A Small, Off-Grid Farm
in Unama'ki-Cape Breton
Patchwood Farm is committed to growing great food to nourish our community and is grounded in respect for our natural environment.
We have the privilege of living and growing in Unama'ki, on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq People.
What's happening on the farm
A bird’s eye view
Have you ever wondered what a bird’s eye view of the farm looks like? We sure have. And now we have a much better idea of it! Last fall, we were incredibly lucky to have the brilliant photographer, Steve Rankin, spend a picture-perfect late-summer/early-autumn afternoon with us. We had so much fun snapping photos with Steve…
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On Long Pauses & On Being Nimble
When we launched our farm website in 2015, I was full of great intentions when it came to the blog section: Weekly posts? Too much? Maybe I’ll stick to bi-weekly – maybe that will be more manageable. Yes. That should do it. I can do that. Then our first baby arrived. Then I took on…
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Cape Breton: A Place of Possibility for New Farmers!
When we were deciding where to settle down and put our long-term farm dreams into action, we thought about it long and hard. We looked at a myriad of possibilities in both Canada and New Zealand and weighed the relative pros and cons of each place. We considered climate, soil quality, water sources, the cost…
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Patchwood Farm: Three Years (and counting!)
Time flies, just like they say it does! In a few weeks, we’ll be celebrating three years since our move to Cape Breton. It’s a good time for reflection. So much of our time is focused on our various To Do lists and plans for the future, that we sometimes have to make a conscious…
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In every place there is a season
Farming makes us weather watchers. Particularly once springtime arrives, we pay close attention to historic trends, short- and long-term forecasts, and our on-farm weather station. Like so much of farming, this sort of observation represents a life-long learning process. And the learning is amplified when you begin gardening on the opposite side of the planet. We…
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