9 Mile Coulee Farms
Operating near Olds, Alberta, 9 Mile Coulee Farms is a vegetable CSA offering shares July to killing frost. Our killing frosts generally occur in late September or early October, which means that there should be 12-14 weeks of deliveries. Our ½ share provides a generous portion for 2-3 people and the full share is designed to fit the needs of a family of 4-6 people. Shares are delivered on Thursday afternoons to residences and workplaces in Olds. Payment is due at the end of each month, as customers are charged per week.
Vegetables in the CSA tote are picked and packed the day before, or the day of shipping to ensure optimum taste and nutrition. We live in a bit of a frost haven here at 9 Mile Coulee, so we choose quick growing and hardy vegetables that can handle a bit of frost in mid July. In your delivery you can expect to see all of the typical garden vegetables, like beets, chard, spinach, carrots, leafy greens, squash etc, as well as pumpkins for your kids in late September, kohlrabi and oriental vegetables for added pizzazz during the summer and herbs for drying or fresh eating. As our fruit trees mature, customers can expect gooseberries, currants, honeyberries and tart cherries in their tote to flavor unique desserts or for fresh eating.
In addition to field-grown produce, we have two small greenhouses that provide mini cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and sweet peppers for the CSA delivery. All the water used in the greenhouses is collected off a large roof in our farmyard and stored in indoor tanks. We designed this water collection system to be more sustainable than using well water, and so far, the rain has kept our tanks full all summer long.
Starting in 2013, we are offering a ‘mini market’ share for customers who desire ordering a specific amount of a certain vegetable. Once the vegetables come into season, they can be delivered or picked up at your discretion. It is perfect for people who want to preserve the taste of summer to cheer up chilly winter days. We now have a tractor powered potato digger, so we are now able to supply large orders of potatoes for winter storage. Also offered through the ‘mini market’ are: pickling cucumbers, beans, peas in the pod, carrots, onions and beets. Special requests are available on request.
We grow our produce in a field setting, with protection from the north winds. Cultural methods like proper rotations help reduce disease incidences, physical methods like cultivation and floating row covers keep weed and insect pressures low. Some seed treatments are used to prevent fungal rot in the cold spring ground, but no other pesticides are applied during the growing season.
We thoroughly enjoy growing vegetables and interacting with our customers. It is always great to receive requests to grow or try new varieties. 9 Mile Coulee rents it’s land from a larger farming operation, and at this time we don’t offer farm tours or working shares due to biosecurity concerns. To keep apprised of what’s happening on the farm, or to sign up, you can follow us on twitter @9milecoulee, like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/9milecouleefarms, read our blog http://9milecouleefarms.blogspot.ca/ or email us at 9milecoulee@gmail.com. Signup deadline is the last day of March. We look forward to hearing from you!
Vegetables in the CSA tote are picked and packed the day before, or the day of shipping to ensure optimum taste and nutrition. We live in a bit of a frost haven here at 9 Mile Coulee, so we choose quick growing and hardy vegetables that can handle a bit of frost in mid July. In your delivery you can expect to see all of the typical garden vegetables, like beets, chard, spinach, carrots, leafy greens, squash etc, as well as pumpkins for your kids in late September, kohlrabi and oriental vegetables for added pizzazz during the summer and herbs for drying or fresh eating. As our fruit trees mature, customers can expect gooseberries, currants, honeyberries and tart cherries in their tote to flavor unique desserts or for fresh eating.
In addition to field-grown produce, we have two small greenhouses that provide mini cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and sweet peppers for the CSA delivery. All the water used in the greenhouses is collected off a large roof in our farmyard and stored in indoor tanks. We designed this water collection system to be more sustainable than using well water, and so far, the rain has kept our tanks full all summer long.
Starting in 2013, we are offering a ‘mini market’ share for customers who desire ordering a specific amount of a certain vegetable. Once the vegetables come into season, they can be delivered or picked up at your discretion. It is perfect for people who want to preserve the taste of summer to cheer up chilly winter days. We now have a tractor powered potato digger, so we are now able to supply large orders of potatoes for winter storage. Also offered through the ‘mini market’ are: pickling cucumbers, beans, peas in the pod, carrots, onions and beets. Special requests are available on request.
We grow our produce in a field setting, with protection from the north winds. Cultural methods like proper rotations help reduce disease incidences, physical methods like cultivation and floating row covers keep weed and insect pressures low. Some seed treatments are used to prevent fungal rot in the cold spring ground, but no other pesticides are applied during the growing season.
We thoroughly enjoy growing vegetables and interacting with our customers. It is always great to receive requests to grow or try new varieties. 9 Mile Coulee rents it’s land from a larger farming operation, and at this time we don’t offer farm tours or working shares due to biosecurity concerns. To keep apprised of what’s happening on the farm, or to sign up, you can follow us on twitter @9milecoulee, like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/9milecouleefarms, read our blog http://9milecouleefarms.blogspot.ca/ or email us at 9milecoulee@gmail.com. Signup deadline is the last day of March. We look forward to hearing from you!
