The Market Garden
Sarah’s Harvest, owned and operated by Sarah Ouellette, is the largest certified organic market garden in the Yukon. Our bio-intensive farm includes a 0.4 acre garden and 1100 ft2 passive solar greenhouse. We are located 50 km north of Whitehorse on beautiful Lake Laberge and the traditional territory of the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council and Kwanlin Dün First Nation.
Growing North of 60
The best way to describe the growing season in the Yukon is short and intense. We experience late spring frosts, early fall frosts and extremely long day length around the summer solstice. With an average of 70-80 frost-free days, we don’t have a single growing day to waste in plant hardiness zone 1b. We focus on crops that grow well in our climate, most of which can handle at least a bit of frost, and we are able to realize impressive yields from a small space.
Our crop list includes: arugula, beet, carrot, celery, chard, fennel, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, garlic, rhubarb, and herbs such as cilantro, dill, mint and parsley.
Season Extension Techniques
We grow crops in raised beds to increase soil temperature and maximize soil depth, which is naturally very shallow in our area of the Yukon. We use row covers in spring and fall for frost protection, and they have the added benefit of moisture retention. The Yukon is a cold desert, so irrigation is essential for optimal plant growth. We use a highly efficient drip irrigation system, which minimizes our use of Lake Laberge water.
Meet Farmer Sarah
Sarah Ouellette, Owner/Operator of Sarah’s Harvest
‘’ There once was a time when Sarah’s Harvest really was Sarah’s harvest. In the early years, I touched just about every plant and handled nearly every leaf that ended up on a customer’s plate.
Fast forward 10+ years and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Sarah’s Harvest has become a team-based operation, bigger and better than I ever imagined!
What hasn’t changed is our reverence for living soil, our love of compost, our passion for healthy plants and our commitment to stewarding a thriving farm ecosystem.
Our mission is to provide the Whitehorse, Yukon community with fresh, high-quality vegetables using sustainable practices that respect the soil and our environment.
We proudly supply certified organic produce to our community and we are so very grateful for your support! ‘’
MORE ABOUT SARAH
Originally from Ontario, Sarah always loved doing chores with her Pepère when visiting her grandparents’ farm as a kid. Yet it wasn’t until she was volunteering on an organic coffee and spices farm in Kerala, India that she began considering farming as a career. The farmer gave her a bag of vegetable seeds and invited her to experiment! She made several small gardens wherever there was enough space and sunlight in the understory of the awe-inspiring tropical forest.
Her interest in gardening grew and led her to pursue two full-season internships on an organic Community Supported Agriculture farm in Ontario. A strong desire to be surrounded by wilderness and a community of like-minded folks is what led Sarah to move to the Yukon. No work ever felt as meaningful, satisfying or rewarding as farming, so with a bit of scepticism and a lot of determination, Sarah started market gardening south of Whitehorse at The Farm Gate in 2014.
Since 2016, Sarah’s Harvest has been located at Lendrum Ross Farm, where she took over an approximately 0.2 acre market garden that had been developed and stewarded by Brian Lendrum and Susan Ross since 2005. Sarah offers huge heartfelt thanks to Cain Vangel and Michelle Murphy from The Farm Gate for allowing her to get her start, and to Brian and Susan for their unwavering support which has enabled Sarah’s Harvest to become what it is today!
When she’s not farming, Sarah loves hanging in her hammock, walking in nature with her dog Sprout, training with her volunteer fire department and connecting with friends over food.
Since 2014, we care for…
Soil
We know that the health and bio-diversity of our soil is the absolute foundation and most vital part of our farm. With the regular addition of compost and minimal soil disturbance, the garden’s living soil is an environment where plants can thrive. We’re amazed every year at the huge red wiggler worm population and abundance of worm castings that no doubt contribute to the soil’s structure and organic matter content.
Animals
Over the years, dairy goats, pigs and laying hens have been part of our farm family. They have been nourished with unsaleable crops and garden residue in exchange for their manure, which has been an invaluable addition to our compost piles. Pigs’ natural behaviour is to root up plants and their excrement increases soil fertility. We raised pigs in a couple areas specifically to prepare land on which we expanded the market garden to its current size.
Plants
We focus our attention on our small growing area and care for plants using organic growing practices, such as crop rotations, organic inputs and natural interventions for pest and disease control. We do field work with specialized hand tools and occasionally a small two-wheel tractor. The health and well-being of all our plants matter to us, especially because we strive to produce seasonal, certified organic produce of the highest quality.
People
We value our community of eaters and supporters – you are the reason we grow! We are proud, honoured and delighted to be your local farmers and we are so very grateful for your support. Farm team members and volunteers have also been essential in the growth and development of Sarah’s Harvest. We offer deep gratitude to each of these important individuals who have helped improve our farm year over year.
Farm Team
The Sarah’s Harvest farm team is made up of outstanding individuals who are motivated, passionate, hard working and genuinely care about soil, animals, plants and people. If you share our values and believe you could be a valuable addition to our team, contact us!
Sarah's Harvest - Market Garden 