Flower Moon News
Farm Update
That First Perfect Berry
A Little Greening
BFS Virtual Soil Workshop
Plant Sale
Field Notes
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Farm Update
Reach out to us
and support the farm! Become a volunteer farmer and/or committee member. Each month at the farm brings with it a new list of projects and tasks as well as another cycle of committee meetings.
877 lbs
of food scrap collected this April.
Thank you to all our farm neighbors for their continue
d support of our food scrap collection and desire to create rich soil for our fields. Please utilize the disinfectant spray provided at the farm stand/toters to spray on handles and your garden gloves before and after opening/closing the toters.
The farm fields remain closed to the public.
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Strawberries mark the start of summer, that fact alone would be enough for me to claim my love for these berries. But I can't deny that the moment I see those bright red berries start to form, smell their warm aroma and taste that perfect blend of tart sweetness on my lips, I'm immediately transported to a state of nostalgia.
As a kid, I would mark my calendar with my grandmother for the small window in June when we could go strawberry picking. We would spend hours in the field picking tray after tray. Treating ourselves to the occasional berry too perfect to be saved. With our winnings we would make pies, jams, and tarts for days.
Then as a young adult I was blessed with my personal dream job, berry farmer. I worked on a family owned berry farm in New Hampshire learning the distinct taste, shape and features of various berries, such as strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.
This week I had the pleasure of tending to the strawberry beds in preparation for what I hope will be a beautiful harvest. Spring not only marks the season of endless weeding and pruning, but also the season of hope and excitement before that first perfect berry is formed.
-- Paige Brnger, Berry Enthusiast/Farmer Volunteer
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This past Wednesday, we donned our gloves and masks and headed into the fields. Our mission: find a home for a tender and brave little Rhode Island Greening apple tree.
As we walked, scoping for the right spot, Spencer of
Sowams Cider Works Company
filled us with all the necessary info about grafting cider apple trees while offering a step by step how-to guide for caring and nurturing them for a long and happy life.
Wishing I had brought my journal to take notes, I experienced a therapeutic entrancement while the young tree first entered its now permanent home. Fenced in and well-watered, this little RI Greening is in good hands as it shoots to 9 ft high this summer. A tiny sapling as of yet, this tree will be fruitful for generations of visitors to come.
Thank you Spencer for this wonderful donation and addition to our farm flora. We look forward to tending to her every need.
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Financial partners help us grow! Long-term viability ensures our ability to bring healthy foods and education to kids and the community.
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230 Viewers Watch BFS Virtual Soils Workshop
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Thank you Bennett, Maggie, and their class for amazing work with our Cabin Fever Series. Here is Bennett's press release.
BARRINGTON, R.I . --
More than 230 viewers tuned in Sunday to watch the Barrington Farm School’s virtual workshop, “The Dirt on Soils.” On a Facebook livestream, the farm hosted master gardeners, soil experts, and compost enthusiasts to discuss home gardening and the importance of soils. In an event filled with garden tours, demonstrations, and dirt puns, the audience was able to engage with speakers and ask questions. For those who missed the event, a recording can be found on the Barrington Farm School’s Facebook page (
here
).
Master gardener Holly Smith hosted a demonstration on seed starting for vegetables, herbs, and flowers. She offered strategies for growing from a variety of containers found in most households while giving tips for watering seedlings correctly. Blaise Rein, a graduate student and former member of the farm, offered a tour of his home garden which he planted during quarantine with constrained space and resources. Using an assortment of glass bottles and plastic containers, he showed viewers through a variety of plants growing in his apartment and offered tips on using common household materials to garden effectively. Tim Faulkner and Kelvin Misiruski gave a tour of the Barrington Farm School’s compost pile. They discussed the importance of compost for organic farming, the different elements of compost, how composting works, and introduced vermicomposting with worms. They demonstrated the whole process of caring for compost and offered several techniques of turning, sieving, and treating with worms to help home gardeners start their own. They discussed Barrington Farm School’s program that collects food scraps from the community for composting at their farm stand on Federal Road. Chemist Dr. Robert Rafka discussed how soil supports plant life, its importance for gardening success, and how to test for soil acidity. He gave instructions for home gardeners to effectively test soil during the time of coronavirus and offered resources on how to do so at a low cost or even for free. Patricia Bailey holistic benefits of home gardening for wellness. As a certified practitioner, she discussed horticultural therapy and the benefits gardening to bring members of the community together during social distancing.
The Cabin Fever Series is an annual string of events in winter and early spring dedicated to inspiring community engagement and future generations to understand farming, conservation, and nature. With the soil workshop originally planned for March, the Barrington Farm School reconfigured its event to an online format to guide and excite the community in planting seeds at a time of increased enthusiasm for home gardening. The Barrington Farm School is a community farm and education center that provides farming, food, health, and environmental education supported by dedicated volunteers. As the last operating farm in Barrington, BFS runs a local food scrapping and composting program, a summer farm stand business, beekeeping, and education and soil initiatives. They always welcome new visitors, volunteers, and sponsors.
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Our plant starts are doing well in the updated seed house. We hope to have these available asap. We are holding on to our tentative opening of May 16 for the plant sale (keep an eye on the farm stand)
Here are some of the main varieties we will have available.
Tomato:
-- Big beef: full flavor and heavy yields, great for slicing
-- Cherry bomb: firm and sweet
-- Celebrity: juicy and not too sweet
-- Mountain: mild sweet flavor
Ace peppers: a sweet bell pepper
Eggplant:
-- Orient Express: delicate flavor
-- Nadia: firm and flavorful
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Field Notes
The asparagus trenches are yielding activity. Asparagus like the soil temp up and then stretch into the open air. These were transplanted with the help of URI Service group in early March.
With the help of our great farming volunteers Sarah, Paige, Brian, and Jill we were able to plant 150 lbs. of tubers, composted and strawed. No tilling, no dig.
The Evil Woodchuck garden bed is getting a final prepping for the addition of the Solanaceae family (tomato, eggplant, pepper). Volunteers and farmers will load the rows with rich compost, then transplant and stake hundreds of plants.
Thanks to our berry enthusiasts (Paige and Aby), the strawberry rows have been groomed and strawed up. We hope for a modest first season harvest from these transplants.
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The golden raspberry and thornless blackberry bed received a much needed grooming. These plants are very happy and are expanding rapidly. A great harvest is in the making.
Redwing onions and swiss chard were transplanted into the fields. Everything is settling in well and the plants are healthy and enjoying their new compost rich homes.
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Billy's peach tree is in its third year of reconditioning and this is the year delicious peaches make a comeback!
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Resource
links
for home gardening
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Cast your ballot!
Think we merit Best East Bay Local Event: Barrington Farm School’s Cabin Fever Series? Vote
HERE!
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Be Tick Free! As the tick season hits full swing be sure to take proper precautions when enjoying the great outdoors or visiting the farm!
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Mission:
An inclusive community farm and learning center that provides farming, food, health and environmental education supported by dedicated volunteers serving as stewards of our historic farm.
Barrington Farm School is a 501(c)3, educational resource for students of all ages.
Barrington Farm School is on Federal Road
Barrington Farm School
P.O. Box 41
Barrington RI 02806
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