The Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-07-28, Page 30• r
PAGE 16A--GODERICH SIGNAL,STAR, THURSDAY, JULY 28. igr:
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ICY JEEFSEDDON
If you ever thought you
could just double the size of
your backyard gard'n and
make some easy money
selling vegetables talk to
-Red- .11,611 • -
before you dig up that soil.
The three Reders, Jake and
his two sons, are the trium-
virate that compose the
management and labor of
Reder Produce in Goderich
Township,
Reder Produce is.,a family
market gardening operation
that supplies fresh garden
vegetables to many residents
of Goderich, Clinton,
Bayfield, the surrounding
townships and many campers
and cottagers who invade this
section of Lake Huron an-
nually.
The Reders are in the
middle of their summer busy
season which, ironically,
starts in March when most
people are still huddling
against winter's frigid
temperatures. From then
until pretty well
Thanksgiving the three
resign themselves to seven
day work weeks workiyg long
hours in the greenhouses,
fields and the "shed" from
which they market their
goods.
The shed is all that many
people see of the produce
farm.
Cam Reder, the youngest of
the two brothers, says the
season begins in the first or
second week of March when
the boiler in the greenhouse is
fired up in preparation for
starting the plants. The first
vegetable is leaf lettuce and
the first of about 1,000 plants
grown annually are started in
styrafoam trays that are
divided into cubicles. Each
tray holds 200 plants and the
young lettuce, spends about
three weeks in the trays
before it is planted in deeper
soil, still in the greenhouge.
After a month in the deeper
soil it is ready for market.
Later in the year the plants
are taken from the tiny
cubicles and moved to the
field along with° head lettuce.
The two vegetables take up
about 1.5 acres and according
to Cam about 2,000 head
lettuce and 1,000 leaf lettuce
are started every two weeks.
"On a busy weekend we go
through about 240 heads a day
in the shed," he says.
As soon as the lettuce is
started the tomatoes become
the centre of attention. The
Reders plant about 2.5 acres.
of tomatoes" and start the
10,000 plants in greenhouse
conditions. Unlike lettuce the
tomatoes are transferred to
the field before they are
allowed to bear fruit and the
harvesting is done daily as
thesplapts mature. .‘
The tomatoes are started in
seed flats in the greenhouse
and when the plant grows, to
about a three-inch height it is
transferred to a peat pot. The
specially treated soil in the
pot provides the young plant
with food and water con-
ditions necessary to give it
the start it needs. When
outdoor, conditions are ideal
the tomatoes are planted by
machine in the field.
MACHINERY HELPS
Machinery .is what lets the
Reders turn the corner in
terms of production. Jake
says the farm has to be
01111111•11111111111111111111111111•111111111114
InStant
Friendship
The warm greeting of
your Welcome Wagon
hostess with "The Most
Famous Basket in the
World" will introduce
you to bur community
and start you on the
way toward new and
lasting friendships.
If you are new in town.
call
lireci4-ry
04-66S4 /ow
Phone
• - • i24-9676
%1111.11011111.11111
automated to a certain extent
if the boys want to increase
their production annually. He
qualifies the claim, however,
by pointing out that a certain
levelof ,production must be
attliesstd-'15e&et
can be considered at all.
"Some of the crops aren't
on a big enough scale to merit
machinery to plant and
harvest," he says.r"When the
cost of the equipment is
stacked against the return,
the machinery cant be
justified but when the ..work
needed for a crop takes the
iSCrOvelvAZiy`ft4v,lit o-tr 'three -
other crops, then we have to
get machinery to cut the time
on that crop down"
Cam used this years potato
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crop as an example. lid said
35 bags of seed potatoes were
planted this year and pointed
out that each potato had to be
hand cut before planting. He
said on. some larger potatoes
- -Cere rn ay •as4many.: as
five seeds with any luck and
that the smaller potatoes
have to be cut in half.
'All together three people
.eople
mparticular
'may spend a week cutting
potatoes and planting them
where an automatic •cutter
and one row planter will take
one person three days to do
them,' he explains.
Taite-fkitritt-eairtfistfalaselv
•
of -the automation is inex.
pensive but adds quickly that
not all of the machinery can
be purchased without parting
with a large sum of money.
He says that in some cases
used equipment can be found
which cuts costs and that
some of the machinery can be
homemade by' converting
equipment or making it from
scratch.
Despite the recent move to
machines the Reders have
spent countless hours hand
planting • vegetables and
hoeing acres of land to kill
weeds. Jake quickly recalls
the "earl -y, days on the
Goderich township farm
when money was scarce and
Work plentiful.
He brought his family to the
farm from Leamington where
he sharecroppedon a tobacco
and vegetable farm. The
work in Leamington gives
him over 30 years in the
produce business and he
quickly explains that in the
past five years the business
has changed drastically so
that he has almost had to
learn everything over again.
01)FR \TION YE 112`1 OLD
Jake bought the farm in
1952 and began marketing
through a one car garage.
Through his reputation for
quality produce, the business
has expanded tremendously.
Since that start the farm has
been tile drained, an ex.,
tensive irrigation system
itjstalled, three greenhouses
-built and the one car garage
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Ron Reder makes the daily check of the cucumbers growing under green house con
at the Reder Produce farm in Goderich township. The cucumbers grow in vine fas
ropes suspended from the ceiling of the house to allow the Reders to control th
vironment and to restrict the amount of land the meandering vegetable takes up
begins to grow. (staff photo)
nl•
"The Store ts ou, ore"
Oktf09YS:.-Lik.PgX--OniW and BB'-VPut
.41Y,Aitti'*Oo..FuRNITURj.. M ATTIE Itptik 41
'SfWING,MACHINES-SMALL APPLIANCES -VAMPS
The three Reders check out some young plants started in styrofoam trays under green
house conditions before being transferred to fields. Jake, the father of Ron and Cam,
declares the plants ready for outdoor planting and expected to put them in the ground
early this week. Each tray holds 200 plants and this group will be the next broccoli and
cauliflower crop soldfrom the Reder shed. (staff photo)
50% OFF
COMPLETE SUMMER STOCK OF:
Dresses
Pant Suits
Shirts
Pants
Jum Suits
ALL AT
2 PRICE
SCHAEFEW
LADIES WEAR LIMITED
0 SHOPPERS SQUARE arIDERICH
. 4,44 4.44.4‘44.4414. • •
LOCATED ON HWY NO. 4
SOUTH OF CLINTON AT VANASTRA
Starting Thursday, July 28
Our Gigantic Annual
BIG TOP
11
We have erected a circus tent on our parking lot -- to add over
1500 square feet of selling space and brought in thousands of
dollars worth of special stock for thisdgigantic sales event
Don't worry there's still plenty of parking.
A BIG 10j1F, OF
LADIES' WEAR
LADIES
SHORTS
57' - 97"
LADIES'
OR SLACKS
774 -
MEN'S WEAR
SPECIAL HOURS
• FOR
BIG TOP SALE
Thurs., July 28 - 10 a.m. 9p
Fri., July 29 - 10 a.m. - 9 p.r
Sat., July 30 -1e a.m. - 6p.1
Sunday, July 31 - 10 a.m..6;
Monday, Aug. 1. 10 a.m. • 61
Open all through
Civic Holiday Weekend
1 CHILDREN'S WI
MEN'S -SIZE 16-17'/a - 100 PERCENT COTTON BOYS' OR GIRLS. SIZE 2,6x
WORK SHIRTS $2,57 JACKETS
Wis- LiiTINEG SHORTS $1 .57 • ECaKKNEE-HIGH 354:
511.97SHORT SLEEVE - VALUES TO $4•97 HOUSEHOLD III
MEWiNDBREAKER $1 2.97
MEN'S REG 510.97
$1.57 SHELL TOP • $5.97
LADIES DENIM
RANDBAGS 97".
SECONDS-LADIES
SLACKS
BOY'S WEAR
BOYS 8-17
$2.57 -CORDUROY PANTS $4.97
RAINOATS.DRESS SLACKS $ 1 .97
'BOYS SIZE 9.14
PULLOVERS •-- -SMALLONLYSHORTSLEEVE.YELL7;9:4 WINDBREAKER $5.97
JACKETS
T-SHIRTS
1 /3 0
FF REG.
FORTREL-SIZES 12-18 FIRSTS
IN-STORE FABRIC SPECIALS
'PLAIN & FIGURED $ yo.
POLY -KNITS I • 7
ORDS -LEATHERS -STRETCH TERRY
,A/PHOLSTERY FABRICS
• POUND GOODS
971
PLAIN OR FIGURED
T-SHIRT MATERIAL
711.8.
SHIRTING.
MATERIAL
$1.57L8
DRAPERY MATERIAL
2.20 -
4 Fabric Specialt
SHORT BORG FABRIC
$4." yo.
RUBBER • BACK
BORG
, •
COLOuRS-•IDEAL'FOR
CAMPeRS ANL. Ett.
NIL
. • '''''''
4
2
The Ideal Shower
DECORATOR PRINT
KITCHEN ACCE
Dish Cloths 374,A
Pot Holders 4 I 074 EA
Towels 974E
$1.37"
Toaster Covets $
Oven Mitts
Hot Handles $1
Aprons
'
TWIN OR,DOUSLE
BORG BEDSPREADS
•,BEAVER
BLANKETS
4.
••''•
• .„