AND PRIVATE DINING ON P.E.I.

by Paul and Jean Offer

n 1979, we purchased an 1860s vintage home in the small village of Tyne Valley, P.E.I. and, with our three children, moved in in November. Over that first winter, we decided that our new home should play a bigger part in our lives. Plans and ideas began to take shape.;

I sold out my share in the family dairy business in Summerside, and the last safety net was gone. Within the first three years, we were gardening up to ten acres of mixed crops. Eventually we got the garden down to five acres, and now it’s at a more manageable three. In a perfect year, we can handle the three acres – except for the major picking required every Friday for market on Saturday. I have one part-time hired helper because nothing is ever perfect.;

The first five years in market gardening were financially challenging. Assistance from the Provincial Department of Agriculture didn’t materialize. Our plans for a state-of-the-art solar greenhouse were too expensive for us to handle so we settled for a 200-square-foot model which was far too small. Our sales were never high enough to pay the costs. Thank goodness the B & B business kept getting better. We expanded from one room to two; it was still a very small operation but one which took up a lot of our time as we liked to spend time with our guests.;

As inexperience was replaced by knowledge, systems were established, rotations perfected and seasonal routines became more regular. An inexpensive double-layer plastic greenhouse (1000 square feet for $1000) replaced our smaller one, giving us a gardening season lasting from February to December. We have our own woodlot, so we can heat the greenhouse inexpensively with wood. We even grow our own tree seedlings to reintroduce back into the woodlot.;

Although we have always followed organic principles in our garden, we were first certified in 1986 with the P.E.I. Organic Producers' Association, which evolved into the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) in 1990.;

We are in gardening zone 5B and our season usually starts in May, with a last frost date of June 6. Our hardier crops are planted in May as weather dictates, along with early annual rye grass plantings. Annual rye grass, clover and hairy vetch are a very important part of our soil maintenance program. Our soil has constantly been improving over the past 15 years with a five-year rotation system, heavy use of manure compost and heavier use of ploughdown crops, which have only come into their own in the last five years. Annual rye alone was used at first and its greatest result was better weed control. Now, interplanting with all three covers is used with almost all crops. Average organic matter is about 5% in our soil samples and proved invariable in 1994, one of our driest seasons on record.;

Our equipment consists of a 24-h.p. tractor with a rotovator for major cultivating jobs, an 8-h.p. rear-tine rototiller for maintenance and hilling, and lots of hoes. Our crops are planted in multirows in 36-inch-wide beds. The number of crop rows depends on the variety of crop: potatoes, tomatoes and corn are planted one row to a bed; lettuce and beans, two rows; carrots and onions, three rows; radishes and herbs, three to five rows; and so on. The semi-raised beds are created with hilling equipment, mounted on either the tractor or the tiller. ;

All maintenance is done by hand. Hoeing is an art form which we teach to the hired help; it usually takes about two weeks for the learner to catch on.;

Friday is our busiest day. Everything that is ready has to be picked, washed and packed to make the trip to the market in Charlottetown. We sell on-farm but almost 95% of our crop is sold at the market.;

Our range of crops is as wide as possible, with flavor and saleability our main considerations. All varieties are trialed for two years before becoming a regular item or dropped from the list. One problem with this system is that, usually, too many varieties are kept. While we grow up to 50 types of vegetables, lettuce alone is represented by almost 30 varieties, tomatoes 28, peppers 24, beans 14, and so on. Nevertheless, experimenting with new varieties is the most interesting part of the operation.;

Small numbers of chickens, geese, ducks and pheasants are also part of our operation. We keep enough for our own personal use and for the dining service at the inn. Of course the birds’ eating activities and the resulting manure are a very important part of our garden management. A wire pen is set up in the garden in the spring, and annual rye grass is planted inside. When the grass is 20-25 cm high, we put out the young chicks who eat the grass and do on-site manuring. The pen is moved every year and becomes part of the crop rotation. ;

Herbs and flowers are also part of the operation. Our herbs are the common culinary varieties with a few
others that are useful in attracting or feeding beneficial insects, such as bergamot, lovage, borage, tansy and wormwood. ;

As the gardens improved, so did the B & B. In fact, we found that we made more money with the B & B than with the gardens. We provided some evening meal service to our guests and, over time, refined our food preparation and service abilities. In 1985-86, we began providing our dining service to out-of-house customers as well as B & B guests.;

Classified as ‘private dining’, the dining is by reservation only with the menu arranged in advance. Menu selections include items produced locally, be it fish or beef or our own birds. The salad, soup, vegetable and dessert choices depend on whatever is ready in the garden. As our dining service was extended into the winter, different choices were made available, including items from the year-round farmers’ market.;

All cooking is done on our kitchen wood stove which, our customers say, adds something extra to the flavor. Our combination of fresh organic vegetables and other local items seems to be working. We’ve been included in articles in Canadian Living, Wine Tidings, Atlantic Insight and Atlantic Advocate and recommended in Where To Eat In Canada 92-94.;

Our two occupations – market gardeners and B & B hosts – make for a very busy spring, summer and fall, but we enjoy our organic haven every bit as much as our guests seem to.;

Paul Offer has long been active on the executive of OCIA-PEI, currently as treasurer and in the past as chairman and treasurer. Paul and Jean welcome visitors to their organic garden for tours beginning at 1 p.m. every Wednesday and Sunday from the Victoria Day weekend to Labor Day. The B & B is open year round. Dining reservations must be made 24 hours in advance.