The Whistlestop Farm

10/28/2026

10/23/2026

Time for my annual mulch rant 😆. Once you've planted your garlic and tucked them in for the winter, the last step is to mulch!

This year, I'm upping my mulch game. I've spent almost as much time on my mulching as I have on my planting. It is THAT important to the success of your crop in our area. With the temperature fluctuations we can experience during our prairie winters, a good layer of mulch can make or break your results in the spring, and prevent early sprouting before it's time.

In a perfect world, I would apply a healthy 4" to 6" layer of organic chopped straw (that has sat outside for a year) on all my beds. But that still hasn't happened in all my years of growing garlic 🤷. Sometimes you have what you need and sometimes you need to be creative with whatever else you find.

This year, I am using a combination of straw and leaves. I am putting down a thin layer of straw, and then topping it off with leaves to make up the difference. I am taking the time to do an extra step with my leaves and running them through my lawnmower once to ensure they are chopped up into smaller pieces and will not form mats that will make it hard for your garlic to sprout through in the spring. This will also ensure any moisture is absorbed evenly into the ground as the snow melts in the spring.

I also will always top my mulched rows with some kind of netting, fencing, row cover, etc. Anything that will still allow moisture through, but keep the mulch in place. With our winds here, you can literally watch all of your hard work blow away in minutes. Do not underestimate the importance of this step if your growing area is at all exposed to wind. And ensure you secure all of your row cover well, to hold it until the snow comes. This covering should be removed in the spring after the snow is gone, to ensure your garlic sprouts can push through the surface with no interference.

The time you spend now getting everything buttoned up, will pay dividends in the spring once it's grow time 💪 🧄.

10/20/2026

One way you can get involved and help us shape the fresh Greens selection that will be offered by The Hydroponic Hub in Chauvin is to fill out a quick survey to let us know your preferences! It's a quick 2 minute survey and your feedback is extremely important so we can offer our community what it wants! Thank you for your feedback.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/S2ZNH3S

10/20/2026

Big Day for CEDDI Chauvin today at The Hydroponic Hub! Putting those babies into the system was absolutely thrilling to say the least! And a massive thank you to Mike and Becky from Vertical Roots for their ongoing work and support to ensure the success of this project for our community and for Dr. Folkins Community School. Great work! 🙌🌱

10/15/2026

Exciting! Make sure you're following CEDDI Chauvin for updates on the progress!

10/11/2026

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! This weekend, I am very thankful to be planting my 2027 crop of garlic and am excited for what it will become. The beauty of growing garlic is that when you may have a 'not-so-abundant' crop, if you are able to save even a small portion of your harvest you are back in business for the next round 😉. Shake it off and move forward with what you have! Thank you for another year of interest in my garlic and I am encouraged to be able to offer you an even bigger and better harvest in 2027! I am also working on garlic powder as well which will be restocked and available for sale at The Chauvin Christmas Market this year. ❤️🧄

10/09/2026

This one's for the birds🐦‍⬛. My monster volunteer sunflower is the last man standing in my garden and I figured it was a perfect little winter bird feeder that is ready to serve! Someone asked me the other day about saving sunflower seeds, and they are actually one of the easiest flowers to save seeds from. Once the heads have turned yellow around the out and back side of the heads you can brush off the centers, and there you will find the seeds. Bring them inside, store them in a cool, dry and dark location until spring, and you're ready to plant again.

10/08/2026

These are great kid-friendly events being offered in Chauvin. I've been asked about events for kiddos in the past, so share this with someone who may be interested in reserving a spot! You're in for a great time, with delicious snacks of course!

10/07/2026

Well Zora has decided that napping in the asparagus is way better than helping me clean up the garden! It's that time of year again, so don't forget as you pull out that rake and collect your fallen leaves that I will happily take your bagged leaves and put them to good use for cover/mulch on my beds. You can drop them off in front of the farm stand anytime! Thank you Chauvin friends and neighbors!

10/06/2026

It's that time again and I'm getting plenty of inquiries about garlic planting! If you are in our area, yes it's absolutely time to get your beds prepped and ready to go. Based on our forecast anytime in the next 2 week window appears to be ideal for planting. I am using a new area of my property this year for my garlic patch so stay tuned for updates on how that's going!