Jean-Marie Laprise spent four months planting a garden of about 70 crops on the site of the International Plowing Match & Rural Expo, timing his work so most of these vegetables came into maturity this week.
“You’ve got things like radish and lettuce that only need a month to grow, and then you have carrots and brussels sprouts and Kalettes and even commercial corn, they’re full-season crops,” said Laprise, who owns the Pain Court land where the IPM is being held.
He said they largely succeeded in their goal with about 95 per cent of the crops, but some died out three weeks before the IPM. Insects devoured a few others.
All of the crops he planted from May to August are grown commercially in Chatham-Kent. Laprise said several conditions in southwestern Ontario allow for this diversity, while growing all of these crops wouldn’t be possible in the northern parts of the province.
“We’re in the banana belt of Canada here, there’s no question … and we do have all types of soils here in Chatham-Kent from some heavy clay to some blow sand for that matter,” he said.
Laprise himself grows about 10 crops for his commercial operation, with brussels sprouts being the main item.
He said he wanted to work on this project to give people an idea of “what their food looks like in the raw state and not wrapped in a bag at the supermarket.”
The garden is part of the educational program at the IPM, which has brought in students from all over the region.
“I don’t care if you’re five years old or 80 years old, I would say that the majority of the population wouldn’t even know what an eggplant looks like,” said Laprise.
When the IPM winds down on Saturday, anyone can take home the crops left in the garden, he said.
Over 5,000 students visiting IPM
At least 5,000 students will be taking in the sites at the IPM over the five days. Schools are coming from as far away as the Windsor, London and Sarnia regions.
Queen of the Furrow judged on plowing, speaking
The Ontario Queen of the Furrow is based on a 700-point system. Appearance and deportment, speeches and an interview with judges are worth 200 points each. The other 100 points are earned during the plowing competition. The top five are chosen at a banquet Friday night and asked to answer an impromptu question. Afterwards, the judges decide on the winner.
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