Help from so many directions.
I want to focus this week’s farm report on the tremendous support we get at G2G. We had three folks from Blue Marble Geographics here for their annual employee volunteer day who, despite the gray skies, cold breeze, and the oncoming drizzle, braved working outdoors. Thanks, Abby, Eli, and Scott, for broadforking an entire plot and prepping the beds for our school group the following day. For some reason the weather is never very accommodating to working outside when these volunteers come to the farm. That’s why we always have a backup plan for some indoor tasks to give them and the chance to warm up.
Lucky for us, our friends from the Waldorf School came twice this week. We had 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders help us plant more onions and three types of peas. The 5th graders are now seasoned veterans of the farm. They know where the tools are, how to shovel and apply compost, and how to move wood chips onto our paths. We love their enthusiasm and excitement. Can you imagine what it must feel like to RUN to the compost pile and BACK with a wheelbarrow full of compost and keep smiling? Those days are a distant memory for me!
Tim will be with us mostly on Fridays this growing season. Tim chose to do his horticulture internship with us, and we consider ourselves lucky. No instructions needed when it came to finish pruning the willows! Please welcome Tim to our team if you happen to see him at the farm.
Saturday is a day that usually brings together a group of regular volunteers who like to chat and catch up on what is going on in their lives. This week, it was only Amy for that 8:00 AM shift. I’m not sure where everyone else was, maybe because it was the pick of the week weather-wise. I asked Amy to water seedlings, not a super exciting solo task. This didn’t matter to Amy. She does whatever needs to be done with a smile on her face. Thank you, Amy. Maybe some of your/our friends will be back to join us next week.
The topic for the Farm Skills group this week was: cover crops. We talked about the benefits of cover crops, including which ones to plant for a specific goal, and off we went. First, the team uncovered a tarped plot and moved the tarp to the next plot in need of weed suppression. This newly uncovered plot is getting field peas and oats. Dill seed was added because we like to have as many plant varieties as possible, and it can be terminated at the same time. A crop of fall cabbages will follow this cover crop mix. My goal: a nitrogen boost. We’re hoping it will help us grow larger heads of cabbage without additional fertilizer.
We then headed up to left field to finish off the onion plantings. Genevieve got out our mower and created a mulch of chopped-up cardboard and straw for us to use on our newly planted cover crop. Rain is in the forecast, so now we watch and wait! This group works as a true team, kind and supportive of each other, sharing ideas and information. I look forward to our Saturdays.
The week ended with a visit from two new friends of the farm. They came for daffodils, but since it was the end of the day, we had a mini farm tour. Thanks for your support, Ann and Linda. Come back when the farm is really showing off its beauty!
More help is on the way next week! Stay tuned. 😉
Always Grateful,
Theda