Garlic Planting - Fall 2016

WHEN & WHERE:

Our garlic planting began, like the previous year, at the end of October. Oct 29th and 30th and a few hours on Oct 31st, to be precise

We planted a one acre field next door to our previous year's field. 

GARLIC QUANTITY & VARIETY: 

45,000 cloves - 6 different varieties: Creme de La Rasa (marble purple stripe), Kostyn's Red (marble purple stripe), Tibetan (purple stripe), Yugoslavian (Porcelain), Chesnok (purple stripe) and our very own variety that we have name the Shuswap Delight to honour the region where we live and farm. It's a lovely porcelain variety which we hope to add to the market as seed garlic in 2018! 

HOW WE PLANTED: 

About a week prior to planting we popped all the garlic by hand with a crew of 5. Boy that was a task...it is hard on the hands after a couple hours, so prep well for the popping phase - give yourself plenty of time and gather a good crew.  For planting, we had a crew of about 7 people - we planted the majority of the rows in 2 days in fair conditions. There was very little sun on the field but the temperatures were mild until after 5pm - so we made sure to wrap it up soon after. 

HOW LONG: 

it took us 2 full days and about 2 hours or so with only 3 people the next day. 

re Details & Field notes:

1. Dimpler

Our dimpler is made from a 45 gallon steel drum and has 7 spokes/row made of rebar.  The spokes are spaced about 6 inches apart. 

2. Fertilizer and Mulch

We used composted poultry manure from Corfe's Farms in Armstrong on a suggestion by Jim at RCF. This year we brought in 30 metre load to cover approximately one acre.  

3. Rows

We have 11  Rows total on a one acre field. Each row is 3 feet wide and we have 2.5 feet between rows - Each row has approximately 600 spokes (Length wise) x 7 spokes - 

Field Tips: 

This year our only tip was to not burn out planters with long days in the field! we discovered that starting at 8 am means we have to stop at 5pm and not push it until 6pm. When we did push it we had a lot of sore workers and complaints the next day :) 

Dirty planter knees and our husky, Sasha sniffing the garlic :) - Photo by Patrick Hughes

Planting Garlic at Fissipes Farm ~ Fall 2015 ~ North Shuswap, B.C.

WHEN & WHERE:

Our garlic planting began in late October..on the 27th and 28th. My partners, David Dyck and J. Nowak and I were racing to get our garlic in days before the ground would freeze! We had recently attended the 2nd day of an awesome weekend garlic workshop taught by Jim Capellini at Rasa Creek Farm and now we were jumping in with both feet on 3 newly cleared acres of land at Fissipes Farm with 1/4 acre dedicated to planting garlic seed.  It's our first big garlic planting foray. In 2014 and 2015 I planted a small raised bed in my home garden from a variety of garlic that had mysteriously come up in my yard, given that we never planted any! I have kept that variety and will be experimenting with it and naming it for future use.. will keep you posted on how it turns out :)

GARLIC QUANTITY & VARIETY:

For our 2015 fall season we bought all our garlic seed from Rasa Creek Farm and our main variety was Creme De La Rasa, RCF's own variety which we are super excited to have in the ground. Other varieties were Tibetan Purple, Yugoslavian, Chesnok Red and Kostyn's Red. We had about 2000 bulbs in total. 

Sacks of Garlic Seed from Rasa Creek Farm - soon to be popped and planted

HOW WE PLANTED:

Everything was coming together at last, except we had to get a hold of a dimpler ASAP! We thought we'd borrow a dimpler from a neighbouring farm belonging to friends who used to plant garlic in large numbers but after seeing the dimpler it became clear it wasn't the right size. As a last minute plan we ended up commissioning the local mechanic - Jack - and his son to weld us a new one. Keep in mind it was ready the DAY OF PLANTING  (shout out to our local mechanic who made it a priority cause they knew were up against the weather. It pays to live in a smaller community :) ) - It cost us $400 cash for the dimpler but it was well worth it! We also borrowed a rototiller from a neighbour's farm down the road and 1 person rototilled while 2 people walked the dimpler right behind the newly tilled soil. (see 2 images below) 

We called our dimpler "Mad Max" 

HOW LONG:
 

With luck on our side, we managed to get an extra pair of hands to help us pop and plant. We popped the seeds in a day with 4 people working around 3.25 hours each. (13 popping hours in total) The next 2 days were dedicated to planting - We planted in very comfortable 8-10 degree weather but were concerned for the overnight frost on the ground but luckily it was gone by the day and our soil was beautifully soft for planting.  The first day was an afternoon planting from 2 - 6pm and the following was a morning schedule of around 9-11:30am. It took 4 of us about 4 hours each the first day and 2.5 hours the next. (About 25 hours of planting total- and that includes work with the dimpler and rototiller).  Literally as soon as we were done the rain started to come down..gently at first. So we swiftly packed up and went inside for some hot chicken soup...with garlic :) - nothing quite as satisfying and relieving as getting the planting done just in time! 

p.s. We delivered a bag of beautiful garlic from our popped seeds to an appreciative Jack and son the next day -:) 

Walking the dimpler behind the rototiller 

More Details & Field notes:

1. Dimpler

Our dimpler is made from a 45 gallon steel drum and has 7 spokes/row made of rebar.  The spokes are spaced about 6 inches apart. 

2. Fertilizer and Mulch

We didn't have enough time to use fertilizer or manure but we plan to add some in Spring - We will use composted poultry manure from Corfe's Farms in Armstrong on a suggestion by Jim at RCF. They were out of product when we contacted them in October so we will revisit the idea in early spring when we still have a chance to apply the fertilizer. We didn't have time to mulch either.. we ordered corrugated Kraft paper for mulch from Kamloops and we plan to apply it this spring when the snow melts. 

3. Rows

We have 7 Rows total - field 45.5 feet wide total - Each row is 3 feet wide and we have 2.5 feet between rows - See our garlic map below which was drawn with a sharpie on plywood so it will last and not get lost! 

Field Tips:

1. It worked really well for us to place our 5 different varieties of popped bulbs into labelled rough neck containers. Each planter would focus on completing their rough neck full.. and we would work on opposite sides of the field and plot and meet up in the middle so as to not get in each other's way. 

2. Another important tip :) - Planting in 8-10 degree overcast weather lends itself to a couple of coffee breaks for a little lift in spirits... and a dash of Carolan's in your brew doesn't hurt! 

Yulia Kiselev's work @ Berkeley Art Center September 12th-26th 2015

Proud to announce Yulia Kiselev's piece "Thinking About You" has been selected as part of Berkeley Art Center's Collect! 2015 Exhibition and Art Auction: September 12th-26th 

"Thinking of You" Watercolor on Archival Paper 22 X 30

Thre3 Contemporary Street Photographers / East Van Studios June 11th 2015

I had the distinct pleasure of attending "Thre3 Contemporary Street Photographers" curated by Ewan McNeil in east Vancouver with featured photographer, Patrick Hughes. We journeyed to the city together from the Shuswap the day of the opening where I also met the other two gifted photographers, Louise Francis Smith and Robert Earnest.  It was one of my first forays into the Vancouver art scene.

We were graciously hosted by Ewan McNeil on arrival at his charming home where he and his daughter, artist Jessie McNeil, create their own unique and inspiring works of art.  There was just enough time for refreshments at Ewan's and a quick shower and rest at my close by hotel before venturing out to meet Ewan and Patrick again for the opening reception..

Coming from the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles it was a real treat to enjoy a short,  magical walk through an old and charming city neighborhood, from our host's house to East Van Studios just round the bend. The venue, an old converted mechanic shop, was large yet intimate and well lit with interesting features in itself.. a tall white statue of Chairman Mao standing tall in the stairwell.. A large blue vinyl chair stands out against a white tiled floor downstairs where one can readily steal away from the crowd for a private chat..or perhaps an art deal? 

The talent at the show drew a large and dynamic crowd - early in the night and throughout the evening the room was buzzing with good energy. Robert Earnest's night photography series tantalized the crowd - Robert is a night wanderer and takes his pictures when most people are sound asleep. There is a  sharp edge to his photos - his lens captures the beauty and the  isolation of  the city at night and his images are at times as stark and cold as they are deep and stunning. - Louise Francis Smith's intriguing and compassionate images on the disappearing neighbourhoods of old Vancouver mesmerized the crowd- She has a way of capturing penetrating images with seeming effortlessness. With a striking use of tone and colour her images leave a lasting, nostalgic impression. As for Patrick Hughes.. well, full disclosure here.. I traveled with him and love his work but can safely say that if I didn't know him, his work would still enthrall me. Often juxtaposing images from both rural and urban settings, Patrick photographs what most passersby would not take a second, or even first glance at.. A reflection of a silhouette through a shop window with letters from a sign in the foreground which somehow gets you pondering philosophical thoughts.. while in the next frame he captures an iconic image of an eagle, wings raised, in mid-flight and about to land .. Patrick who spends a lot of time in the countryside exploring nature and caring for farm animals, will see things which you and I usually don't. How lucky that he invites us to see the world through the lens of a mystic country shepherd with a sense of humour.  :) 

Thank you to Ewan McNeil and all who made this show happen. -

Patrick Hughes (L), Louise Francis Smith (Center), Robert Earnest (R)