TEHKUMMAH—JD’s Garden Centre in Tehkummah was bustling with green thumbs as the annual Tehkummah Seed Exchange got underway on the weekend.
There were some familiar faces and a few new ones with plenty of seeds to purchase or trade. One of the best-known local truck farmers, Gypsy Farms’ Ted Smith was on hand, as was Lauren Porter of Pleasant Valley Farms.
Ms. Porter had a complete display set up that included her new endeavour—an educational farm experience.
Pheona Oliver and Ted Smith chat during the Tehkummah Seed Exchange.
Lauren Porter of Pleasant Valley Farm encourages people to come by and pay her farm a visit, especially local families who are interested in learning more about the workings of a farm.
photo by Michael Erskine
“We opened an education centre on the farm last year,” she said. “It’s been a work in progress. So today, I just have stuff about specifically crops. But if you come to the centre you learn about all of the things to do at the farm and growing on Manitoulin, farming on Manitoulin and the history of farming on Manitoulin, and then there’s interactive things for kids like my chick growing incubation station and I have crops growing and animals there.”
The education centre offers great things for the kids to do, not only for summer visitors looking for something different for the kids, but a great opportunity for local youth to explore their heritage as well. “Last summer I had groups from childcare visiting,” she said.
The seed exchange is hosted by JD’s Manitoulin Garden Centre and the exchange ran from 10 am to 4 pm on February 21 and 22. Visitors were encouraged to bring open-pollinated, non-genetically modified seeds, but if you didn’t have seeds, “no problem, there will be plenty to share.”
In addition to the Seed Exchange, JD’s was offering a buffet breakfast from 9 am to 2 pm. The garden centre is located at 231 10th Sideroad in Tehkummah.
Comments are closed.