The Newton Farmer
May 2022
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Dear Farm Friends,
The days are getting longer but the hours seem to be going by faster here at the Farm. This time of year, it feels like everything is speeding up. Tiny seeds planted in the greenhouse one week are shooting up and becoming seedlings the next. One day we are planning for a program far off in the future, and the next day it is happening! There is so much to do that I have to remind myself to take a break and a walk around the Farm to enjoy spring and the beauty of this space. I hope that you too are noticing the blossoming fruit trees, spring bulbs blooming, and all the lovely new green growth around us.
Speaking of busy times, we are so excited to welcome local gardeners to the Farm for our annual Spring Seedling Sale. We'll have two busy days of shopping, visiting, and connecting over seedlings at the Farm on May 14 and 15, from noon to 5 pm. Read on for more information and links to all the details. We are grateful for our customers! While you're at the Farm, take a look at the amazing new greenhouse being constructed and be sure to meet our new staff and volunteers.
Volunteering is a great way to get back to growing outside while lending a helping hand. In this newsletter you'll find information about opportunities to help out at the Farm (psst, we need more volunteers for the seedling sale) and in the community on some new projects. It's the perfect time to get outside and get growing. Don't forget to stop and smell the flowers!
With gratitude,
Sue Bottino
Executive Director
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All the Details (Including Expanded Hours) for our Upcoming Seedling Sale |
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We're growing 27,000 seedlings for our annual Spring Seedling Sale. We'll have all your favorites, plus some new varieties this year. The sale will be in person at the Farm on May 14–15, and we have expanded the hours to noon to 5 pm. In addition to seedlings, we will also have Vermont Compost Company soil and soil amendments available in limited supply and NCF T-shirts for sale. And we are thrilled that our local volunteer garden gurus Barney Keezell and Brian Rogan will be back to answer all your garden-related questions. All sales will be in-person this year during the two-day sale. (There is no pre-ordering online or alternate shopping time.) Read our FAQs for more tips and information.
All seedlings will be $6 per unit that they are started in, either a 6-pack, 4-pack, or pot depending on the type of plant. So, for example, a 6-pack of lettuce or a 4-pack of tomatoes or a potted perennial herb are all $6 each. It is helpful to bring a cardboard box and/or a wagon or cart for moving your seedlings to your car. We accept cash, check with identification, credit card, and SNAP*. We will have separate lines for cash-only sales.
We will have more than 90 plant varieties available this year. For more information on specific varieties, click here.
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Beets
Bok Choi
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Napa Cabbage
Calendula
Cantaloupe
Cauliflower
Centaurea
Chamomile
Chard
Cilantro
Corn
Cosmos
Cucumbers
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Cutting Celery
Dill
Eggplant
Fennel
Husk Cherry
Kale
Lavender
Lettuce
Marigold
Mint
Mustard
Nasturtium
Oregano
Parsley
Peppers
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Rosemary
Sage
Scallions
Spinach
Squash
Strawflower
Sunflower
Tarragon
Thyme
Tomatillos
Tomatoes
Turnips
Lemon Verbena
Watermelon
Zinnia
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*Did you know that if you receive SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits, you can use your card to pay for seedlings that you use to grow food for your household? To see which seedlings are eligible for SNAP, visit our plant list.
Thank you to our sponsors!
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Preregistration is required on our website for all education programs.
Scholarships of up to 75% of a program fee may be available.
For more information, including a short form, click here.
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Programs for Adults
Make Your Own Herb Garden in partnership with the JCC, Sunday, May 22, 10–11 am, $20/person, includes all materials. Participants will tour the Farm and take part in a workshop to create an herb planter that will be a welcome addition to your porch, deck, or wherever you might have space for a few herbs to brighten your home.
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Pasta-Making Workshop Wednesday, May 25, 6–8 pm, $20–60 per ticket (budget-friendly). Join Director of Education Matt Durham to learn about different types of pasta dough and their cultural significance, as well as techniques for making pasta that you can use in your own kitchen. You will learn how to make three different styles of pasta using a variety of tools. Come ready to get your hands floured up as we dive deep into the world of pasta across the Italian peninsula.
Mushroom Workshop with Fungi Ally Thursday, June 9, 6–8 pm, $50. Sign up for an interactive workshop with Willie Crosby, who has been teaching and growing mushrooms with Fungi Ally in Montague, MA, since 2013. Willie will share his extensive knowledge of mycology, and each participant will leave with an inoculated log to sprout oyster mushrooms at home. All supplies will be provided.
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Drop-Off Programs for Kids
Wednesdays, May 11–June 22, 1:30–3:30 pm for ages 5–12, $280 for the session (The session is prorated so start anytime.)
Plant seeds in the Learning Garden, uncover the hidden world beneath our feet, conduct experiments with plants, and spend time with the chickens.
July 5–September 2, mornings, 9–11:30 am for ages 5–8, or afternoons, 1:30–4 pm for ages 8–12, $250 per week (Age groupings are flexible; let us know if you want to keep siblings or peers together and we will try to accommodate requests.)
Calling all future farmers, scientists, chefs, naturalists, and gardeners! Join us to discover boundless connections between our food, each other, and the natural world. We will explore a different garden-based theme each week on topics like life cycles, the food system, and garden creatures, and learn gardening skills. We'll create a garden snack during each class to enjoy. We hold classes in our Learning Garden as well as the larger farm, giving kids valuable time in a natural space that they can call their own.
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What are you hoping for this spring? If you are looking forward to making meals with delicious, farm-fresh ingredients, dropping your kids off for fresh air and sunshine while they learn about where their food comes from, or volunteering at the Farm, we hope you will consider making a donation to help us create these wonderful opportunities for our community.
With your support, we are growing 27,000 seedlings for our annual Spring Seedling Sale plus many more for planting in the field. Our summer CSA has sold out, and our summer classes for kids are filling up. We’re planning fun adult education classes, working on new signs for the Farm, and purchasing equipment that will help us work more efficiently and build resilience to climate change. And in June we will open the farm stand and start back at the Newton Farmers’ Market.
But even as we are hopeful about what 2022 brings, we are facing financial challenges. As we all have experienced, costs for just about everything have dramatically increased over the past year. Our expenses for greenhouse supplies and gasoline have jumped up and our insurance premiums, utility bills, and service fees are higher than expected. Our labor costs are way up as are our equipment and materials expenses. We also need to purchase a farm vehicle, which is a major expense for our small organization.
Your donation will help us meet these challenges and continue to cultivate hope this growing season at the Farm. Please donate today.
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Welcome to Our New Assistant Grower |
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Our new Assistant Grower Asher Lyon is a native of Newton Centre and has been farming full time for six years on farms big and small in New England, Israel, and Rwanda. He is a first-generation farmer who grew up in the area with a strong connection to nature.
After earning a degree in hospitality and tourism management and sustainable agriculture from UMass Amherst, he attended the Farm School in Orange, MA, where he learned to drive tractors and grow produce. Asher’s love for community, family, and soil health has brought him back home to farm. When not on the Farm, he can be found chasing down big swells on his surfboard or hanging with one of his four nephews and nieces.
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Food Security Infrastructure Grant |
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We are thrilled to announce that NCF is being awarded an MA Food Security Infrastructure Grant of $22,893 for improvements to our greenhouses and growing systems. According to the Mass.gov website, "The Food Security Infrastructure Grant Program seeks to ensure local food producers are better connected to a robust and resilient food supply system in order to mitigate future food supply and distribution disruption issues." We are grateful to Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources for supporting food producers and distributors working to make a more resilient system to improve access to local, fresh food. You can read the press release online here.
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One of our biggest projects this spring is the construction of the new Dr. Eugene S. Rubin greenhouse at the Farm. At 20'x48', this new structure is going to more than double our indoor seedling space and will also have active heat and ventilation. We are so grateful for this incredible gift from Steven and Carolyn Barg, Gene's daughter.
Thank you to Farm Manager Greg Maslowe for teaching himself how to build and install the greenhouse. Not one to shy away from a challenge, in April, Greg finished framing in the greenhouse doors and vents and installed the polycarbonate endwalls. Next up will be securing the channeling for attaching the plastic covering. We are so excited about this new space!
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Volunteer Gardening Opportunities
in the Community
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Newton Neighbors is partnering with the Newton Housing Authority (NHA), the Newton Community Pollinators Project, and Newton Community Farm on a variety of gardening projects. Volunteers are needed to:
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Partner with an NHA Newtonville resident to help with a variety of gardening tasks, from repotting indoor plants and putting pots on a balcony to supporting experienced gardeners. There is an array of different needs, so this is appropriate for gardeners with varying levels of expertise and availability. Sign up to work with an NHA resident on a particular project here.
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Work with other volunteers to plant a pollinator garden at an NHA Newtonville property. This is a great opportunity to learn more about pollinator gardens and native plants from partners Newton Community Pollinators Project and Newton Community Farm. The first big push for this project will be the groundbreaking on May 7, with more volunteer opportunities over the summer months. Sign up to volunteer on the pollinator garden here.
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High School
Summer Field Crew Internship Program
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NCF is currently accepting applications for summer high school field crew interns. This program offers the experience of working on an intensive market garden (the traditional term for small vegetable farms) for students entering 9th–12th grade in the fall of 2022. Internships last for four weeks and are three mornings per week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday), 8 am to noon. Applicants can indicate if they are available for session 1 (July 12–August 4) or session 2 (August 9–September 1). Internships are unpaid. Check out our website for more details and to apply online. |
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Every year we face a massive mountain of work, and every year we are so lucky to have truly incredible volunteers who show up to help out. This month we want to give a shout-out to Catherine Dietsche, Yael Ort-Dinoor, Fiona Ross, Olga Burenkova, Susan Tornheim, and Madelyn Sorensen. We are so grateful that you generously share your time and talents!
This month we also started a program with the Chestnut Hill Wegmans. Several times a year, Wegmans employees will be coming to the Farm to help with specific farm projects. In late April, store manager Todd Drickel plus hard-working employees Matt, Scott, and Alicia, planted beds of leeks and onions (and helped us move a small mountain of soil, too). You can learn more about opportunities to bring a small group of employees to the Farm to volunteer on our website. Thank you, Wegmans!
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Meet a Volunteer:
Out of the blue we received an email in March from Catherine Dietsche. She had driven by the Farm and reached out to see if we needed help. We are so happy that she did! Originally from Rouses Point, NY, Catherine was in the area working as a medical technologist. She wanted to learn about planting and farming, and she enjoys working outside, in the sun and in nature.
Catherine has been an incredible volunteer, seeding thousands of plants in the greenhouse and also helping in the field. She is a diligent worker and is always curious to learn more. She is amazed that you can bury tomato plants up to the cotyledons (the first set of leaves to sprout—a term she learned while working here) and that the part of the stem that was buried up to those first set of leaves will grow roots!
Catherine has found the Farm community to be very welcoming, and she also enjoys spending time with Winston, the farm dog. She encourages everyone to get involved and volunteer as she has found that "It's really rewarding, getting to learn how the food you eat grows, and having the ability to spend time taking care of the plants. It makes you really appreciate the food that you eat and understand how many hours the farmers put in to make sure the crops and plants grow for us to buy produce." Thank you, Catherine!
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Looking for ways you can volunteer? Here are some ideas!
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Help set up the annual Spring Seedling Sale (set up May 13–15), assist customers (May 14–15), or work on cleanup (May 14–15)! Sign up online here.
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Translate written materials into Mandarin, Portuguese, or Spanish to help increase accessibility to our programs. Email sue@newtoncommunityfarm.org to let us know that you are interested.
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Get your hands dirty and have fun on a summer Saturday morning working in the field. Sign up online for a two-hour shift here.
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Can you commit to weekly weeding at the Farm on Thursday mornings this summer? Join our weed crew! In July and August (and possibly June depending on availability), a group of committed volunteers will meet weekly at the Farm on Thursdays at 9 am to work three hours, primarily weeding the vegetable beds. Email sue@newtoncommunityfarm.org for more info.
Please note that for volunteering at the Farm, the minimum age is 12, and volunteers ages 12–15 must be accompanied by an adult. Volunteers must sign up or email us ahead of time; we are not able to accommodate volunteers who have not registered. Wear comfortable clothes, closed-toe shoes, and be prepared to get dirty! Bring a water bottle. Thank you!
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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. |
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NEWTON COMMUNITY FARM
303 Nahanton Street
Newton, MA 02459
617-916-9655
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