Online Market Orders
The biggest change on the farm was last week when we had a massive spike in our online orders! We are now up to around 100 orders per week, when it used to be 12-15. We owe this all to the wonderful people who shared our post. The spring is our slowest time of year for income and we often struggle, but these extra orders have really helped and they’ve given us new opportunities for this summer’s growing season.
We are grateful for the orders but also for so many people shopping local. We love our customers and want them to be safe. Very few people come in contact with the produce or packaging from our farm before it gets to our customers. We know them all personally and we take all precautions that we can. This extra work load has been unexpected, but we are happy to do it to keep everyone fed and safe at home.
Our Inventory
Because these orders were such a surprise, we have had to scramble to make sure we have enough inventory. We have always had trouble keeping up with the demand for beef as we are the only organic, grass fed beef farmer in New Brunswick. We found a supply from another farmer who grows beef naturally but isn't certified organic. We offer this so customers can choose what they want and the suppliers are clearly marked. Our onions and potatoes ran out quickly. Luckily, we have contact with other organic farmers and were able to buy extra vegetables from them to make sure our customers can get what they need. This also helped those farmers who ran into trouble selling their products when farmers markets shut down.
Seeding
One of our goals this spring was to stay on schedule with our seeding, which we did very well. But, life does not always work on our schedule and this was interrupted last week when the orders came flooding in. We have been able to catch up since then and split our focus between preparing for the new season and shipping out orders.
I just have 12 more trays of celeriac to seed and I will be caught up! The tomatoes, peppers and onions are already growing well.
Grafting Tomatoes
Every year we graft our beefsteak tomatoes. It is risky because we need a certain number and can only rely on a sharp knife and a good clip to hold them together. Last year we had many fatalities. It is a simple process to get the benefits of both kinds of tomatoes into one fruit. The end goal is to have a root system strong enough to support more fruit per plant. We grafted half of them today and will finish later this week when the rest grow a little bigger.
Transplanting
It’s hard to believe it’s this time already. Some of our plants have outgrown their seed trays and its time to transplant them into bigger pots. Later this week we will transplant the peppers so they can grow bigger and get ready to be planted into the ground when it is warm enough.
My job list varies from seeding, washing and packaging veggies, packing orders, posting pictures to social media, working on the online market, answering phones and sometimes chasing cows. One thing that is consistent is that it never gets boring and I have lots of stories. If there is anything you want to specifically hear about or have any great ideas for a blog, than message us on Facebook or comment on our posts! Thanks for reading and even though we are busy, we will try our best to keep writing and sharing what is happening around the farm. Stay safe!