Our Last Class of the Summer Semester

The summer semester has come to an end, and while their is usually a sigh of relief I think most of us are simply wondering where the time went. The wet and unseasonably cold winter left us scrambling to get into the field. With such a late season we are sadly finishing up classes just as all the hard work is finally bearing the fruits of our labour. Plans for Thursday were a quick trip to the orchard for the first half of the day to finish up with a tour of the UBC Farms. The class was tasked with weeding. As I'm sure most of us have mentioned (including myself), managing weeds is quite possibly the most labour intensive activity on an organic farm. While conventional farms may utilize herbicides to manage plants organic standards limit or completely ban the use of these products.

But before we set off for a few hours of weeding we first discussed the progress of our brassica crop. Pest pressure is quite high for brassica's and Mike spent some time showing the class predator pest interactions. Many of the cauliflower, brussel sprout, and cabbage crops have colonies of aphids establishing. Aphids are a very common generalist pest in agroecosystems, that is they can consume maybe different plant species. The insects are prolific feeders and also produce offspring (asexually) at an alarming rate. They even give birth to live aphids (insects typically lay eggs) which can immediately begin feeding. Additionally, once a colony becomes too densely populated, winged aphids will start being birthed allowing them to move through the crop and colonize another area of the field. This results in what can initially begin as an insignificant pest issue but quickly becomes a full blown outbreak potentially leading to substantial damage to the crop. Healthy agroecosystems tend to encourage a diverse group of insect species and thus many pest species can be managed this way. Parasitic wasps are commonly found and they are happily welcomed as they use aphids as a host. The wasps will lay their eggs in aphids, once the eggs hatch they will feed on the aphid, eventually killing it. Flies will also lay eggs within a colony of aphids and the maggots will feed on the aphids.

 Consistent management of weeds is instrumental to the success of a farm. Agriculturally important species are easily outcompeted by weeds and complete failure or substantial yield reductions can be observed in unmanaged fields. There are many tools and methods for managing weeds but most of them do require some amount of physical exertion. It is important to prepare your body for this type of activity as it does usually require bending, kneeling, crouching, and repetitive motion. All of which put stress on the body. We often fail to stretch before beginning work and I think in the future it could be beneficial to start each class with a couple simple exercises.

Although hoes and other implements can be used between rows and on field borders many weeds are growing at the base of the plant you'd like to harvest. Drip irrigation is likely the cause of this as the root wetting zone is rather small with these systems. Some common weeds found at the orchard are; lambs quarter, smart weed, horsetail, nightshade, and many more.

Stark's strawberry trial has been coming along well. For the plants that failed Stark has used the special propagative qualities of strawberries. The strawberry plant is able to multiply by sending out a shoot (runner) from the crown (base) of the plant which then grows away from the plant and once it makes contact with soil begins the growth of roots (vegetative propagation). Some runners have been grown out for this purpose and Stark has then taken the runner and anchored it in the failed plants spot.

Some blanching was also being completed at the orchard. Blanching results in the white colouring of a cauliflower head. It is carried out by gathering leaves around the cauliflower head and securing it creating a barrier between light and the cauliflower head. Although this had been done once before the plants were fastened with elastics which sadly broke on almost all of the plants. This time Emily and Torrin decided to tie the plants with twine, which will likely hold up!

The class completed weeding (yay!) and we made our way to the UBC Farm. For most of us I think this was our first visit. The farm is situated on the UBC campus. We were greeted by two UBC Farm staff. For the first portion of the tour we discussed some of the crops, general characteristics, and history of the farm. Mel, the perennial plant specialist and seed saving coordinator (these titles may be a bit off but she does deal mainly with seed saving and perennial plant species) explained some of the main fields and crops grown on the farm. The UBC Farm is a real accomplishment as the soil structure is poor, made up predominately of sand and rocky. This results in poor water holding capacity and nutrients are easily lost. It has taken intense management through building soil organic matter to develop a soil which supports agricultural operations. 

Mel ended with the seed trial currently taking place on the UBC Farms. Multiple varieties of leeks were being tested. Mel spoke proudly of these seed trials, this is because British Columbia currently lacks in its seed saving sector. There is an exciting opportunity to not only develop a successful seed industry within BC but also developing varieties that show resilience or qualities unique to this region. With the reality of climate change and the relatively unknown impacts it will have on agriculture, growers in this region must begin preparing and this is one way to do so.

We ended our tour on a high note, at the medicine garden. UBC has established a thriving and diverse  medicine garden in partnership with indigenous peoples. This site serves the purpose of gathering, connecting, healing, and enjoying a meal. Tobacco is seen in the photo below an important plant in ceremony.