Each year the
life cycle of the farm never ceases to amaze me. It begins each March, while
winter is still amongst us and the wind blows through the empty fields and
turns our cheeks a rosy red when we walk from the main building to the
greenhouse. The greenhouse is where the annual cycle begins. As one enters the
greenhouse in March they are greeted with the smell of earth and baby
seedlings. This always reminds me that winter will leave us and be replaced
with springs rebirth and summer’s bounty. But in March, our small team spends
many hours in the greenhouse filling trays with soil and seeds. This is
repeated until both greenhouses are filled to capacity with what will become
our farm’s summer bounty of amazing produce that will nourish the minds and
bodies of a thousand families.
As spring days
get longer and warmer the farm activity changes too. We spend more time in the
fields turning over the soil and preparing beds. Then we wait hopeful that the
last frost is behind us and begin transplanting from the greenhouse to the
fields. Our field team painstakingly undertakes this task with diligence and
joy at what is to come. After the seedlings have been planted in the field and
our world experiences its annual re-birth and spring growth, our field team
must also expand. By the time June arrives and our world is in bloom, our farm
staff also grows and blooms into a wonderful team. We welcome the addition of
our weed crew who work daily from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm keeping those pesky weeds
at bay. We also welcome our Field Crew who work daily from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
harvesting in the morning and performing other farm tasks in the afternoons.
This is my favorite time of the year. Our fields are full, are staff is
dedicated to keeping them that way throughout the season and distribution has
arrived once again, for people at all income levels including those in need of
assistance. It is time for all of us to enjoy this time in our annual cycle and
cherish what we have all helped to create with this beautiful community farm.
Naomi Shea, for
the Farm Staff
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