Magicland Farms' Blog

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Where Do We Get Our Seeds?

March 24, 2013 Tom 2 comments

I’ve been asked a number of times where we get our seeds. We actually purchase our seeds from a number of seed companies. Two of these companies, Rupp Seeds and Seiger Seeds, are seed houses that only want to deal with commercial growers since they have very high minimum order requirements. Another seed house we buy a lot from, Harris Seeds, has two catalogs, Professional and Home Garden. Other places we purchase from are Johnny’s Selected Seeds and Stokes Seeds and they have a single catalog but sell seeds such as beans in small packets as well as 50 pound bags. You might be surprised to learn we also buy from the popular home garden seed company Burpee since they have some varieties that we think very highly of. Keep in mind if you purchase from Burpee they have many deals if you keep a watchful eye. For instance, if you are a sharp shopper you can get free shipping and a good a good healthy discount as well. Unlike many companies, you can use several promo codes to save extra money at Burpee. In addition, to saving more money, Burpee is also on the Ebates list. Right now Ebates will send you 7% on what you spend at Burpee.

Last year we started selling seed, in small packets, at relatively low prices. We can do this since the seed companies often provide huge discounts when you order large quantities. For instance, we can sell 2 ounces of some bean and corn seeds, which is enough for many home gardens, for a buck and still make a fair profit. Stop by our market, which we should have open by mid-April, to see what we have available. We also will have red seed potatoes for sale.

Farm News, Nature, Weather Apple Trees, Boys' Quest, Burpee, Johhny's Selected Seeds, Magicland Farms, Seeds, Stokes Seeds

Microclimates and Inland Lakes

March 16, 2013 Tom No comments

I live on a 360 acre lake and there is another lake just to my west. There are many nice things about living on a lake including the effect the lake has on the surrounding microclimate. During the heat of the summer, there is a cooling effect and on cold, calm and clear winter nights, with the lake completely covered with ice there is also a cooling effect. However, the autumn nights by the lake are measurable warmer than the land just a quarter mile away. So warm in fact that frosts are uncommon before October 20, while away from the lake frost seems to hit on average around the first of October. This allows a long season for tomato and other tender crop harvest AND it is nearly perfect for late grapes to reach their maximum sugar content. The lake also provides warmer spring nights, but this effect isn’t as pronounced as the fall warming simply because the water is warmer in October than in April. Despite this, the few apple trees we have at the lake made it through last years disastrous apple season.

Right now we are raising vegetable plants which we are going to transplant to our farm located to the east of Briar Hill Golf Course across Gordon Avenue. We have around 67 acres and our roadside farm market is located in the southwest part of the farm. Since we are raising the plants at our home on the lake, we don’t have to worry as much about our plants freezing — at least not after all the ice is gone from the lake. Right now there is still ice on the lake and the warming effect is near zero. Very soon, however, the ice will be gone and we then we won’t have to watch the thermometer as much! Of course we still will keep them in our two small unheated greenhouses at least until the end of April, but we won’t have to bring the plants in to our basement nearly every night like we are doing right now.

Farm News, Nature, Science/Technology Apple Trees, frost, inland lake, Magicland Farms, microclimate, YouTube

A Bit About GMO (Genetically Modified Organism)

March 14, 2013 Tom No comments

I recently received an email from a sister-in-law who asked about my views of GMO. This sister-in-law, who has spent many years helping out people in Africa raising food, has a doctor’s degree in agricultural economics from MSU. Her email started me thinking about my own views of GMO and I would like to share them with people who are kind enough to read my blog.

First, I want to sum up my thinking and my position on the matter. In the Plantae Kingdom (plants) but not necessarily in the Animalia Kingdom (animals) it is appropriate to transfer genes from from one organism to another AS LONG AS THEY ARE IN THE SAME FAMILY! For example, when it comes to Roundup Ready corn, which is resistant to the glyphosate herbicide, GMO is OK. Here, in fact, genes were taken from the same species, which is corn, Zea Mays (Genus: Zea, Species: Mays) and transfered to the same species. I also believe it is OK to transfer between different species and genus, as long as the are in the same family. As an example here of the meaning of species, genus and family let’s look at the tomato and potato. First, they both belong to the same family, which is nightshade (Solanaceae), However, the tomato belongs to the Lycopersicon genus while the potato to the Solanum genus. However, I do believe there are reports of the two crossing naturally, although that is rare. I do know you can graft a tomato plant on to a potato plant. Because of this, I don’t feel there is a problem taking, say the late blight resistant gene from a potato and splicing it into a tomato variety.

Now lets still discuss the potato and what I see is bad GMO.

Potatoes have a big insect problem–the Colorado Potato Beetle. They can devastate a crop if something isn’t done. About 20 years ago Monsanto developed the New Leaf potato which was a GMO since they took a gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, also known as Bt, and stuck it into a Russet Burbank potato.(By the way, bacteria are not only in a completely different family, they are in a completely different kingdom, the Eubacteria Kingdom!) This gene produced a protein that worked in some insect’s gut, like the Colorado Potato Beetles, to kill it. It did work and I even tried it out. The problem I discovered was that my tummy didn’t feel good after eating the potatoes–they seemed to just sit there. I wasn’t alone. Michael Pollan who wrote a best selling book “The Botany of Desire” reported similar digestive problems. Well, after a few years, when McDonald stopped buying Bt potatoes, the New Leaf was no longer being bred. Obviously Michael and I weren’t the only ones who reported this.

While they gave up on Bt in potatoes, it is still going big in corn–including sweet corn. I must tell you right off — we don’t use any GMO in any of the fruit or vegetables we grow and sell. However, much of the sweet corn in the market, especially from down south where corn earworm is a huge problem, is Bt corn. Also, Bt field corn is relatively common but since European countries won’t buy it, it hasn’t completely taken over the market. One interesting note among dairy and cattle farmers. It has been reported from some of them that if a Bt field of corn is planted next to a normal field of corn and animals are let loose in them, they won’t touch the Bt corn until all the regular corn is gone!

I know all of this makes the issue of GMO corn more complicated than ever, but if you think about it, it does make sense.

Farm News, Nature, Science/Technology Bt, colorado potato beetle, genes, GMO, Magicland Farms, Michael Pollan, potatoes, Pruning, the botany of desire, YouTube

Pruning

March 10, 2013 Tom No comments

If you drive past our orchard across from Briar Hill Golf Course you will be able to notice that we have been pruning the last month or so. This is a good time to prune apples and pears but is too early to prune peaches since temperatures below 10F are still possible and for some reason newly pruned peaches are more tender to cold than unpruned ones. A better time to prune peaches is from late April through mid May.

Pruned Zestar Apple

This year we are pruning our apples more heavily than normal because we are expecting a snowball bloom since there were no apples last year. By pruning so heavily we are cutting out a lot of flower buds so the tree will have a less chance of being overloaded which means smaller and poorer quality apples. (This doesn’t mean just because an apple is small it isn’t good quality–genetics has a lot to do with that too!)

Orchard Versus Garden Pruning

Not everyone who prunes has the exact same purpose. In general, there are two basic, but separate, objectives. If you are an apple grower your primary objective is to get the maximum amount of good quality fruit that can be cared for and harvested with the least labor. Another trite phrase here would be “more bang for the buck.” If you are a homeowner or a paid landscaper the quantity and quality of the fruit is usually secondary and the primary reason for pruning is to make the tree look nice and make it easy to care for.

One notable difference between orchard and garden pruning is the desired height of the lowest branches. The apple grower wants a tree with low branches starting at two or three feet, for ease of harvesting along with better insect and fungus protection. On the other hand, a homeowner wants to be able to walk up to the trunk of the tree for more lawn space as well as making it convenient for cutting grass. This implies the garden tree should have branches starting at 5–7 feet from the ground.

In addition to the height of the low branch there is also a difference in basic philosophy concerning the maximum height of the tree. Today, apple growers try to keep the tree’s maximum height restricted to 12 feet while those who have landscape value in mind don’t restrict the trees height as much. Other than height, there is little difference in pruning philosophy simply because a well pruned apple tree in an orchard looks better than an unpruned or poorly pruned tree.

Tips on pruning.

It is a no brainer that all dead branches should be removed. Also most, if not all, watersprouts should be removed as well as root sprouts. Cross branches should be removed as well as weak spindly branches. A popular system for pruning most apple trees is the modified central leader system. As its name indicates, this system is a modified type of the central leader system. The central leader system is easy to explain since all you need do is look at a Christmas tree and see one main trunk with the largest branches at the bottom and and the shortest at the top. This is the upside down ice cream cone look. If you are growing super dwarf trees this is the best way to prune them since super dwarfs never get much higher than 10-12 feet. However if you have semi-dwarf or full sized apple trees the modified leader is better. Basically, this done by removing the central leader at a height of between 12 and 20 feet, depending if your aim is to make money growing apples or for the landscape effect.

One other thing to keep in mind. The large bud at the end of a branch, called the terminal bud, produces a hormone (auxin) which keeps buds from forming on the rest of the branch. The result is that the branch just gets longer and longer and side branches don’t develop much. This is bad for both fruit production and landscape use. To stop auxin from developing simply cut the branch back which removes the terminal bud. Of course to grow a central leader you don’t want to cut the terminal bud at the end of the central leader. However, with a modified leader this is done at a height somewhere between 12 and 20 feet.

Farm News, Nature, Weather Apple Trees, Magicland Farms, Pruning, YouTube

Thaw Over — Bitter Cold On Its Way!

January 14, 2013 Tom No comments

Well it seems things are getting closer to what I’ve experienced as normal Newaygo County January weather. First off there is a genuine, textbook type of cold front coming and it will be here on Sunday. It looks cold, but no record breakers in the offing. Low temperatures look like they will approach 0F or below (I hope just a bit below because in these situations I worry about peach flower buds which are often damaged when the temperature gets below -14F) Snow will be hard to find–especially east of M37. Along Maple Island Road and westward toward the lake there might be a few inches of light fluffy stuff–pretty stuff but without much water in it. This is a melt fast snow because little frozen water means little heat needed to melt it.

I’ve got a feelin’ the cold will moderate around January 30 but I honestly hope it doesn’t moderate that much–getting back to naormal — about 30F for a high seems just right but normal is always hard to come by. It’s interesting to note that I just looked at two different computer models that are supposed to forecast the weather for February. One model says it will be colder than normal here and the other warmer than normal…this causes a definite lack of confidence in both models, wouldn’t you agree?

Farm News, Nature, Weather

2012-2013 Winter Forecast

December 15, 2012 Tom No comments

Last year, during November, all you seemed to hear on the Grand Rapids Michigan news/weather TV was about the winter weather forecast. To say it was hyped up is an understatement. This year nothin’! While I imagine someplace it’s out there I have been listening and haven’t heard it! Am I surprised? No, since last year they hyped how cold and snowy a winter it was going to be because of the La Nina, and the NAO and AO and whatever…seems to be everyone said this, (including Joe Bastardi), everyone except yours truly. I said it was to be a slightly warmer than normal winter. Was I right on? No, it was warmer than that but, but, but my forecast was closer than anyone else…as far as I know! To be honest, I don’t remember if I put my forecast out on this blog. However, I did put it out on my newsletter! To sing up for my FREE That’s right totally FREE!! newsletter click the link below.

This year I put out, on my December 2, 2012 newsletter, this winter’s forecast. I am repeating it here below.

As I promised last week, I am now issuing my winter weather forecast for Newaygo County. Keep in mind this little rhyme “The winter will remember the weather pattern of November.” If we go just by that, this looks like a slightly milder winter coming up. But there is more to it. We have the equatorial Pacific in a slight el Nino (warm) phase. Since the El Nino is so weak it is not a relaible gauge this year. However, it does have a slight edge toward slightly warmer than normal winter. Then we have the snow cover over the US and Canada. Despite no snow here, there is a lot more in Canada (actually it starts 100 miles north of here) than last year which means it will be colder than last year -which is obvious since two super warm winters never happen two years in a row. This seems to call for a normal winter. The North Atlantic and Arctic oscillations are often meaningless here since they often change every few weeks so lets ignore them. And of course there is that very old Native American friend of mine Chief Misty Sky. I asked him what was the winter going to be like. He said “Some days squaw’s water will freeze in bucket before she can get it to me in my warm teepee. Other days squaw won’t need to tend fire at night for me.” I shook my head and asked “What are you talking about?” “Eat more fish!”, he replied.

“What?” I asked

“Fish brain food!”

“Oh, I responded–you think winter will be normal.” Injun nodded his head slightly.

“What makes you think that?”

“White men have average sized pile of firewood.”

Well that cinches it! It looks like a normal type of winter at least with regards to the temperature. Snow? Who knows? I sure don’t!

Farm News, Nature, Weather, Whatever

My Farming Roots

April 18, 2012 Tom One comment

While I was born and raised in Chicago–and I mean in the Gage Park area which is in Chicago itself and not a suburb– my farming roots go back to my Grandmother who was born and raised on a farm in Verdigre Nebraska. (Present population 500.) I remember some of the interesting things she told me. For instance, when our basement flooded for the umpteen time she mentioned despite the fact that Nebraska was noted for dry, hot summer weather, it was the super-rainy summers that were the hardest for crops. She also mentioned there was so much relentless bitter cold winter winds that her family actually burnt their kitchen table to keep warm. Trees you see, were almost unknown there. It was soon after that when her father picked up and moved to Chicago and was fortunate to buy, with the help of a mortgage, a coal company! What else? He never had to again burn any furniture to keep warm!

My grandmother seemed to have a lifetime subscription to the Farm Journal. Ever once in a while Farm Journal sent her a questionnaire to make sure she was in farming–I guess they started to wonder since the address they sent the magazine was in the heart of Chicago. When I was just a few years old she and I sat together in the winter looking over the latest Burpee and Vaughan’s seed catalog picking out stuff like carrots, beans, white marigolds, etc. Then with her guidance, I spaded our little garden, one shovelful at a time in that blue clayey ground. When the carrots were just big enough to chomp on, which was in early June me thinks, I pulled some up and rinsed them at an outdoor faucet–not really well, thinking back–and bit into sheer delight–I also shared them with my friends who also delighted in them. Tthinking back this was also about the same time of the year that the Deadly Nightshade berries were ripe and also about the time of the year the kids of the neighborhood had Nightshade Fights–no snow anymore so we had to have something to throw at each other…

Farm News, Nature, Whatever

The Winter Lettuce is DEELECIOUS!!!

April 3, 2012 Tom No comments

Farm News, Health, Nature

Where are all the bees? Well, a lot of them are in our orchard!

April 2, 2012 Tom No comments

I have listened to people commenting that they have seen and heard reports about the lack of bees. I also have read a report from Michigan State’s Extension News about bees and that’s the one I pay attention to! For a link to this click Bees.

While bees are absolutely vital to nearly all fruit crops as well as many vegetable crops, we have been fortunate not to have a problem. You see we have over 15 acres of woods with old trees which is perfect for native bees. Also, we are blessed with bumblebees. We have so many bees (honey and the bumble type) that we get stung a few times a year when we pick corn–especially after a rain. While corn is pollinated by the wind, bees forget this and try to help out by gathering corn pollen that falls on the silk. When it rains and washes away the pollen the bees get frustrated and seem to lose their patience so they sit on the ear of corn and when you grab the ear to pick it–YOW!! Since (thank God!) the apples aren’t blooming yet, the bees are flying about, from blossom to blossom, in the plums and cherries. There seems to be plenty of them around too! As the MSU news story relates, the native Michigan bees are really robust this year, perhaps because of the winter that wasn’t. It isn’t the bees I’m worried about, its the fact that it is only April 2 and the peaches, plums and cherries are blooming and the pears are starting. The apples are in the tight cluster to pre-pink stage. At this stage, 28F is OK but if it gets colder–watch out! So far so good! No frost damage even to the trees in low spots! Keep praying–PLEASE!

Farm News, Nature, Weather

Pecan Trees Now Coming Up In Pots!–Sorry About That…

April 1, 2012 Tom No comments

Pecan Seeds Started Germinating About 4 weeks After Planting

I’ve written quite a bit about growing pecan trees from seeds (fresh pecans) and have recommended that for best results you should plant them where you want the trees so there is no transplanting shock. I also mentioned, a couple places that I am not in favor of planting in pots, although this method lessons transplanting shock. Well I went and done it, planted pecan seeds in pots–and to my surprise they started coming up in about 4 weeks, not the 2-3 months I expected! If you look carefully at the label you will notice a “2″ printed on it. This is the number of seeds I planted in the pots. You will also notice only one pecan tree coming up. Well, I dug down with my fingers and lo and behold, the other pecan was sprouting and it should be shooting its cute tiny trunk up out of the ground in a week or less. So the germination, so far, is 100% and I expect it to wind up being over 90%!

Why I Tried Planting Pecans In Pots!

I bet you are wondering why I went against my own preaching about growing pecans in pots. It all started in January when we started lettuce plants in a flat so we could transplant them to our unheated greenhouse and grow lettuce in the winter. Apparently a few acorns got mixed in the dirt in the flat. (I have no idea how. My best guess is that a chipmunk buried them there.) When we transplanted some of the lettuce to the greenhouse in early February, we didn’t notice anything. Then on February 26 or 27 we took the same flat down tot he greenhouse to transplant some more pecans and then I saw an oak tree coming up in the flat! That got me thinking about why not trying to grow pecans in pots! So I planted about 15 pots with 2 seed pecans each thinking they might start coming up sometime in May. What a shock to see the tiny trees emerge from the pots in late March! These pecan seeds really got the oomph to germinate so rapidly. However, we did keep the pots quite warm since they were placed near one of our wood stoves.

Farm News, Nature

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