Author of the article: PNI Atlantic Published Apr 06, 2025 • Last updated 11 hours ago • 3 minute readFarm market operators Julie Cook and Kevin Atkinson of Dutch Brook, left, speak all about gardening with Joe Parish in his cosy “farm folkschool” building at Feywood Grove Farm in Albert Bridge, during the inaugural gathering of the Home Gardeners Alliance. Parish and his partner, Demmarest Haney, plan on holding informal gatherings monthly in order for gardeners of all levels to connect, share knowledge and form community. Rosemary Godin/Cape Breton PostThe weather outside was cool and dark but inside its “farm folkschool” building at Feywood Grove Farm in Albert Bridge, the wood stove was radiant with warmth as thoughts and conversation turned to lush, green gardens about to come.About a dozen people had gathered for what the hosts call the Home Gardener’s Alliance. Farm owners Demmarest Haney and Joe Parish hope to hold these gatherings of coffee and conversation monthly. The couple bought the farm on Hills Road about 19 years ago. While agrarian farming is their passion, both have PhDs in anthropology and teach at Cape Breton University.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle content“There are a lot of people who know things (about gardening), yet they’re sitting around in their kitchens sharing only with each other,” said Haney.The couple want to give avid backyard and roadside market gardeners a way to connect with each other, disperse their experiences and knowledge and build community.Haney, who easily admits her true passion is for growing tomatoes (Orange Mennonite is her top choice,) and Parish answered questions and led discussions on everything from the wisdom of saving seeds from your favourite flowers and veggies, to the importance of good compost (it’s best to buy it a year before you use it and let it age to perfection), to advice for keeping raccoons away from your plants (build cages – for the plants).Discussions took place about goutweed management (good luck with that); tips for growing mushrooms (rule No. 1 is to learn to identify the good from the poisonous!); and that the best compost is chicken poop – well-aged and added to for the proper Ph levels.Article content Joe Parish and Demmarest Haney, from left, discuss their 15-year-old grapevine’s health with visitor Jesse Winkiewicz, a photographer and gardener from Skye Glen. Rosemary Godin/Cape Breton PostNEW DEVOTEES It was apparent that urban gardening is attracting new devotees looking to take the edge off recent price increases in food. The sounds of chickens and goats may be wafting through the air in a neighbourhood near you.Asked if the neighbours won’t mind, one chicken farmer in the centre of Sydney suggested she’s not above a little sweetening of the pot by the offer of a few free eggs.Julie Cook, a small market farmer in Dutch Brook, praised the new sharing initiative that Feywood Grove Farm has begun.“You can read a book about gardening, but you don’t know how to tease out the information you need to know,” she said.Through attending the monthly Home Gardener’s Alliance gatherings, she thinks participants can get the info needed for their own circumstances and geography.Cook and her partner, Kevin Atkinson, are in the beginning years of their own market garden called Up Front Farm” on the highway through Dutch Brook. She says she is pleased with the interest the couple has had from people who stop to ask questions about what they are growing and when it will be for sale.Article contentFeywood Grove Farm’s Joe Parish says here are a lot of challenges these days as small farming ventures are forced to compete against super-farms. While there are still more small farms in Canada than large-scale, industrialized farming operations, they fall short of economic success and are closing at an alarming rate. According to a July 2024 article in Canadian farming magazine “Country Guide,” the number of small to mid-size farms dropped by 44 per cent between the years 1976-2021.Still, there are those who value the biodiversity, sustainable practices, community engagement and good labour practices offered by farms operated by local, rural farmers. Canadian supporters of the cultural heritage of local farming also point to the food security issue small operations address. An assortment of farms dotting our rural (and now urban) landscapes contributes to food security by reducing our reliance on industrial agriculture which fluctuates in supply and price according to international circumstances.And one participant at Saturday’s gathering noted another reason we should all support local farming operations:“There’s nothing like knowing that when you buy a tomato, it’s only been touched by one or two other hands before yours,” she said.Information about the Gardeners Alliance gatherings and other classes offered can be found on the Feywood Grove Farm Facebook page.Article content
‘Tis the season to speak of gardening
