Food 4 Life Market Garden
215 Victoria Ave L0S 1C0 Fenwick, ON, Canada

Crazy day. In just a few hours, Tuesday to Wednesday. I am so glad that we had finished the polycarbonate sheets on the greenhouse. Plus I had an electrical socket installed inside the greenhouse, so there is a steady power source dedicated especially for the heater.... #greenhouse #greenhouses #greenhousegrown #greenhousegardening #organicgardening #backyardgarden #snow #snowday

This fertilizer sprayer from @fimcoindustries has been a time & labour saver. It used to take us about 2 weeks to spray 3 acres of garlic fields with a backpack sprayer - with 2 people. Presently it only takes us 1.5 days to do 5 acres - with only 1 person. Now I can spray organic fertilizer from @nugrowthbio at least twice a week.... #nugrowthbio #organicfertiliser #organicfertilizer #certifiedorganic #regenerative #regenerativefarm #regenerativeagriculture #organicgarlic #garlic #organicfarm #niagararegion #organicgarden #farmtotable #farmtochef #niagaraonthelake #pelham #fonthill #organicgardeners

Rain or shine, work still needs to continue on the farm. We had to weed as much as we could before the rainstorm. Weeds inside the garlic beds will reduce the bulb size of the garlic. That's why it is important to remove the weeds.... Weeds may be small, but after a rainstorm, they can sprout up by 2 to 3 inches within a day. So we were removing the larger weeds with a stirrup hoe from @johnnys_seeds and flaming the smaller (tiny) weeds with a flame weeder. We had to weed as much as we could before the rainstorm. We actually had hail coming down at us while we were weeding. We will be weeding again this weekend. #weeding #stirruphoe #flameweeder #certifiedorganic #organicfarm #regenerativefarm #regenerativefarming #regenerativefarmingmethods

Seedlings in the #greenhouse, eagerly waiting to be transplanted into the main farm. ETA planting date starting at end of April for cool weather vegetables. @hansommchef your babies have grown ... ... I have #romainlettuce (pack of 4 greens & 2 reds) for sale, as shown in pictures 4 & 5. DM me for details. #regenerative #organiclettuce #certifiedorganic #certifiedorganicfarm #regenerativeagriculture #teachingfarm #backyardfarming #gardenfarming #niagararegion #pelham #fonthill

It was time to replace the Gothic greenhouse covering in my backyard. My greenhouse in my backyard was just covered with heavy-duty plastic sheets. But when temperature drops to 5C or lower, all my transplants freezes overnight even with a heater. So it was time for replacement of the covering.... It took 3 people & almost 5 days of work to replace the plastic sheets to 6mm thick polycarbonate sheets that were 5 feet wide x 12 feet long. Not very conducive when it was also a windy day. But finally it was done. #greenhouse #greenhouses #greenhousestructure #hightunnel #organicfarm #certifiedorganic #regenerativefarm #regenerativeagriculture #humanswhogrowfood

End of season. This does not mean complete cleanup. For a regenerative farm, we have to be mindful of providing winter habitat for beneficial insects and birds.... No doubt there are pest as well looking to winter in our debris and etc. The majority of beneficial insects out numbers the the pest: 9 to 1. Plus dried plants also provides a food source for birds. However, I do remove diseased plants and discard them in my garbage - not compost. Photo 1. These are the dried stalks of goldenrod and seed heads. It is a normal instinct for us to remove and clean up very thing to leave the backyard or farm looking pristine. However the dried seed heads provide food for the birds in winter. Also the stalks of the goldenrod may contain the larva of the gall fly (the stalk will bulge out the size of a marble) - this is one of the favourite food of the downy woodpecker. Photo 2. Dried sunflower stalks. Besides the seeds providing food for birds, the main stalk will dry out by spring. These stalks are incredibly strong. They can be used as trellis poles - depending on the weather, the stalk can last a few years. I am going to try to plant sunflower in a set distance for 2021 and use them as trellis poles for tomatoes, peas or cucumbers. No digging required as the roots have anchored themselves very deeply. Solitary bees also lay their eggs in the small hollow branches of sunflower plants. Photo 3. Asparagus plants. Most people would advice you to cut back the asparagus plants after it has turned yellow or brown. This is to prevent the asparagus beetle from overwintering in the beds. However, I have found that other beneficial insects overwinter in the dried stalks of the plants. End of season does not mean end of farm work. I will still be busy around the farm. #regenerativefarming #regenerativefarmers #regenerativefarm #regenerativeagriculture #organicfarm #beneficialinsects #beneficialplants #organicgardening #organicfarming #organicfoods #garlic #niagararegion #fonthill #pelham #niagaraonthelake #sobeyslookforlocal

No kidding! I am actually selling from the back of my truck today. No need for canopy and my products are shielded from the wind that tends to blow everything off the display. ... Come on down to the @thetorontozoo marketplace. We will be here between 10am to 2pm. Our garlic are also available from these partners of ours as well in our online store: @muddycrops @_everydaymarket @bushel.and.peck #garlic #garlicbraid #garlicplanting #organic #regenerativefarming #regenerative #regenerativefarm #organicfarm

It's that time of the year. GARLING PLANTING We are busy cracking garlic for planting soon. Any volunteers to help crack garlic and plant . Seriously!... #garlic #garlicplanting #organicgarlic #organicfarm #planting #regenerativefarming #regenerativeagriculture #regenerativefarm

Our chutneys and garlic are now available: @iluvfavcafe 3000 Highway 7, Markham... Be sure to pick up your chutneys or garlic when you visit @iluvfavcafe for their wonderfully prepared meals - no MSG used & Ontario grown organic produce or meats. #foodieto #healthyfood #restaurant #torontofood #asianfood #asianrestaurant #organicfood #chef #asianchef #markham #markhamrestaurant #foodieinstagram #garlic #garlicbraid

Thank you @1oakleather for custom designing genuine leather key chains for us. We are including the leather keychain as complimentary gift for every purchase of garlic braids at the @toronto_zoo Marketplace. We will be at @thetorontozoo Marketplace every Saturday from 10am to 2pm till October 10th. Come visit us, we will have our #garlic, #garlicbraid, #bbqseasoning and #chutney during these days.... #ontariogrown #healthyfood #organic #organicfarm #organicgardening #ontariofarmers #ontariogarlic #cheflife #cheffarmer #farmtotable #farmtofork

Solidago, commonly known as GOLDENROD - there is about 100 to 120 species of flowering plants belonging to the Aster family. Found mostly in open spaces, meadows & of course my farm. Goldenrod are mostly native to North America, Mexico and South America. Some South American species have been introduced to Europe and other parts of the world.... Goldenrods are an interesting plant. Their flowers heads can display female florets, male florets, hermaphroditic florets or it can be entirely sterile. The many species of Goldenrod are hard to distinguish due to their similar bright golden-yellow flower heads that bloom in late summer. Young Goldenrod of some species are edible. Native Americans use the seeds of edible species for food. Herbal teas are sometimes made with Goldenrod. Goldenrod have been inaccurately claimed to cause hay fever. The pollen causing this allergic reaction is the RAGWEED, which blooms at the same time and pollinated by wind. Goldenrod pollen is too heavy and sticky to be blown by wind. It is pollinated by insects. Allergic reaction to Goldenrod can happen due to direct and frequent handling of the blooms - florist would be at risk. Goldenrods are the fall food source for bees, flies, wasps & butterflies via their nectar. Interesting fact, Goldenrod leaves contains rubber about 7% - not stems or blooms. Thomas Edison had experimented with Goldenrod leaves to produce rubber tires. The Model T given to him by Henry Ford had tires made from Goldenrod. It was not commercially viable as the rubber content was of low molecular weight resulting in excessive tacky compound with poor tensile properties. Goldenrod is used in traditional medicine as kidney tonic to counter inflammation & irritation caused by bacterial infection or kidney stones. Photo 1 & 2. Goldenrod blooms with insects feeding on nectar - flea beetle Photo 3. Shows Goldenrod at 1m height. They have been recorded to reach 2.5m tall Photo 4. Ragweed in bloom on my farm. Nasty buggers . Been sneezing around them. Thank goodness for antihistamines. #medicinalweed #edibleplants #edibleweeds #goldenrod #ragweed #hayfever #allergyseason