Thanks to the West Carleton voice for coming to visit us at the root cellar in August.  Progress is being made on the root cellar as fall approaches.

We’re very excited to bring you up to date on the Deep Roots root cellar. Here’s where we’re at. 

In early 2018 we found a great site on NCC land beside BeetBox Co-op Farm on Davidson Side Road near Shirley's Bay. We negotiated a three-way agreement between BeetBox and the NCC, undertook environmental studies, and secured our funding based on a new workplan and sourcing a larger  above ground 888 sq.-ft. design kit. 

We received our building permit in October 2018, and one month later our "Pioneer Steel Building" kit was delivered by trailer from Mississauga. That's the stats. Since then it’s been like an old-fashioned barn raising. With volunteer help (408 hours between August 2018 and January 2019) and some hired professional labour, we’ve made great strides, even in the brutally cold January weather. The site has been excavated, filled and graded, the foundation poured (including insulation), the building arches assembled, and the industrial base plates attached and ready for the steel arches. 

Next, as soon as the weather permits, we'll raise the arches, attach them to the foundation base plates, construct the three internal walls and doors, and apply the insulation. 

In the summer and fall will come the fit-ups. Led by Rob Tovell, co-chair of the DRFH board, we’ll install the system he’s designed for remotely monitoring and controlling internal temperature and humidity inside the cellar. Also this summer, we’re going to grow sample root crops to test the design concepts through the fall and winter of 2019-2020. The test produce will be supplied by a related project called * "ExerFarm”.

Take a look at our photos, and to find out more join us for our AGM on March 6th, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the West Carleton Amateur Sports Club, 3832 Carp Rd., Carp, ON  Refreshments and snacks will be provided. We have a lot of news to share with you. 

Deep Roots Food Hub is an exciting grassroots project and we’re looking for people to join us moving forward. Whether you have elbow grease to volunteer, expertise as a farmer, maybe you’re a big picture thinker, and / or want to make an investment in our local community, or if you have a little time or a lot of time, there’s a place for you in this project. So come out and hear more at our AGM or send us an email asking for more information. 

* "ExerFarm" was created by local physician and DRFH board member Dr. Barry Bruce. Based on companion farming, winter squash, maize, and climbing beans were successfully planted and harvested last year. This method of farming was used by various Native North American groups and is often referred to as Three Sisters agriculture. 

The produce is shared: 1/3 goes to volunteers, 1/3 to program costs and 1/3 to charities like the Food Bank, in relation to the hours you put in. The idea is to use as little fossil fuel as possible getting back and forth—car pool, cycling, etc.—and, aside from the initial soil prep. employ manual techniques only  So, it’s healthy exercise, environmentally community focused--and a lot of fun!  ​Read more about it at West Carleton Online https://westcarletononline.com/three-sisters-garden-pilot-project/

The Deep Roots Food Hub was recently featured in The Carp Villager - Winter Newsletter. 

​Check out the newsletter here to see what we have been doing recently.

Want to begin saving seeds of vegetables for future sowing in your gardens? The provided link is a great planning resource with specific seed-saving tips on each vegetable and how much distance is needed between related varieties to maintain the genetic uniqueness of varieties that may pollinated each other.

https://www.seedsavers.org/how-to-save-seeds?fbclid=IwAR2EFtgjqpDCYsU8IVP35KyqyPfhJTWunxL0cl3_RwO-R3Po9waOMiJEf2Q​