Tag Archives: Seed Gardener

Possibly Cortes Island’s First Plant and Skill Share 

Linnaea Farm’s First Plant and Skill Share was on Saturday, April 18. It may be the first on Cortes Island. 

Tamara McPhail, who has been at Linnaea farm the past quarter century explained,  ”I don’t know if there’s ever been a plant share before on Cortes.” 

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The next generation of Linnaea Farm

Michael Manson started clearing the land for what is now Linnaea Farm in 1887. The Hansen family lived there during the early 1900s, and in 1997 the farm became a charitable land trust. In this morning’s interview, Adam Schick and his daughter, Nola McPhail, talk about their experiences and the next generation of Linnaea Farm.

Adam Schick: “One of the biggest challenges of the last few years is having people live here long term. Farming offers more of a lifestyle opportunity, but as our population ages, often the only thing left you have is to sell your property to ensure you can retire successfully. That’s a real problem. Because this farm is a trust, we don’t get to sell the property. We simply have the honour of looking after it. While I feel it is an honour, more and more, it seems that people see it as a burden; they want a job, or something that’s paying you money.”

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A lifetime of experience in four classes: Linnaea’s Homegrown Series

 Linnaea Farm’s Homegrown Series kicks off at 10:00 AM this Saturday. This is a monthly series, which will be offered on March 23rd, April 20th, May 11th and June 8th, 2024. 

“I want to teach. I’ve had a lot of seasons under my belt now. 1995 was my first growing season, I was in Pemberton.  Then I did a garden program at Linnaea Farm in 1998. I just really like sharing  what I have spent a lifetime doing. I can share all these secrets. I’ve run a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) garden. I’ve done pure market gardening. I’ve done contract growing. I’ve grown food for sale in all the ways one can do it. So I can share this with anyone,” explained to Adam Schick, a resident steward at Linnaea farm on Cortes Island.

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