover and microgreens!

This past month has been a whirr of weeding, harvesting, upkeep, and endurance. The heatwaves of July have ebbed into more tolerable August conditions. Yet, one thing (or should I say many) that persists, is creatures intent on taking a share of the crop. Ecologically, it makes sense. Nature is a series of struggles for survival. If you plunk rows of resources down, of course pests are going to take advantage--it’s what they do. Unfortunately, the organic farmer doesn’t have the luxury of a quick fix (looking at you, pesticides), they have to work within specific parameters to address this inevitability. Sometimes this looks dry, like row covers and mulch to prevent bugs from accessing vulnerable seedlings: Floating row cover (L) moved to the side to access brassica sprouts Sometimes it looks like modern necromancy by using the skeletons of diatoms to form a glass-like barrier around tantalizing sprouts: Diatomaceous Earth over brassica sprouts. The fossilized remains of diatoms are made up of silica, which will dessicate insects that come into contact with it Most of the time, however, it looks like tedious inspection and removal. This latter method was utilized to combat two nefarious culprits of destruction: The Tomato Hornworm and the Potato Beetle. The Tomato Hornworm Tomato hornworms are the caterpillar of the Five-spotted hawk moth. They have a voracious appetite and can defoliate entire plants. Fortunately, a good old-fashioned “pluck-n-chuck” is generally considered the most effective means to combat them. Potato Beetle Larvae on Eggplant The potato beetle on the other hand, is much more problematic. They have four instars (growth stages) and can cycle through them in as little as 21 days, allowing for multiple generations in a season. While the third and fourth instars (that bear a striking resemblance to Vogons from “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,”) are relatively simple to remove by hand, the smaller stages are much more of a pain to remove as they can tuck right in to the nodes of plants. It is this elusiveness, coupled with their prolific reproduction rates and a propensity for defoliation that makes the potato beetle such a devastating pest. This applies to farms that utilize sprays, too. While pesticides are the primary method of control on many commercial farms, the potato beetle is exceptional at developing resistance. In fact, between populations, they have managed to develop resistance to all major classes of pesticides. Sneaky, sneaky underside hideout Thankfully, there are other options to protect organic farms. There’s crop rotation, mulching, the aforementioned “pluck-n-chuck,” and possibly one of the most exciting methods--attempting to train chickens to eat interlopers:

This week was a scorcher! Irrigating was the main priority as good water supply is fundamental to fruit sizing up. New salad greens are continuing to grow and are anticipated to enter the field within the next few weeks! Heavy providers such as summer squash and peppers have said hello! We still await the eggplants and tomatoes as they are still ripening. While it might be a little too hot for tender greens others on the farm are having a blast. The berry selection on the farm is vast. Mulberries, raspberries, blueberries, gooseberries, and currants are soaking up this sunshine and are dangerously good. This week we began the production of flipping old salad beds and preparing them for seeding! Berry mix! (below) Blueberries are ripening! Mulberries (below) Summer Squash coming in strong Eggplants slowly coming! (below) Peppers are here! CSA customers received beautiful Carrot flowers! Kale forever providing for us

With July's arrival the higher temperatures welcomes fruit production! Summer squash, tomatoes, tomatillos, cabbages, gooseberries, raspberries, and mulberries have all made an appearance. This weeks CSA baskets New Farm Arrivals Summer Squash and first Pepper harvest Mulberries and Raspberries Tomatoes and Summer Squash Nappa Cabbage and Peach beginnings Gooseberries and Kohlrabi New Blooms Potato and Blackberry blossoms Next Week Next week we hope to continue staying on top of weed and pest pressure. We also hope to transplant out new bok choi and other salad greens into the field. We are excited to continue to introduce new goodies into CSA baskets as they arrive.