Our Farm
Salix and Sedge Farm is owned and operated by Cali Olleck and Brendan Parsons, with supervision and oversight from our kids, Atlin and Thalia.
We started our farm in 2015 and decided to give everything a try - honeybees, pigs, chickens, and vegetables! Now we keep it simple and just grow vegetables. Our farm is certified organic through the Kootenay Organic Grower’s Society. We farm approximately one acre of land. This includes land that we lease from our neighbours where we grow a diversity of field crops and have a couple of unheated tunnels. We also have a year-round heated greenhouse on our land where we mainly grow tomatoes and cucumbers in the spring and summer, and greens in the fall and winter.
We produce a wide range of vegetables primarily for our roadside farm stand, and we also sell our produce to a few local retailers, a CSA program, and provide produce to the Salmo Food Bank.
Our Growing Practices
We farm because we believe in a just and healthy food system that builds soil, respects wildlife, values its workers, and produces the most flavourful and nutritious food possible.
Here are some of the practices we use on our farm to support this vision:
Annual soil testing and fertilization to balance soil micronutrients
Crop rotation for healthy soil and fewer pest and disease problems
Compost application to build soil and feed the soil life
Careful vegetable variety selection for maximum flavour profile
Pest management plan that focuses on prevention rather than treatment
Wetland construction to support biodiversity
Ongoing professional development to keep up with new research and improved production methods
“Best veggies in the Kootenays!”
~ Calvin Beebe, Foodie.
Salix and Sedge Farm exists to grow healthy, high quality food for our local community. We aim to achieve this through hard work, focused management and innovation while maintaining respect and care for the complex ecosystems that we depend on and work with every day.
Salix and Sedge, what’s in a name?
Our farm is named after the prominent flora found on our farm. Salix is the genus of willows, of which we have many varieties. Sedge is a three sided grass-like plant which thrives in wet conditions and can form ‘sedge meadows’. We have an abundance of sedge on our low lying property and it is the primary perennial weed that we have had to deal with so far. Our name roots us in our surrounding ecosystem, plus we just like alliteration. Beaver ponds, wetland, and mixed forest makes up the majority of our property and is home to a diverse array of wildlife. We find inspiration and rejuvenation in our surroundings, and feel incredibly lucky to be able to work outside everyday.
Nestled into the Erie Creek floodplain, we live on a flat, 20 acre property composed of forest, sedge-meadows, and beaver ponds.
In our first couple of years farming, we battled the water – sinking into the mud while trying to get spring crops into the ground as early as possible for market, and watching our late season crops drown in the autumn rains.
In 2017, we lucked out and formed a partnership with our neighbours to lease an acre of their drier land for our vegetable production. Soon after that, we established a basket willow patch – the willow loves our low-lying property, and we realize now how much sense it makes to work with the land!
In addition to the beaver ponds, we also have constructed wetlands on our property. In 2017, we participated in a wetland restoration project in partnership with the BC Wildlife Federation. After two wetland restoration specialists designed the plan, a local excavating company carried out the work to construct three ponds on our property where we suspect cattle had been grazed many years ago, altering the original wetland habitat.
When the earth was excavated to build the ponds, we had it all piled up adjacent to the newly restored wetland area, creating an elevated piece of land that was well enough above the water table to grow some vegetables.
In 2019, we constructed a 120 ft long by 35 ft wide greenhouse on that valuable, dry piece of real estate! A greenhouse had been a dream of ours since starting a farm. In Salmo, the growing season and frost-free period is very short, and we knew that extending the season with a heated greenhouse would not only level out our workload over the course of the year, but also provide new market opportunities.
The greenhouse is heated with natural gas, and we use it to grow tomatoes and cucumbers in the summer season, and salad mix and other greens in the winter months.
The constructed ponds are located adjacent to our greenhouse and can be easily viewed from the end of Curwen Road. It has been amazing watching more wildlife move in and make use of the new habitat. Depending on the time of year, we see Great Blue Herons, Hooded Mergansers, all sorts of ducks, Kingfishers, white-tail deer, loads of dragonflies, frogs, and even a Western Painted Turtle and a moose once!
