tour-miracle-farms

TOUR MIRACLE FARMS FRANÇAIS

TOUR OF MIRACLE FARMS

During this tour guided by it's owner and designer Stefan Sobkowiak M.Sc., MLA you will learn:

A brief history of the farm: potatoes, tobacco, hops, sweet corn, conventional orchard, organic transition orchard, OCIA certified organic 12 acre orchard and now permaculture orchard. This is a members only U-pick farm.

The grocery isle concept:

1) 1 grassy lane 2 rows

2) Fruit trees planted by harvest date, rows 2 by2

3) Planting plan in rows: NA1P1, NA2P2, NA3P3, NA4P1, NA1P2,...

N= nitrogen fixer. It's roles: fix nitrogen for surrounding fruit trees and shrubs, hold the overhead wire, bee forage, leaves as forage and organic matter.

A= Apple 150 cultivars (cvs) on the farm, 50 cvs in front block (2 acres), 50 cvs middle block (2.5 acres), 50cvs in nursery to plant. Not 2 consecutive apple trees in a row. Not the same cv consecutive (A1, A2, A3...)

P= pear or plum. 16 cvs of pears, 6 cvs of plums. Plums primarily 'Mount Royal'.

4) Training the tree vs Pruning.

5) Every fruit tree is associated with 1 fruiting shrub planted to the SW of it to prevent sunscald, caused by the suns reflection off the snow. Shrub species are: red curant (red lake), gooseberry (hinnomaki red, captivator), black currant (ben sarek), jostaberry, haskap (blue belle, berry blue).

6) Every fruit tree is associated with 4-24 flowers, herbs, vegetables. These are planted in 3-5 rows with shortest plants along the grassy lane and tallest in the middle of the row.

7) Trees, shrubs, flowers, herbs and vegetables are planted according to their harvest date.

8) Each harvest period lasts 10 days. There are 3 harvest periods per month.

9) Each pair of rows can have between 2 to 4 harvest periods per year.

In this complexity there is a simplicity of pattern.

10) The planting design is intended to make it harder on pest insects. They can't jump from tree to tree as they do in a conventional or organic orchard. The plant diversity is designed to harbour the pest's predators.Traps for pests: for apple maggot fly and coddling moths.

Results: to be determined.

11) Fruit tree diseases: apple and pear scab. Cvs were selected with greater or complete resistance to this disease.

Result: a huge reduction of scab disease.

12) Maintenance: 2 sheets of plastic and 3 lines of drip tape. Automated irrigation insures an adequate supply of water. 4-8 hours of manual weeding per hectare (2.5 acres) per year! Without any use of herbicide.

13) Allies: birds, more than 150 nest boxes, frog ponds, rock piles for snakes, bat boxes. Domestic animals: turkeys, chickens, guinea fowl, ducks, geese, quail.

A demonstration of fruit tree grafting.

A sampling of available ftuit.

Fruit, vegetables and dried fruit, vegetables and herbs for sale.

Have lunch in the orchard.

Cost: $30 per person, minimum 16 people.

Organize a group, reserve a tour and you attend for FREE.

Directions to Miracle Farms:

http://maps.google.ca/maps and type: "les fermes miracle"

FROM MONTREAL AND THE SOUTH SHORE:

Mercier Bridge to Hwy 138 West through Chateauguay, Ormstown, Huntingdon. Always follow 138 West. Take 3rd road right (NW) after Huntingdon

1st = Mtee Smellie

2nd = Mtee Carr

3rd = Mtee Leblanc, follow sign to Cazaville.

In Cazaville, turn right (NE) at Ch. Riv. de La Guerre (4 way stop), 300 meters on the left is

Miracle Farms, (the only orchard in the area).

FROM WEST ISLAND, VALLEYFIELD:

Hwy 20 West, take the Valleyfield exit (201 South, Pont Mgr. Langlois, Valleyfield exit), continue on 201 South through Valleyfield to 132 West, through Ste-Barbe, St-Anicet, then you will see the Cazaville sign, slow down and turn left (South) on Mté Cazaville, go 300 meters, at 4 way stop, turn left (East) on . Ch.Riv. de La Guerre, 300 meters on the left is Miracle Farms, (the only orchard in the area)

Stefan Sobkowiak M.Sc., MLA, (514) 830-9640. email: miraclefarms@videotron.ca