On a beautiful summer night, the Northumberland Master Gardeners visited Fifth Wind Farm. Johanna and Henry Wiersma were welcoming and informative, taking us through their gardens.
The farm’s focus is on over three decades of organic gardening, succession planting, self-sufficiency and food preservation. Their main garden is spectacular, with rows of veggies and herbs (planted in curved rows!).
The rows converge on an old, inverted satellite dish, which now serves as a pond.
Tomatoes, all 25 varieties, are grown vertically, which helps ensure air circulation and that fruit yield are high.
A quaint spot is the bean house in which one can sit inside and easily pick beans.
Fifth Winds’ soil is excellent, due to dedicated composting and grass mulch.
Practical solutions are seen everywhere such as bags of stones to weigh down pear branches for easier fruit picking.
The views are breathtaking and, on a clear day, one can see Rochester across Lake Ontario.
Fifth Wind is also the home of Pure Joy Botanicals, a line of herbal creams, salves and balms, made from herbs and flowers from their gardens. In addition, it is the home of Earth Block Construction which features local, natural materials such as compressed earth blocks and straw bales. Fifth Wind is a venue for community events, workshops and, given their impressive views, the celebration of special occasions.