The Newton Farmer
April 2021
Greetings from the Farm! I don’t think I’ve ever answered “spring” when someone asked me what my favorite season is. Spring means mud, random freezes, and more work/less play—at least for those of us who love winter recreation. 

But this year I’m excited for spring. I’m looking forward to the hustle that comes with trying to get everything going, and I'm excited to be working with my body again, which is different from exercise or sport. I’m finding myself anxious to plunge into the work. To get busy, and stay busy, all day long. I’m looking forward to the longer days. 

A couple weeks ago spring seemed so far away. The field was still covered with snow, and I wondered how we’d ever start prepping it for planting. But here we are, and while it’s snowing as I write this, the field is clear, ready to begin warming, thawing, and softening. 
Walking through the field is an odd experience. The top inch or so of soil softens to mud each day in the warmth of the sun, while just underneath, everything else remains frozen. You sink in, just a little, then start slipping. And what a great smell. The scent of the earth thawing is one of the visceral pleasures of spring.

I love walking with my dog Boyd through the woods at this time of year. The deer are more active, the geese are back, and he thinks it’s time to head off on his own to scour the forests and fields for “invaders.” I don’t mind. I keep walking and listening to the birds—each week a new species— returning and singing me a song. Back at the farm, the buds are beginning to swell on the fruit trees, and the first shoots are starting to push their way toward the sun—crocus, snowdrops, and feral garlic dropped decades ago by the Anginos. 

I don’t know why I’ve never thought of spring as my favorite season. You can just feel how everything and, especially this year, everyone is bursting to get out and get active. Me, too. Let’s go, spring! Let’s get busy and start this farm a-growing! 

Greg Maslowe
Farm Manager
Announcing Our Annual Seedling Sale
Last year over 500 gardeners bought more than 20,000 seedlings at our first online order/curbside pickup Seedling Sale. Due to the volume of customers and the small space for our seedlings, we have decided to repeat this process for our 2021 sale with two important changes, an early-access purchasing option for Friends of the Farm (read on to learn how to become one) and the reconfiguring of the online store so that customers sign in first and then order. We are doing this to express our appreciation to our donors who keep the Farm strong and to improve the robustness of the online store to process the high volume of orders.

Monday, April 5, at NOON - Seedling Sale Early Access opens to our current Friends of the Farm. (A current Friend of the Farm is someone who has donated at least $50 since November 1, 2020. In order to have early access, your donation must be received by midnight on April 4. If you make a donation on April 5⁠–⁠7, you will not have early access to the store due to the way our database program works. Avoid disappointment if you want early access, and donate before midnight on April 4. Click here to make a donation.) The early-access link to order will be sent by email on April 5 at 10 am to the email address on the account from which the donation was made. Remember that it may go to another member of your household depending on which email address is connected to your donation.

Wednesday, April 7, at NOON - Seedling Sale online store opens to the public through the ordering link that will be posted to our website at noon.

When you place your order, you will receive an email confirmation with a link to sign up for a pickup slot.

Friday, May 14–⁠Monday, May 17 - Customers pick up their orders at the Farm in the afternoon by prescheduled appointments.
Additional Information:
We are a very small (but very productive) farm. Just two staff members plant all our seeds for over 20,000 seedlings in just one greenhouse. And only two staff members run the entire online sale. Some varieties of our seedlings sold out extremely quickly last year, and we expect demand to be very high again this year. We wish we could grow enough seedlings to provide for everyone who wants to buy them, but we are constrained by space and staffing. We appreciate your understanding and support very much.

There is a $20 minimum purchase. Check out our website for information on the varieties of plants we are growing and the soil amendments we will have available for sale, too. These are the varieties we expect to have available for pickup in May, but weather, germination, and other variables may affect availability. If you order something and it ends up not being available due to unforeseen circumstances, we will issue you a refund for that item.

The Seedling Sale is not possible without the help of dozens of dedicated volunteers. We are looking for individuals who are able to help pack seedling orders, verify orders, put orders at the curb, and assist with curbside pickup by customers. If you are able to work a shift (8 am–⁠12 or 1–⁠6 pm) on May 14⁠–⁠17, please sign up here.

If you have gardening or beekeeping questions, please email jay@newtoncommunityfarm.org, and we will have one of our volunteer local experts assist you!
Thank You to Our 2021 Seedling Sale Sponsors!
Free Online Speaker Series
Join us for these informative, live, online programs, which are free and open to all.
Preregistration for each session is required to receive the Zoom access link.
Healthy Cooking for Seniors 
Wednesday, March 31, 11 am–noon, online

Clinical Dietitian Caila Yates from Newton-Wellesley Hospital will help seniors who might feel that making healthy, homemade meals is too much work for only one or two people in a smaller household. Topics will cover simple cooking strategies, easy shopping techniques, and ways to enjoy healthy cooking of small, nutritious meals with a focus on the nutritional needs of seniors.  
Best Practices for Home Gardening
Earth Day! Thursday, April 22, 11 am–noon, online

Avid gardener and Newton resident Barney Keezell will teach you what you need to know to jump-start your home garden this growing season. Barney will discuss choosing the right plants, planting techniques, maintenance, pest control, and best practices for growing in our climate, whether you are gardening in containers, a raised bed, or your backyard.

Healthy Cooking and Nutrition
Check out our latest healthy cooking and nutrition show on our YouTube channel on homemade holistic tonics, healing teas, and health tinctures on Wednesday, April 21 at 1 pm. You'll also find our previous shows on gardening, cooking, and story time. And you can view our shows on NewTV. An archive of our newsletters on gardening and cooking is available on our website.

To sign up for our brief newsletter focused on gardening and cooking tips, recipes, and information, contact jay@newtoncommunityfarm.org.
Community Organization Spotlight: Green Newton
Green Newton is a local nonprofit organization offering "the tools you need to take climate action now." Founded in 1990 by activist Louise Bruyn, GN has maintained over 400 action-oriented family memberships during the last ten years and has more than 2,000 subscribers to their e-newsletter.

Green Newton welcomes the city's newly-appointed Energy Coach Liora Silkes, who can help households make their own energy-saving plans, and supports Newton's Climate Action Plan commitment to become carbon-neutral by 2050. On their website, GN offers recommendations and resources to Take Action! such as:

  • Get a Mass Save Home Energy Assessment and weatherization upgrades.
  • Use the HeatSmart Initiative, which promotes heat-pump technology to heat and cool homes, especially those with window air-conditioning units or those that use high-cost fuels or old heating systems, or for individuals planning a renovation.
  • Rely less on cars or, if you need to drive, consider getting an electric vehicle when it's time to replace an old one.
  • Consider going solar.

Green Newton also organizes the School Connections group, a forum for parents, students, educators, and the community interested in promoting sustainability in the classroom and beyond, and offers many public programs throughout the year. Join GN and the Newton Free Library on April 22, 7–8 pm for their online Earth Day program "Save the Planet and Your Health with a Plant-based Diet." Sign up here.
A Book Is Like a Garden...
...carried in the pocket. ~ Chinese proverb

Let's learn more about each other and discover new reads through book recommendations around our common interests in farming, gardening, the environment, food, and good health. Send your book recommendations and a note to describe yourself to sue@newtoncommunityfarm.org.
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
 
If you yearn to deepen your understanding of the interconnection between the science and spirituality behind Mother Nature, fill your plate with the keen musings of Robin Wall Kimmerer, a Native woman, botanist, and author of Braiding Sweetgrass. It is a truth-telling guide for those who love all living things. Have you ever wondered why in the quiet of winter squirrels gnaw on the branches of sugar maple trees? Did you know that if harvested with respect according to the traditional ways, sweetgrass will flourish – if not, it will wither and die off? With deep knowledge, grounded in years of personal observation and research, Robin Wall Kimmerer weaves the answers to these questions and so much more. Her formal training, skill, respect, honor, and wisdom gleaned from Potawatomi Nation traditions make Braiding Sweetgrass a sacred gift to humanity and the natural world. 
 
Ellen Meyers is a gardener, nature lover, and tree hugger. 
Welcome Our Assistant Grower
We are pleased to welcome Evan Seitz as our assistant grower. Evan has broad experience working at local farms, and he comes to NCF with curiosity and an interest in learning more. Evan started in mid-March, and he has been very busy in the greenhouse planting seeds with Farmer Greg and getting the 2021 season started. Evan's interests also include climate and social justice, food, and cooking. He has lived in Massachusetts the majority of his life and he is currently a resident of Roslindale, where he enjoys hiking and biking. We're excited to have him join the team!
Natick Community Organic Farm
In the early morning on March 17, Natick Community Organic Farm's 200-year-old barn burned to the ground in a fast-moving fire. Tragically 16 pigs and piglets lost their lives. Tools, supplies, and seedlings were damaged, and NCOF will not be able to offer their flower-share program at Newton Community Farm this summer.

As part of the farm family, we realize what a devastating loss this is to NCOF's staff, supporters, and to the community. We remember the setback of losing our farm stand to fire in 2012 and how support from the community helped us rebuild the stand and our spirits. After what has been an incredibly challenging year for all of us, and at the onset of the new growing season, NCOF needs our support. Please visit the Natick Community Organic Farm website to learn how to make a donation. (Photo from NCOF's website.)
Newton Community Farm is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, EIN #20-2482452. If you would prefer to donate by mail, please send a check payable to Newton Community Farm at the address below. Don't forget to ask your employer if matching funds are available.
NEWTON COMMUNITY FARM
303 Nahanton Street
Newton, MA 02459
617-916-9655