I have mentioned before that Fridays can be a bit crazy, with lots of different activities all going on at once, and this Friday was no exception.
Top priority was the gleaning. We had a light frost, so it is now important to harvest anything that would be damaged by the next one. All the butternut needed to be pulled, cleaned, and stored. Then facing the weedy mess that was left behind, there was a lot that needed to be dealt with. We thought it would be a good idea to top dress a couple of plots with some local horse manure last Fall. Unfortunately, the manure came with so many weed seeds that just loved all that extra nitrogen! Since we were planting Winter squash there, it was a low weeding priority this past Summer. That became a huge weeding problem this Fall. This plot had to be abandoned, and the squash left to grow amongst the, I will call it, living weed mulch! Luckily Ayden and James came on Friday to volunteer and headed up to tackle the clean up. When I mentioned driving our yellow electric tractor as part of the plan, I got huge smiles. This is a cheap trick I often use–mention driving the tractor and all of a sudden the project just gets a lot more fun!
Later that afternoon we had 4 volunteers from Generac Clean Energy Solutions come to help finish the job. It was great to have all the help with flipping this bed to a winter rye planting in a day and a half. Thanks to all of you for working on this for us. Oh, and Woody and Zoey helped too. Zoey caught voles, and Woody ate them 🙁
John Newlin has been going to extraordinary efforts to get our new gravel pad in place this Fall. We have some big plans, and it starts with the new expanded pad. Last Spring everyone was carrying seedling trays back and forth between the Rimol greenhouse and the seedling trailer. It is always extremely slippery and muddy those first couple of Spring months, and I have to urge everyone to be careful. We always have a couple of elderly volunteers who come to plant seedlings and getting them in and out of the greenhouse workspace is nerve wracking. The other part of this is that the greenhouse, which is designed to be used to grow an early crop, is being used to be a seed starting station and a hardening off/holding area for the young seedlings. This ties it up into June. After talking with Carrie and Patty, we collaborated on the idea of a smaller Rimol greenhouse that would have multiple purposes. First we want it to be a seedling house that is handicap accessible. It will have tables (built by our fabulous fixers) on wheels, so we can easily maneuver them. This will be a space that we can also use for the gleaners in inclement weather, a gathering place for our school groups, and a community workshop space. We would love to host more informational workshops without worrying about the weather.
Back to John and the new gravel pad. This is where it starts, and next Friday we have put a call out to our volunteer base for extra help picking up the tan shed, relaying the floorboards for the shed to rest on, and securing it. The contents need to be removed, mostly just the shelving now, and moved back into the tan shed. This will open up the space for the new addition. How are we funding this you might ask? Well, it is like Field of Dreams–build it, and they will come. For us, it is more like–prep for it, and the funds will come (hopefully with some creative grant writing and generous donations).
John also had some great insight into making our operation flow easier. We hope to move the wash station closer to the tool shed where we weigh and pack the vegetables. The tool cleaning would then be closer to the tool storage–fewer steps in both cases. There should then be a complete circle for traffic, without trucks and cars having to back up. Drive up to the tool shed, pack your vehicle with freshly picked vegetables, and off you go!
So, John was moving gravel on Friday, bouquets were being made, children were harvesting shell beans to be delivered, the volunteers were working on the butternut squash, the Gleaners were gleaning, and the Fix-It Team was doing me a big favor. Bob hurried out to the tunnels with his drill to make life easier for us, and the rest of the Fixers got stuck with a not-so-fun project. I learned later from a little birdie that one Fixer did not come last week thinking that I would ask them to work on this project, and another Fixer had just spent the day before in his own garage doing this very thing. So I apologize to all of you. Helping to organize the many buckets and boxes of “STUFF” was so necessary to be ready for next week’s big move! Funny how Burnham, John Hayes, and Tom were all away last Friday?
So that is a typical Friday for us.
On to accomplishments from the rest of the week. As our poundage numbers start to decline, you can see from Carrie’s photo there is still a nice variety. Marie, thanks for working so hard on cleaning up those bunching onions.The 4th graders spied them and were eating them raw! We still have some impressive carrots, and the sweet potatoes weren’t too shabby either.
More chilly temperatures are headed our way this coming week. The Saturday team covered some Napa cabbages and lettuce for us. The greenhouses have a few tender plants in them, and the rest of the vegetables should be cold hardy, depending on how low into the 30’s we go. I hope we can keep sending food out through most of this month.
A group of volunteers from MCHPP also came to help us, and they helped put our blueberry orchard to bed. Even the littlest volunteer got in some determined shoveling with a bit of help from his dad.
So as you can see, we have some big plans for the future here at G2G, continuing to expand our ability to grow more food, community, and education.
As I finish up this week’s update, I want to thank another of our most generous business sponsors–Maine True Home. Tami Goodrich, founder, real estate agent, nature lover and outdoor enthusiast also happens to be on the board of Growing to Give. Tami joined the board two years ago and brings the same determination and enthusiasm she has for her real estate clients to spread the word about G2G. Tami believes everyone should have access to healthy fresh foods.
Tami’s company, Maine True Home, helps people who want to settle in Maine or find the right home solution for their changing needs. She helps clients discover that sense of place that is unique for everyone. This, of course, builds and strengthens our community. As Tami helps to build our communities, she also is helping to bring attention to another community builder–Growing to Give.
Thank you, Tami! You bring unique insights and ideas to our board meetings, fundraisers, and events. Your energy brightens up the room. We are grateful to have your support.
That was a bit of a long farm report. I think that’s all I got, except to thank all of you who come to share laughter, conversation, and help us with what it takes to grow and distribute food to our neighbors in need.
Theda