Salanova Lettuce®

      

      

          

                                

           

              

Jean-Martin Fortier's "The Market Gardener"

Jean-Martin Fortier and
Maude-Helene Desrochas

ABOUT:

Jean-Martin Fortier is a market farmer in Quebec who, along with his wife, Maude-Hélène Desroches, and their two children, operates Les Jardins de la Grelinette. After 10 years of refining their craft, they’re able to support a CSA with over 140 members and attend two local farmers’ markets weekly.

Jean-Martin has clearly been influenced by the writings of Eliot Coleman, as many of his methods are straight out of Eliot's playbooks.  As a result, he employs many tools that were developed by Eliot and Johnny's. He has even named his farm after one of them. 'La Grelinette' is the French name for what we call the Broadfork, a two-handled fork invented in France by André Grelin in 1946.

Andre Grelin

THE BROADFORK:

The Broadfork was redeveloped in 1998 by Eliot Coleman and Johnny's Selected Seeds. For many years now Jean-Martin has been describing his growing strategies and use of scale-appropriate technology on a website and blog, where he promotes the idea of farming with hand tools (i.e., they don't have tractor) as an alternative way of farming professionally.

In 2012, Jean-Martin published Le jardinier-maraîcher, a 200 page manual for small-acreage organic agriculture. The book quickly became a Canadian best-seller and has sold more than 15,000 copies. In it, he describes (in French) the technical aspects of his operation and the tools that they use to make their labor efficient and cost-effective. Many of the drawings in the book illustrate Johnny's tools, including Broadforks (of course), the Tilther, several seeders including the Six Row Seeder, the Bed Prep Rake, Collinear and Stirrup Hoes, and the Wheel Hoe.

Le jardinier-maraicher

His approach is that 'small is beautiful'. That is to say that he keeps his operation small yet profitable, but it is more than that. It is also about enjoying life, enjoying what you do, and remembering to take time off regularly so that your work remains enjoyable. All this is feasible, he stresses, if your operation is super efficient all the way through.

THE MARKET GARDENER:

In 2013, Jean-Martin also set out to publish an English version of Le jardinier-maraîcher, and in January of 2014, The Market Gardener was published.

Our Tools & Supplies Product Mgr., Adam Lemieux, has this to say about the book:

 “Jean-Martin Fortier extols the virtues of being small-scale, and expertly details the use of scale-appropriate tools (such as Broadforks, seeders, hoes, flame weeders, low tunnels, high tunnels, and many other unique tools) designed specifically for this brand of farming. 

Jean-Martin Fortier

He picks up right where Eliot Coleman has left us, applying many of his cotre principles, but doing it in such a brilliant way as to provide beginning farmers with the information they need to start up and become successful small-scale growers themselves.”

Jean-Martin remains a tools collaborator and field tester for Johnny's; we are proud to carry this fine publication in our line of books. 

You can find The Market Gardener on our website here. 

Johnny's Goes Back to School with the Paul Parent Garden Club Radio Show

Johnny's Selected Seeds has partnered with the Paul Parent Garden Club Radio Show for a 12 week “Vegetable School” segment on Sunday mornings. Listen to a knowledge member of Johnny’s staff speak about a variety of topics ranging from vegetables to plant now, growing info and tips to harvest techniques. 

Tune in every Sunday morning at 8 a.m. EST. 

• To find a station near you broadcasting our 1/2 hour segment, visit the Paul Parent Garden Club Radio Show website here. 
• You can also listen to the show via Pod Cast at anytime here

Visit the Johnny's Website

Paul Parent has been on the radio providing gardening advice to listeners in New England for the last 30 years, according to his website. 

The show broadcasts on 35 prime stations in New England and 39 additional stations across the nation.

Tune in and then let us know what information you found helpful!

Save Now on Seed Starting Supplies

Growing your own transplants from seed allows you to choose from your favorite varieties, determine the appropriate planting date, and the number of plants you want. Johnny's seed starting supplies will help you grow your own professional-quality seedlings economically.

Save up to 10% on Selected Seed-Starting Supplies. Now through March 2nd!

An Introduction to Flower Sprouts™

Kaleidoscope Mix (F1)

What are Flower Sprouts™?

Flower Sprouts™ are the result of a cross between kale and Brussels sprouts. The resulting plants produce beautiful, open, florets that have a mild kale-like flavor which only improves with the colder days of the fall.  

When do you plant them?

You may ask why we are talking about a fall vegetable well before spring. Well, when growing Flower Sprouts™ patience is definitely a virtue. This crop requires at least 110 days to maturity from time of transplanting. So the total time to produce this crop from seed to edible floret is close to 22 weeks… that’s why we’re talking about Flower Sprouts™ in February!

What’s the best way to grow them?

In order to produce the sweet kale-like florets, attention to detail and, as previously stated, patience is required. Flower Sprouts™ are grown in a similar fashion as Brussels sprouts; provide a very fertile, well-drained soil, with a pH range of 6.0-7.5.

The seedlings should be started early enough to be ready to be set out in mid to late spring. Growers should provide sufficient irrigation throughout the growing season to help produce tall, strong plants. The sprouts should begin to form by early fall and be ready to harvest starting in mid to late fall.

Like other crops in the Brassica family, such as broccoli and cabbage, the flavor of Flower Sprouts™ will become sweeter and milder when the weather cools in the fall. Flower Sprouts™ are very cold hardy, similar to Brussels sprouts and kale. If you grow in a short-season area, be sure to top the plants about 4-5 weeks prior to the intended harvest season. The tops can be sold and used just like kale.

Red Russian Kale (OG)

How can they be prepared?

Flower Sprouts™ are suited to diverse cooking methods such as lightly steaming, sautéing, stir frying, and roasting. When lightly cooked they will hold their color. The tender, mildly flavored spouts have a taste and texture similar to Red Russian Kale.

When growing Flower Sprouts™ remember to be patient and enjoy! 

Using Soil Block Makers (Video)

Get an early start to your growing season with Johnny's Soil Block Makers. You can easily make your own seed-starting blocks with our soil block making tools and a bag of germination soil mix.

Soil blocked seedlings reestablish themselves more quickly, with less transplant shock. Soil blocks also eliminate the expense, waste, and storage issues of plastic pots, so there's no negative impact on the environment.  

Explore our selection of Soil Block Makers at Johnnyseeds.com >>>

Save up to 10% on selected Seed Starting Supplies through March 2nd >>>



All About Carrots: Flavor, Diversity, & Marketability

We often hear from fellow growers that carrots can be difficult to grow. However, we think everyone would agree, they’re worth it. At Farmer’s Markets and local produce stores, consumers expect to see carrots as a staple item among crop offerings. In this blog, we will cover some basic information about carrots, such as 1) why grow them, 2) how to provide a diverse selection to your customers, and lastly, 3) how to market them.

WHY GROW CARROTS?

You may be wondering, if carrots can be problematic to grow, what is it that makes them worth the extra care they require?

Carrots are a household favorite for most families and are one of the most common vegetables found at Farmer’s Markets.

1.      By growing them locally, you’re able to offer your customers carrots that are diverse in flavor and color; attributes not typically found in carrots at large grocery stores.

2.      Bright orange roots are a great contrast in color for your market offering, especially when placed next to fresh green products such as lettuce, spinach, or kale. Carrot colors can range from white to yellow, red to purple, and of course orange.

3.      When grown correctly, a farmer’s market carrot will taste much better than a store-bought carrot. At Johnny’s we trial many new varieties each year and flavor is one of the most important criteria we evaluate. Each year there are many varieties that are rejected due to poor flavor. What we have selected for our carrot line are the best performing, and best tasting varieties available.

4.      Depending on your locale, small-scale farmers can entice customers with carrots ranging from mini Nantes to small, round Parisian Market types. Baby vegetables are in high demand right now.

5.      Carrots display extremely well at farm stands. There is something about a bunch of smooth orange roots, and fresh green tops that looks very tempting to customers.

DIVERSITY: HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT CARROT FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS

At Johnny’s, we offer a number of different types of carrots, from Nantes to Imperators. Let’s discuss the advantages and disadvantages to each type of carrot. We’ll also cover the key defining characteristics of each type. 

1. Nantes. These carrots have cigar-shaped roots with blunt tips. Some varieties are more pointed and not as blunt-tipped as others. There are varieties galore within the Nante group, ranging in length and width. Some Nantes have slender, pencil-thick roots, while others have mini roots (3-4”) or large roots (7-8”), and all sizes in between. Nantes is very popular in Europe, as well as around the world.
2. Chantenay. These carrots have wedge-shaped, tapered roots and are broad shouldered. They also typically have pointed to slightly-rounded tips. Chantenay types tend to have very strong tops and can typically perform well in heavy soils due to their shape. They’re popular in Europe, Asia, and South America.
3. Kuroda. Similar in shape to the Chantenays, Kurodas differ by having more bulk or weight, typically, and being more rounded at the tip of the root. They are commonly grown in Asia.
4. Imperator. With long slender roots that often reach lengths of 10” or more, Imperator carrots perform best in deep, light soils so their roots can grow straight and long without small obstructions distorting their shape. Very popular in the U.S. industrial segment, Imperator varieties are commonly sold as “baby” carrots by slicing and shaving them down to baby size.

CARROT MARKETING TIPS

There are many opportunities to market your carrot offerings to set yourself apart from other growers. One way to do this is to offer your customers a selection of baby carrots, as these crops are in high demand right now. Another marketing approach is to expand your offering of colored carrots.

True baby carrots differ from carrot that are harvested prematurely; true baby types are harvested at full maturity. They also differ from conventional grocery store “baby” carrots, which are actually full-sized carrots that have been sliced into smaller lengths and then shaved to achieve the desired size and shape.

The following are some major advantages to offering true baby carrots.

• Because they’re grown to full maturity, their flavor will be fully developed.
• They can be sold as bunches or with partial tops, which helps prevent the roots from drying out. And, if you market baby carrots with their tops attached, consumers can easily distinguish them from the packaged “baby”carrots.
• Baby carrots have a range of market audiences. They appeal to children who eat them as value-added snacks, parents who purchase bunches for nutritious meals at home, and chefs for a variety of restaurant entrees.

Johnny’s offers several baby or mini carrots, in 3 different types and shapes.

• Adelaide. A true baby Nantes (3-4”), Adelaide is small, with short tops, which allows for close spacing.
• Atlas. A Parisian Market type, Atlas is a small, golf-ball sized carrot with round roots. Atlas must have adequate soil moisture to maintain its round shape. Dry soil will force the roots to elongate more deeply into the soil in search of water.
• Caracas. A baby Chantenay with approximately 4–4½” long, wedge-shaped roots, Caracas has strong, healthy tops.

Purple Haze

When considering ways to set your carrot display apart from your competitors, consider thinking outside of the orange carrot box. Incorporating colored carrots is a great way to add more color to your display. Colored carrots are edible raw (though more palatable when cooked), and with new healthy trends leaning towards not-your-typical vegetable colors, they’re becoming more and more popular.

Offering purple, white, yellow, and red carrots is a great way to draw people into your Farmer’s Market stand. Also, chefs are always looking for new ways to interest their customers and colored carrots might be just what they are looking for.

• Read about carrot culture, including bed preparation, spacing, weeding and watering.
• Read about carrot season extension.
• Read about common carrot pests and diseases.
• Read about carrot harvesting and post-harvest handling.

Leave a comment below, and let us know which carrot varieties you offer your customers and which ones are your favorites!

Getting the Most out of your Pepper Harvest

Do you want to add value to your pepper harvest? In this post, we’ll first discuss choosing the correct pepper variety, then cover finding creative ways to package your peppers, and lastly, we will refer to a few common value-added processes.

Carmen (F1)

Choosing the correct pepper variety:

Before the seed is ordered, it’s important to make the correct varietal choices. Ask yourself the following questions: What types of peppers perform best in my region? Are there regional favorites that my customers have asked for? What is the intended end use for the peppers? Are there under-served ethnic markets or restaurants?

Here at Johnny’s, we help our customers clearly identify the main benefits and attributes of each of our pepper varieties, including their intended end use. It pays to research the specific demands in your region before picking a type or variety of pepper.

Check out what other growers are selling at local farmers markets. If you have adventurous customers and most growers there are not growing specialty peppers, this might present you with an opportunity. If your customers are culinarily conservative, maybe the standard pepper varieties are best for you. Another good idea is to contact restaurants in your area to find out what they are looking for. You can show them pictures of unique varieties in Johnny’s catalog or on our website.  It’s better to do your homework ahead of time so you don’t get stuck with peppers you can’t sell.

Creative Packaging:

If you’re looking for a new, unique way to package your pepper varieties, try some of the ideas below:

•           Sell your snack peppers in mixed pints of small bags and market them as the perfect-sized, healthy snack
•           Offer different colored bell peppers in mixed packages
•           Combine similarly-sized specialty peppers such as Aura, Glow, and Lipstick and offer them as a colorful snack-pack  

Red Flame (F1) (OG)

Value-Added Processing

• Ristras: They take a bit of effort, but they typically sell quite well. String the peppers before they are dry to prevent breakage. Red Flame is a good choice for Ristras and wreaths. Bangkok would also make a nice mini ristra or wreath.
• Chiles: Chiles can also be dried and ground to sell as powder or flakes. Please note, this requires eye protection and a respirator so you won’t burn your eyes or lungs in the process. Again, it’s important to research the demand for this type of product in your area, as the selling price of this product would have to be quite high to justify the effort. 
•  Jalapenos and Serranos: Peppers can be smoked and sold as whole or powdered chipotles.
•  Anchos (Poblanos): These can be dried and powdered and made into mole sauce.
• Anaheims (Numex): These peppers are easily roasted and can be sold for several times what unroasted peppers fetch.

Specific Pepper Varieties:

• Carmen is a sweet Italian frying pepper that is also great roasted.
• Hungarian Hot Wax, Capperino, and Golden Greek are all good peppers for pickling.

Highlander (F1) (OG)

Continue exploring additional resources on the topic of value-added processing at Johnnyseeds.com by reviewing  “Getting Started with Value-Added Crops”. This article covers finding your niche and business basics for value-added processors. Also, be sure to read our profile on Johnny’s customer, Freedom Farms in Maine, where we discuss their process for roasting peppers.

Not all Open Pollinated Heirloom Seeds are Created Equal

The great thing about heirloom seeds is their proven performance. They’re also generally widely adapted and have great market acceptance and recognition. Growers all over the world have been saving seed from these open pollinated varieties.  The question is where should you source your seed? 



Russell's Extra Choice Mix

It really depends on what you’re trying to accomplish.  It’s nice to imagine saving seed year after year and having pride and legacy develop on your farm or homestead, but how do you know if you’re getting the same high quality tomato that was first planted one, five, or even 25 years ago? Do you remember when your favorite tomato variety seemed to have more pronounced shoulders, a rounder shape, or a more upright plant habit?  

The truth is, not all seed savers, or seed production companies are created equal. Seed quality and performance can vary greatly from stock to stock. Let me help explain this, by presenting two examples below:

Find out more about our Breeding
Program at Johnnyseeds.com

Company A contracts a farmer to grow heirloom tomatoes. Since they’re desperate to ensure a seed source and their inventory is getting low, they provide the farmer with the remainder of their seed stock, which is leftover seed from a previous years’ production. The seed is in poor shape and the farmer struggles with low germination and poor plant vigor. Half of the transplants don’t make it to the field. To meet his contract, the farmer delivers seed from every tomato produced, regardless of the quality. This includes the fat ones, the skinny ones, the seed from the fruits that have some purple blotches, as well as seeds from the purple fruit with some red blotches. The farmer saves seeds from the plants that barely set fruit, the diseased plants, and the ones that might have cross pollinated with his own tomatoes.  Compound this seed saving process over a few productions and the tomato’s original great characteristics start to fade away.
 

Learn more about Johnny's
at Johnnyseeds.com

On the other hand, Company B contracts with several well-established and seasoned seed growers. The seed company provides disease-free, high germinating, true-to-type seeds to farmers geographically located in an area where common tomato disease and pest pressure for that crop are low. The farmer isolates the production crop from his crops of the same plant family on the farm.  The seed company frequently visits the growers and walks the production. Together, they select fruits that are healthy and disease free. They grade the plants and fruit on their health and for being the best possible match to the characteristics of the variety’s lineage.  They identify any off types, or lower quality plants and quickly remove them from the production. Upon harvest, the seed is lab tested to ensure high germination, and vigor. Grow-outs are performed to test seed quality prior to being released to consumers. The process is repeated next year using these “true-to-type” seeds.

Brandywine tomato

These scenarios happen every year in the seed production industry.  Don’t believe it? Try growing the same exact heirloom varieties from three different seed suppliers. Grade each one based on uniformity, plant health, and being true-to-type. 

Johnny’s knows that as a grower, you’re proud of your product. We know you may not always be the only one to market with a Brandywine tomato, but we can help you have the best looking one there, by ensuring our seed production is held to a high standard that we are proud of.  We also rely on our seed growers to return to us the type of seed they would be proud to buy. One of the reasons we are able to offer our customers such great quality seed is due to the specialized seed growers we work with.  They are the ones that walk countless times during the season to make sure Johnny’s gets a product they are willing to put their name behind. 



Please do not hesitate to ask me any questions about seed saving, our seed production or anything else you might be curious about.

 

Randy Cummings
Territory Sales Representative
South Central U.S
rcummings@johnnyseeds.com 

Save up to 10% on Selected Seed-Starting Supplies

Winter Caterpillar Tunnel Structural Trial (2011)

In March 2011, we tested our caterpillar tunnel under heavy snow load to see how the structure would respond. Now that winter is upon us, we're re-posting our results from the trial. Let us know your thoughts on our findings by leaving a comment under this post!

Goal: To see if either caterpillar tunnel version (with, or without purlins) could withstand winter snow load.

Results: Very interesting. We picked two of the four tunnels that were built in May, 2010, planted onions in them, and buttoned them up for the winter. Both tunnels were structurally the same, with a center ridgepole made of chain link fence top-rail, but one of them also had purlins about three feet from either side of the ridge. These purlins, were used in the summer to trellis vine crops, and carried that load quite well. They really stiffened up the whole structure. However, in summer, they tended to cause the plastic to collect rainwater. This made me think that the purlins would either make it so strong that it would better carry the snow load or they would catch more snow than the tunnel without purlins and cause a collapse. It looks like the latter is the case.

Summary and recommendations: It is important to note that we intentionally did not remove snow in this trial, as we were looking for structural failure in worst case conditions. Removal of snow, even just next to the tunnel that failed, probably would have prevented its failure. Doing so would have greatly reduced the pressure bearing in on the sides (and therefore the plastic's weight felt on the top). If you intend to use a structure like this to overwinter crops in northern climates where snowfall is a concern, I would recommend a maximum of four foot bow spacing during construction, not using side purlins in winter tunnels because they catch snow, and, of course, the removal of snow whenever possible from the sides and top of the tunnel. It would also be prudent to shore up the bows internally with notched two-by-fours placed vertically under every other bow as a means of additional snow load insurance and peace of mind.

You can view the complete gallery of this trial below:

The 26-page illustrated manual for the bender used to make these tunnels may be downloaded on the Quick Hoops™ High Tunnel Bender's product page.


Adam Lemieux
Johnny's Tools & Supplies Manager

Warm Winter Greens Salad

Some of our Research Department’s Favorite NEW for 2014 Products

Artisan Tomatoes

 Tastes as good as they look! Try them all; only Johnny's has the entire line up of Artisans.

 

Glow Pepper

 

Sweet specialty peppers from our Breeding Program.

 

Bel Fiore Radicchio

 

Stunning, adaptable, unique, and great for adding flare to a salad mix.

 

Raja and Suraj Eggplant

 

These mini eggplants that can be sold along with Ophelia for a tricolored eggplant container.

KN Bravo Radish

 

A purple daikon- color is inside and out.  Striking and unique!

Babybeat

 

The perfect fit at a time when beets are increasing in popularity and baby vegetables* continue to be trendy.

Adelaide Carrot

 

A true baby carrot*

 

Mini Kabochas

Single serving wintersquash.

*Please note: Babybeat and Adelaide are what we call “genetic minis”.  This means the variety is a mini or baby size at full maturity, as opposed to simply being harvested early/immature. 

Why go with a genetic mini instead of simply harvesting and immature full size variety?  Because the flavors will be fully developed and the tops will be proportional to the roots.