Rain!! Last Thursday, as I was picking out a silky summer skirt to wear to the theatre, I heard the unmistakable plop of a raindrop, hitting the deck. I thought it would pass, just another midsummer tease, but after a few moments the clouds let loose a proper peppering, that grew into a juicy fat rainstorm. Though i feel your pain, wedding planners and market vendors: is there anything quite as sweet as a July downpour? Because it has been hoooooooot. Hot enough to have us lingering by the freezer section at Country Grocer just to catch some chill. So hot that people get road rage trying to find parking at the lake. Hot enough that dogs refused to chase sticks. Thanks to this week’s rain: we’re on the other side of sweltering. Everything green and growing is looking a whole lot perkier. There are little pools of water in the petioles — that’s the place where leaf meets stem — that make tiny swimming ponds for treefrogs. The day after a drenching, with raindrops b…

A higher than usual population of Purple Finches this year, at least in the Gulf Islands and Victoria area, is making the birds unpopular with gardeners. These finches have a taste for tender vegetable leaves, especially of Brassicas, and they also peck at broccoli heads, fruit tree flowers, pods of peas and other vegetables. Most gardeners know to protect strawberries, cherries, and other fruit from birds and protect seedbeds from birds scratching up seeds. But the damage to leaves has been puzzling many people who are wondering if some really big insects are responsible. Quail, and sometimes other birds, also peck at vegetable leaves, but this year finches are tearing large ragged pieces from tender leaves, nipping V-shaped notches around leaf margins and hollowing out broccoli heads. The 1-inch welded wire cages I made years ago to cover seedbeds work well to keep finches from getting seedlings, but as soon as plants are tall enough to touch the wire cover, the birds rip int…

Juicy strawberries! Frilly kale! Tangerine coloured carrots and blueberries: oh how we love you, July. No matter how many times we pull in harvests from the fields, it’s always a joy to taste just how deliciously flavourful food can be when it comes from the Salt Spring soil. We’re in the thick of the season: that means we’re busy planning long table dinners, and sharing wood fired pizzas at the farm. Getting ready for music, drifting across fields at sunset. Learning new skills, meeting neighbours, and celebrating an abundance that we are determined should reach everyone who eats for a living. ALL of us, whether we can afford land, or whether we rely on the food bank, deserve access to healthy local food. Check out what’s in store at the Farmland Trust this summer: • This week, the brilliant Luke Wallace is hosting a Field Hollers Songcraft Workshop at the farm followed by an open air concert at Westcott Farm (July 3). Tickets • On August 11, join our Farmland …

We are moving into the season when we start planting in earnest for winter harvests. If you are growing your own winter broccoli and winter cauliflower from seed, sow this week if you haven’t already done so. I went into varieties and sources in detail last year so I refer you to my message of June 16, 2025. It is also time to sow cabbage varieties that take 80-90 days to harvest. You can seed directly in the garden, but if there is a failure—what with midday heat, birds, slugs, etc.—it can be too late to start again, so I find it more reliable to sow in seedling trays. That way I can move the little plants safely indoors at night until they are big enough to plant. There is no need for grow lights as seedlings can be set outdoors during the day. Remember to set them in partial shade on hot days. Or you can skip fussing with seeds and buy starts in July and August from local suppliers that plant the right varieties for our winters (I will list the ones I know of in my next emai…

As the growing season gets underway, we have much to celebrate and be thankful for at Harvest Farm at Island Community Services. A giant heartfelt thank you goes out to Windsor Plywood, Forsyth Farm, and Charles Excavating for their generous support of Harvest Farm Central at Brinkworthy and Lower Ganges Roads. Their contributions have helped us complete important work, including improving drainage around our greenhouses, moving topsoil into growing spaces, and preparing the land for the arrival of our AgriKit – a modular food processing and storage unit, thanks to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. These improvements put us in a strong position to plant cover crops this season and establish winter crops in our greenhouses later this year. We are grateful for the support of local businesses that help make this work possible and strengthen food security in our community. Our Grow a Row campaign is off to a great start, with 14 community members already signed up to g…

You know when you've planted a garden — beds built, weeds pulled, seeds watered — and then... nothing. Things grow very slowly.... painfully slowly. Slugs dine. Then, you wake up one morning to find everything suddenly flourishing, thanks to rain, sunlight, and all the unseen magic underground. That's how it feels this summer at the Farmland Trust. Though I have been the Executive Director since only May of 2025, I got involved in 2010: way, way back near the beginning, when a 60-acre farm had been entrusted to a group of dedicated islanders to become a resource for growers who wanted to farm, but couldn't access land at Salt Spring prices. Back then, tasked with building the first website, I sat with volunteers who all had this shiny glow of belief in their eyes as they tried to describe the community benefits of something that did not yet exist. Today, that vision has become real: hands in the soil, music under the stars, shared harvests and long tables full…

The news of this spring continues to be the extremely dry conditions early in the season and the looming forecast of a hotter and drier than average summer due to the effects of a strong El Niño. After over a month without a drop of rain, some coastal areas received a little rain one day last week, but others barely saw the soil dampened. Soil in beds I haven’t planted or started to irrigate yet are dry dust deep into the root zone. If your early-sown vegetables don’t seem to be doing very well, check that they are getting enough water--many gardeners are not used to having to water this early in the season. Same with mulching: I usually start laying mulch around plants in June, but this year mulching a month early is in order. It makes a huge difference in conserving soil moisture, especially right now when plants are small and much of the water is leaving the soil by evaporation rather than being take up by plants. If the early May heat wave killed or stunted seedlings in you…

A quick note to alert you that this spell of warm weather may bring unseasonably hot weather to some gardens over the weekend, especially inland, away from the cooling influence of water bodies. Forecast highs of 27-28oC [though this is forecast for inland Lower Mainland, some gardens at higher elevation, on forested areas on SSI, like mine is, will likely experiences these highs] wouldn’t be a problem for mature vegetables in July, but could be fatal to germinating seeds and newly transplanted seedlings if they aren’t shaded. Opaque shade materials, such as burlap, white plastic, newspaper can be used to shade seedbeds until germination. But check every day and remove the cover at the first sign of tiny green shoots. If the weather is still very warm when you uncover the bed, replace the opaque cover with shade cloth that lets in 50% of light. Or shade the seedlings with turned over seedling flats (the black plastic latticework ones) or any other structures or screens that cut…

Twelve joined this ASK Salt Spring gathering to welcome the Salt Spring Island Farmland Trust’s Executive Director Andrea Palframan and Board Chair Jenn LeBlanc. While not a large group, after our gathering, Andrea noted that each one of our participants brought a unique and valuable perspective, creating a quite wonderful conversation. After an Acknowledgement during which Andrea spoke of the power of healing relationships offered to us by Reconciliation, we had a chance to introduce ourselves. Among the participants were several farmers and long-time agricultural advocates as well as a few elected officials and some who were simply excited about the potential of eating what we grow, wanting to learn all that they could. Jenn told us that she was “excited and delighted” by living on Salt Spring, a welcome respite after years in Silicon Valley running a tech marketing firm as well as supporting female founders in securing venture capital and funding. Bringing a passio…

Finally! Warm days without freezing nights are forecast for the next 10 days—after what has been a pretty chilly April. It seems like garden centres are bringing in vegetable starts earlier every year, so if you planted seedlings and they got frosted last week, start again, as it looks like it is warming up nicely. Peas, lettuce and other salad greens can usually weather a light frost without serious injury, but might have been damaged in gardens that had a hard frost last week. Early planted seedlings may also have fallen prey to climbing cutworms. They will be winding up their caterpillar phase in the next week or two to pupate in the soil so at that point they stop eating plants (the moths emerge later in the summer). Yesterday I put away the heat mat I use to germinate seedlings because the last of the seeds I start indoors have germinated. Once seeds germinate, bottom heat is no longer needed (in fact, keeping seedlings on bottom heat too long makes them grow elongated,…

This event was a collaboration between the Salt Spring Seed Sanctuary Society, Salt Spring Island Farmland Trust, and Island Natural Growers. On Sunday, February 22, over 30 people gathered at the Farmers Institute to learn about and explore the rich complexities, threats, and new directions for our community seed system. Many of us “save seeds” from our gardens and farms. This increases our resilience in local food systems, supports regional adaptation in the seeds themselves, opens another product line for local market farms, and builds community among seed savers and those seeking access to local seeds. It’s a rich web of connection, knowledge sharing, and food sovereignty—and this is what we immersed ourselves in at the Seed Symposium. There was too much shared to give you the full meal deal, but here are some highlights, along with links to go deeper: Community seed systems exist at the periphery of formal seed regulations, making seed saving a (vulnerable) privilege in…

Everyone is eager to plant, despite the occasional waft of winter-like weather (it snowed all yesterday evening at my place). So what can you do right now? The soil is going to be too wet to work with all the rain this week, but you can try sowing a few things in beds where the soil is reasonably fertile already. Rake off any mulch and remove weeds, then poke pea seeds into the mud or scatter seeds of lettuce, spinach, radishes, cilantro, dill, arugula on the surface. Press seeds lightly into the soil and cover the beds with something (e.g., wire mesh, chickenwire, screening, insect netting, floating row cover) to prevent birds from pecking up the seeds. Scattering safe slug bait (ferric or iron phosphate) is advisable too. Be prepared to sow again if bad weather or slugs or cutworms get the seedlings. Climbing cutworms will be chomping until the end of April; after that they are in the pupa stage, developing into a moth, so are no longer feeding. Other planting this month: …

Spring is often painted as a season of renewal: buds appear, soil warms, and hope blooms with the first lettuce seedlings. But for many farmers and growers, this time of year also brings deep pressure. Between unpredictable weather swings and the push to prepare for another demanding season, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Growing can also be isolating and stressful, with mental health challenges woven into the rhythm of sowing and harvest. Recognizing this reality, three supportive offerings — each rooted in community, care, and connection — are helping farmers tend to their well-being as much as their fields. Forest Bathing — Nature as Therapy Stephanie Karlovits invites growers to slow down and reconnect with the natural world in a restorative way. Inspired by the practice of shinrin-yoku (forest bathing), these guided forest and nature therapy walks gently lead participants through peaceful forest settings, encouraging mindful engagement with the living landsca…

The weather forecast this morning continues to show a few cold nights this week—ranging from -2 to -5oC [23-28oF] in some south coast areas for Wednesday and Thursday. While in mid-winter such temperatures would not damage hardy vegetables, the warm winter we have had has brought on early, and less frost hardy, new growth. Depending on how low it goes, our usually hardy winter vegetables may be at risk of frost injury for a few nights: lows down to -2oC probably aren’t a problem, but -5oC definitely would be damaging. Be ready to spread any kind of tarps, plastic sheets, floating row cover, old bedsheets or other lightweight cover, over beds of celery, lettuce, spinach and other leafy greens. This is well worth doing as this could be the only cold enough weather to spoil the spring harvest from overwintered plants. I have heads forming on my purple sprouting broccoli plants and because heads are less hardy than leaves, I will harvest them today. Depending on our local forecast…

Highlights from a talk by Usha Rautenbach and Charles Kahn, given at the Salt Spring Centre of Yoga on Tuesday, January 27. 2026 Salt Spring was one of the first farming communities in British Columbia and remained so until the end of World War II. No fortunes were made in farming, and working the soil was always difficult. Only 20 percent of the land was suitable for agriculture and most of it was scattered in little pockets in low-lying areas. Farming on a large scale was not possible. Settlers began arriving in 1859, but official surveys did not take place until the 1870s. Surveyor Ashton Green, who mapped much of the island in 1874, expressed skepticism that farming here could succeed at all. He found the land rocky, wet, and unforgiving. Yet history proved otherwise. Areas once dismissed as useless wetlands later became some of the island’s most productive farmland after it has been logged, drained, and worked with care. The first settlers In 1859 Governor James …

I was suddenly prodded into action last week to get going on fruit tree pruning after I noticed that buds on my peach tree were swelling. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise given the warm winter we have had so far…..So If you can, take advantage of this spell of dry weather to prune fruit trees. Pruning while it is dry avoids spreading diseases, such as European canker or bacterial canker. Do sanitize pruning tools between trees to avoid inadvertently spreading diseases, even if trees don't look diseased and sanitize tools between every cut if you are working on a trees that shows signs of cankers [for photos]. To sanitize, dip tools for a few minutes a solution of 1 part eco-bleach (hydrogen peroxide) or chlorine bleach to 4 parts water or wipe tools with rubbing alcohol; dry and oil pruners afterward to ensure they don’t rust. Pruning fruit trees: This may seem a daunting task, fraught with rules—but don’t worry: Your trees don’t have to be pruned according to professio…

Salt Spring Island, BC Salt Spring Island’s foodways have sustained people for thousands of years. Yet today, the majority of the food consumed on the island is imported. A new two-part public series hosted by the Salt Spring Island Farmland Trust (SSIFLT) invites the community to explore how this shift occurred — and what the island’s agricultural past can teach us about building a more resilient food future. Hosted as part of SSIFLT’s Root to Bloom Centre, the series brings together leading researchers and local historians to examine the full arc of Salt Spring’s food systems, from Indigenous land stewardship to settler-era farming and beyond. Part One: Indigenous Food Systems Tuesday, January 20 • Salt Spring Centre of Yoga • In person & Zoom The first event features Chris Arnett, historian, archaeologist, and author, who will guide participants through the deep history of Indigenous food systems on Salt Spring Island and throughout the Gulf Islands. Drawin…

Immersive, community-based program prepares new farmers with land access and mentorship Salt Spring Island, BC A new full-time Neighbourhood Farmer Training is launching on Salt Spring Island in 2026, offering emerging farmers a rare opportunity to gain hands-on experience, deepen their skills, and secure land to grow food for their local community. Hosted by Island Natural Growers, the local chapter of Canadian Organic Growers, the training is an immersive, community-rooted program designed to prepare emerging growers to confidently start their own Neighbourhood Farm. The first year of the program runs full-time from April through September 2026. Participants will receive practical, field-based training, mentorship, and direct connections to Salt Spring Island’s food network. In the first year, trainees will be matched with land through established partnerships with local landholders. In the second year of the program, participants will grow food for the communit…

With hardly anything to do in the garden at this time of year, the gardener’s main job is to harvest vegetables when needed—and, of course, to be vigilant in case of cold weather. So far it has been a warm fall, but I think I will lay that extra layer of leaves over my root crops this week. If you are going to be away over the holidays or too busy to worry about the garden, sparing a few minutes to add more mulch now will protect the garden should temperatures start dip below freezing. If you are concerned about yellowing and dying lower leaves on broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprout plants at this time of year, don’t worry! It is normal for the oldest leaves to be dropping now. I just leave them under the plants to add to the mulch protecting the soil. All we really need to be concerned about is making sure these big, top-heavy plants are well enough staked or supported that the stems and roots won’t be damaged by high winds or heavy snow. If younger green leave…

Salt Spring’s farmers are the backbone of our island’s food security — and when emergencies strike, the entire community feels the impact. That’s why the Salt Spring Island Farmland Trust is launching an island-wide call to farmers: tell us what you need to stay resilient when things get tough. Whether you’ve weathered storms, droughts, infrastructure breakdowns, or power outages, your experience matters, and the support you identify now will directly shape how our community prepares for future crises. What Do You Need Most in an Emergency? We’re asking farmers across Salt Spring to share: What disrupts your farm operations the most What resources, tools, or supports would make the biggest difference What barriers keep you from fully preparing And what ideas you believe could strengthen our island’s resilience as a whole Tell us about it here. Your voice will directly inform how the Farmland Trust, local partners, and emergency planners can better…

Say “Yes” This Giving Tuesday: Be a Friend of the Farmland Trust I remember the day I laid my newborn son down in a meadow along Beaver Point Road. In that moment I looked at my boy, his tiny chest rising and falling against the great green heart of this island, and I thought, “We’re home.” That sense of belonging — of being rooted in this place — has shaped everything I’ve done since. I’ve spent 25 years here learning how, just as the grand trees of this coastal rainforest are nourished by a shimmering web of mycelium, my humble kitchen table could become the launchpad to organize festivals, start non-profits organizations and grow a network that has spread like dandelion seeds from this tiny island to the mountains of Africa and the bighouse of Bella Bella. No matter where on Earth my work has taken me, I’ve always been sustained by my connection with the forests and fields of Salt Spring — forces that hold the magic power to restore my faith in the possi…