Hello Stearns Farm Community, and welcome to the 2013 growing season! There have been many changes at Stearns Farm over the past couple years, and again this year, you have a new farm manager. I have gotten to know many of you since arriving this past fall, and I look forward to meeting more of you as the season progresses. Please come up and introduce yourself to me at the farm, and let’s get to know each other!
We are trying to keep things as consistent as possible at Stearns, while also introducing small changes that will help the farm function better. One big change is that we are building a new propagation greenhouse in the late spring, due to the damage sustained by the old one during the blizzard this past winter. We are soliciting help from anyone who is interested in assisting with this project. Another change we are making is the revamping of our website so that we can communicate with you better. Stay tuned for more information about this.
We also have a new farm crew this year. Our new Assistant Growers, Alison Denn and Paulette Jenner, are both very excited to be at Stearns and have put in many dedicated hours already, preparing the farm for the growing season. Please welcome them with open arms. You will also be seeing Brendan Murtha and Brian Yen, other members of our crew, who will be working during the summer season.
One thing that remains constant am
idst all of this transition at the farm is the growing of plants for food. The month of April signifies the planting of alliums—the onions, leeks, and shallots we all love so much—as well as cool weather crops like spinach, beets, cabbage, kale, collard greens, Swiss chard, carrots, and peas. We’ve had a few productive work days already this spring—groups of sharers have come to do their work hours—and we were able to get a lot of these plants into the ground in a fairly short amount of time.
Our work-for-share crews have started once again as well. Many crew members have been returning to the farm year after year, and they provide a sense of continuity I very much appreciate. There are also a few new work-for-shares who have joined our ranks this year, and I am excited to welcome their great energy to our farm.
Long-time work for sharer Diane Kelzer working in the flower garden
We are having a big clean up day and bonfire this coming Saturday, April 27. Please come by to do some of your work hours (sign up online) and stay to enjoy the fire, meet your new farmers, and chat with members of your farm community.
Please check the calendar for other significant work days that are coming up. Potato planting, strawberry planting, and sweet potato planting are some of the big ones in May and June, but there are others as well. You can also come to do your work hours on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays this year. Looking forward to seeing you at the farm!
