Concrete Jungle & Horticulture

Filled with strenuous labour in Olds College and ripe with adventure in the enormous metropolis of Edmonton, this week was surely a trial. Tired and ill, I limped home with my tail between my legs, but en-route an epiphany occurred.

Tangential to the primary, but important still, I shall set the scene. Edmonton, the Little Potatoe Company. A place so pristine we were required to dawn white apparel. So posh we had to sign a non disclosure contract. Soulless, corporate entrance leading into a factory with sounds that nearly induced a panic attack in myself; this place is not for me.

Downtown we were met with another side of horticulture, a contractor that brought to life the visions of landscape designers. Our guide seemed to genuinely like his job. Later, the landscape maintenance people who inherited the responsibility seemed, tired. From the lack of communication in government, between designers, builders and themselves. I did get a feeling they enjoyed their work, but the bureaucracy is a definite deterrent to myself.

So where does that leave us? The epiphany. In the city of lights, where there is no night, where everyone talks but no one connects, I can not see a home. In the farms visited, I see life; full, hard, dirty and wonderful. Love for work, love of fresh air and a hardy grin from a good days work. I am now actively searching for work on these wonderful, effervescent, family farms.

🙂

Technological & Natural Wonders.

The enormous scale of operations at Doef’s Greenhouses not only inspires a sense of awe, but literally left myself speechless. Grandiose in nature and breathtaking to look at, this almost alien world completely shattered my perception on the possibilities of horticulture in Alberta. Technologies, fairly simple in their individual means, are staggering and remarkable when blown up in scale.

11 acres of carefully controlled crops ascend row by row. Tomatoes, bell peppers, hot peppers, eggplants, cucumbers and more. “A cucumber for every Albertan twice over”, says our guide Eric Doef. He goes on to explain the ins and outs of his enterprise, explaining how the rails between rows are also heaters. Informing us that they also use similar heaters at the middle and top of crops for precise application of heat.

 

All questions were answered almost overly thoroughly, without a step of hesitation or concealment. The honesty and willingness to share every bit of operations has been a recurring theme in our trips. It seems that every farmer simply wishes to discuss farming! All be it the farmers stress these are still businesses; they must charge for product, they must make money. But they have no filter when talking about their passion.

To see this technology so close to home, to get an in-depth look, to see and smell and touch and taste! This is truly inspiring. Working at an operation like Doef’s Greenhouses seem like the perfect winter job. Fingers crossed!

 

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