D.I.Y.

By dennis

Stinging nettle is a for most people an annoying weed. A noxious weed that can easily take over your garden.  They sting and leave a long lasting itch and burning sensation.
Maybe change your view of these plants and play with them a bit as they are actually very useful. Edible as they are, they make a delicious and cheap spring vegetable. When cooked they loose their sting and are delicious in a stir fry. Blended up into a pesto and mixed with the wonderful Kyoja niniku and almighty bacon makes a great spring pasta.
Also healthy as tea afterwards.

When you want to get rid of them, put them with you compost as they are a great source of nitrogen or,  like i do, stuff them in large  buckets and fill them up with water. Like all goodness comes from fermentation, you end up with a potent liquid fertilizer or even more handy :a pesticide.
It works great on caterpillars, aphids and the likes. Mix some of the concentrate with water and a bit of green soap and attack the grubs.
Leave them in the buckets with a lid on and stir occasionally and wait for a week or 3-4, depending on the heat outside. Strain, but use the left over pulp as fertiliser.
Just don’t  forget to bring some proper gloves!

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Hot house

By dennis

building

We get so much snow every year that we have to rebuild the greenhouses every year. The snow is light and fluffy at first, but always ends up as ice.
To prevent the green house from collapsing we have to take the plastic off and just leave the frame in winter. Even then the weight of the snow bends the pipes and does a lot of damage.
Also by having to remove the plastic every year it reduces its transparency and life span. We can only use it about 3 years. Living in one of the snowiest places on the planet doesn’t make life easier and certainly can get costly.

Anyway, here is a timelapse of how we put the roof back on. ( click ‘ building ‘ on top)
or on youtube 

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By dennis

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Dennis, Sho and Hiromi preparing seedlings

By ben

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Butternuts and rainbows.

By dennis

On October 3rd we got treated to the 2nd coldest and earliest frost on record. It didn’t mean much good to our butternut squash that was still ripening in the field,  ready for harvest.
While harvesting the next day these amazing rainbows came out, so hopefully it brings some good luck, or at least some better weather for next season.

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Autumn Fest.

By dennis

The Sapporo Autumn Fest is on again.
Niseko Green Fram is selling organic veggies and hopefully some bbq-ed corn soon when the rains stop.
Come by for some Autumn goodness or a glass of organic wine.

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Whole lotta veg.

By dennis

With late summer in full swing, the count down till the first snow begins.  Veggies galore now, the best time of the year, really. Everything ripens to their seasonal best and with the nights cooling down a bit as well, plants get some rest at night and get to bring out their best.

Our veggie boxes are loaded now with all the fruits of the field. All grown for their right season and not artificially created in green houses. Some very tasty melons and watermelons coming up too.  We got some seed for the French Charentais melons, and we grew a bunch. Apparently the tastiest melon on the planet, but who are we to decide. But we will add it to your veggie box so you can decide.
Let us know as well, we like to hear you feedback.

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Root down.

By dennis

This is a photo of a seed potato about  two weeks after planting. You can see the root system has already developed well and the white bean sprout like shoots are about to come out of the ground. This one is dug up so the shoots are blanched and white like white asparagus, but they will turn green as soon as they see sun light and leafs will form. A good root system is essential for a plant to establish well, so it is the first thing they develop when they grow to absorb water and nutrients for the growth of the plant and new potatoes.
Planting vegetables from root cuttings  is a safe way to get the exact same offspring as the mother plant, it’s like a clone. Planting from seed may result in cross pollination, but may create new varieties that could be staple food in the future.
Potatoes are almost always grown from a cutting or a piece of potato, but if you want to experiment and play with nature, save the seed of the berries that produce ofter flowering and seed them the year after. they will produce potatoes, but all with a new character. They may become your new favourite.

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Spring awakening

By dennis

With the warm weather finally coming in, the trees also awake from hibernation and are keen to absorb some rays of light. Lots of deciduous trees in the Niseko area and it creates some quite stunning colours and views. This photo is taken from the Niseko Green Farm overlooking the river valley and the Hirafu ski resort in the back ground. There is still quite some snow on the top on the mountain.

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Getting ready for 2011.

By dennis

The harvest season is only just behind us, but already looking ahead at the next. Saving seeds gives you the advantage of having enough seeds for the next few years, but it is also fun to grow new varieties. Also markets change and customer demands change.  Enough to keep busy looking around for new things to grow.

In the old days when everyone saved their own seed, these open pollinated varieties mixed a lot. This gave us the great variety of food we have now and also made plants more disease resistant. Now markets demand all similar shaped and sized food, so it eases the use and packaging.  It sure can be handy and it works in a large industrial scale, but personally i find more satisfaction in these odd shaped veggies and other botanical surprises you may find in your garden.

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