Petter Farms is preparing for another busy season and will be a regular vendor at the Martensville Summer Market when it opens on June 24th.
Having originally started as a hobby growing vegetables for their family, Roelof and Marjan Petter began getting serious with gardening in 2013/2014 and began coming to the Martensville Farmer’s Market regularly in 2015.
Located north of Martensville, 2.5 kms off of Highway 12 on the Osler turn-off, Petter Farms has been hard at work ensuring they have a wide variety of produce available this year which will be sold at the Martensville and Warman markets. They also have a “do it yourself” roadside stand which has been recently renovated to look like a granery, with everything packaged and ready to go. Marjan noted that all you have to do is a little math and put the money in the provided money box, or send an E-transfer. The roadside stand is open Monday-Friday from 9am-7pm, Saturdays from 9am-5pm and closed on Sundays.
There is a wide variety of vegetables available such as carrots, beets, onions, garlic, potatoes, lettuce, cucumbers and more, as well as herbs and many options of squash and pumpkins.
They operate from April until winter hits. The first step in May is giving the soil a dose of chicken manure and plowing and then certain items, such as onions, leeks, cabbage and herbs, get started in the greenhouse. In early May, plants and seeds that can handle a little frost are planted outside. Once the greenhouse is emptied and everything is outside, they begin seeding the more tender plants such as cucumbers, squash and pumpkins, which are ready to go outside within approximately two weeks. Watering is done with drip lines, which provides the plants with the proper amount of water and eliminates waste.
Visit the Petter Farms Facebook page to learn more about this incredible local business. “We try to be as informative as possible, but during the summer months, we are extremely busy,” Marjan explained. Produce is expected to be ready by the end of June.
Marjan provided a helpful tip when it comes to summer vegetables, stating, “Just wash it, and there is hardly any need for peeling. The vegetables are tasty when they are fresh and just need a little oil, pepper and salt and in some cases honey. Cut it up and put it on the BBQ for about 15 minutes and voila, your meal is ready.”
