Pasture gardens: (3) 15'x50' tilled gardens + (1) 15'x25 with two Farmer's Friend caterpillars/hoop houses developed and negotiable. At least (2) 15'x50' plots additional available to be tilled and a sloped hill that could also potentially be used. North forest would support a forest farm concept. We are implementing permaculture activities throughout the season -- chickens and goats will be working the gardens with us. Trickle creek adjacent and a mountain spring plumbed to several locations. Immediately adjacent to the Pacific Flyway & Columbia Wetlands. We also have a seperate 'live' garden market opportunity, a very small but productive apple and cherry orchard 300m away at our restaurant, the Spilli Station Cafe. There is also a commercial kitchen at the cafe. The location has highway pullout and parking options. The TransCanada Highway diversion closure will push an incredible volume of traffic past Flyway Farm & Forest in 2021.
Pasture garden had been a large family garden and used for seed hay crops. It is located at the North end of the property. We are between a 4b and 5b growing zone in the East Kootenays and are affected by the climates to the west and north. Artichokes shouldn't grow here but they do! This is the old Spillimacheen town site which includes a refurbished Canada Post Office (-- functions as a residence and camp house); a Garage & General Store (-- functional and being renovated); a Settler's Cabin (Sinclair Bros); and a Farm House (--owner's residence). There are a number of outbuildings and sheds -- a new steel frame build was installed in the pasture last fall. Our projects follow the seasons: **Spring** April through Mid-May (6 weeks) Garden Wake-up: Pre-seeding. Prep irrigation and soils for garden and orchard. Screen compost. Erect hoop houses. Cafe Wake-up: Raised beds pick-up. Prepare mint tea gardens. Landscape -- pruning, tidying flower gardens, setting outdoor furniture. Tiny Barn Wake-up: Turn over deep bedding and compost. General repairs and restock. Start outdoor spa project (New 2022). Forest Wake-up: Clear, buck, and split dead fall for next winter's firewood. Plan goat trails. Prep vintage trailers for Hipcamp guests. **Early Summer (6 weeks)** Mid-May through end of June Gardens: Compost, plant out, test/activate monitor irrigation and weather, weeding. Cafe: Plant out mint gardens. Culinary exposures (--breads, mint tea bar, and cherry goat milk caramels, vegetable handling) Tiny Barn: Start weekly goat and chicken permaculture rotations. Prepare solar array infrastructure (New 2022). Forests: Complete outdoor spa project. Map mushroom and fungi operational process and field notations (New 2022). **Mid Summer (6 weeks)** July- Mid August Gardens: Daily farm-to-table harvests begin. On going nurturing. Cafe: Egg collecting. Mint tea harvests. Landscaping. Vegetable preparation and handing. Weeding. Tiny Barn: Continue small livestock rotations. Continue compost program. Continue/complete solar project build. Inoculate forest fungi. Move firepit and build "bar" tables. **Late Summer/Early Fall (8 weeks)** Mid-August through Mid-October Gardens: Final summer and fall harvests. Disassemble hoop housing. Bio-intensive preparation for winter (composting, bed prep, fallow crop planting). Blow out irrigation. Prep tiny orchard for fall/winter. Harvest mushrooms/fungi. Cafe: Preserving and canning. Fall landscaping. Final mint tea harvest outdoors/Cultivate to indoor operations (New 2022). Tiny barn: Prep deep bedding and shelter for winter. Forest: Prepare final notes and recommendations for forest fungi project.
We are believers in diversity -- in our people, lands, and animals. This is a safe and inclusive space for our family and friends -- foul, four-legged, and friends. To the best of our ability and using available resources we discover and adopt sustainable practices. We see ourselves as stewards of these lands and the surrounding areas. We are humbled to be beneficiaries of the Ktunaxa and Shuswap Nations who historically and in this era have kept kinship relations, human and non-human in these territories, centred and inspired by their vibrant communities. If these ideas resonate with you, we'd love to talk.