Boston Springs Farms

Brenda and Wes Sovereign from Sovereign Farms recently retired from farming and the farm is now under new ownership! We wanted to thank Brenda and Wes for their years of partnership with 100km Foods producing greenhouse tomatoes, as well as many varieties of zucchini, peppers, and beans!

We also wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you to the new owners of the newly named Boston Springs Farms and share their story.

Debbie Scheeringa is passionate about horticulture, and it was a long-held dream of hers to run a family farm.

A few years ago, Debbie and her husband Shane began searching for farms in the Southern Ontario region. It was around this time that Brenda and Wes Sovereign, who have been farmers for many years, decided it was time to sell their farm and retire.

Debbie and Shane were viewing at a recreational horse farm near Sovereign when their realtor mentioned offhand that a farm nearby might be of interest to them.

They met Wes and Brenda and instantly hit it off. Debbie and Shane liked the idea of an established farm, and it was important to Brenda to sell their beloved farm and greenhouse operation to a family who wanted to continue to use the land for agricultural production!

Debbie, Shane and their two children moved up to Sovereign Farm this past winter. Brenda is on hand each week to help Debbie and Shane with the transition for this first growing season.

They also employ a team of dedicated, hard working and efficient migrant labourers from Jamaica who have been a tremendous source of support as Debbie and Shane learn more about greenhouses and field crops!

The New Boston Springs Farms Operation

We went up to visit Boston Springs Farms this week to learn more about their current operation, as well as get a sense of their future.

Upon arriving at Boston Springs Farms, we were greeted by Shadow and Luna, their two friendly dogs. We also briefly met some new kittens. After meeting their kids, Debbie and Shane took us around the greenhouses and the farm.

Their energetic young son Nolan also accompanied us on this adventure – he’s a mischievous vegetable lover known to pilfer tomatoes, rhubarb, and zucchini on occasion!

Boston Spring's Tomato Greenhouse

Boston Spring's Farms' main crop is greenhouse tomatoes. These are the grape tomatoes, mosaic, beefsteak, roma, and heirloom tomatoes you all know and love! 

Boston Springs has faced some challenges in their first season. Controlling temperatures in the tomato greenhouse has been very tricky. Tomato greenhouse production has been slower than usual because of the lack of sunlight.

Although Boston Springs is an older greenhouse, it’s a very efficient facility. Debbie showed us the computer system that monitors the PH levels of the soil, temperature, and humidity to maintain optimal growing conditions.

The optimal temperature for a tomato greenhouse is 18-19 degrees Celsius! We all know about the importance of sunlight in farming, but did you know moonlight is also a very important.

The greenhouse tomatoes are picked by labourers who sit on little carts that run on tracks between them.

They use integrated, natural pest control methods for the micro climate of the greenhouse. Situated around the greenhouses are mullen plants. Mullen plants are the homes of the parasitoid wasps that keep caterpillar infestations at bay.

They do this by laying their eggs inside the caterpillar, and once the wasps hatch, they devour the caterpillars from the inside out. Kind of gross, kind of cool, kind of sinister, yet very efficient!

Boston Springs Farms also have lots of bumblebee homes in the greenhouse to aid with flower pollination.

They also have some field crops outside of their tomato greenhouse including zucchini, beans, and hot peppers!

For a relatively small acreage, the farm is very productive!

The Future of Boston Springs Farm

Though they are still quite busy getting into farming, Debbie has many exciting plans for the future of their farm!

She's keen to experiment with new varieties and crops that may do well with their soil type and weather patterns. A new variety of zucchini they’re growing this season is Ishtar zucchini, a light green, sweeter Lebanese variety.

Debbie and Shane are transitioning towards using even more ecological practices to ensure top notch, healthy soil quality.

Debbie and Shane know that there will be challenges ahead, but they feel excited to meet them. They also noted the generosity of the new farming community they’ve entered.

Debbie and Shane both stressed how helpful helpful fellow farmers have been in answering questions, helping out, and teaching! Shane told us farmers markets have quickly become a valuable hub for impromptu troubleshooting as challenges arise.

We are really looking forward to continuing to work with Debbie and Shane and their tomato greenhouse, and we wish all the best for Brenda and Wes in their retirement!

Many thanks to Debbie and Shane for hosting us on their farm.

Checkout their producer profile and available products!