Boston Flora

Tag: Farming

  • Friday, October 7, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm – Building Community Capacity Through Farming, Online

    In the spring of 2020, New York Botanical Garden’s Bronx Green-Up joined with Bronx-based gardens and urban farms to address food insecurity by growing and distributing fresh fruits and vegetables to local people in need. Since then, this network has grown into a movement that unites community garden sites and BIPOC-led farms upstate with local non-profit organizations and the New York City Housing Authority for a more resilient community. $18. Register HERE.

    Join them on October 7 at noon online for an inspiring panel discussion about organizing, gardening, and community building with Cayla Casciani of Morning Glory Community Garden, Regina Ginyard of South Bronx Food Hub Collective, and Kadeesha Williams of Iridescent Earth Collective, moderated by Ursula Chanse, Senior Director of NYBG’s Bronx Green-Up. The lessons learned can be applied to situations in the Greater Boston area as well.

  • Thursday, January 24, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Farming on the Wild Side: Regenerative Production Practices Based on Multifunctional Perennial Planting Webinar

    In this Ecological Landscape Alliance webinar on January 24 from 7 – 8 pm, John Hayden will emphasize the ecology and the positive benefits of regenerative farming practices (carbon sequestration, water quality improvement, wildlife and pollinator habitat), and the plants that make for an economically viable system.

    Mr. Hayden will explain how his family’s farm has evolved over the years, how their edible landscape and conservation plant nursery fits into the model, and how they apply biodiversity in their farmscape to get the results that conventional growers attain using fertilizers and pesticides.

    He will cover how multifunctional perennial plants like elderberry, aronia, willow, and dogwoods are an important part of the farm income and ecology. Ideas for creating nesting and food habitat for pollinators, insectaries for beneficial insects, and bird habitat for biological control of pests will also be shared.

    John Hayden and his wife Nancy are co-owners of The Farm Between in Jeffersonville, VT. The farm is a certified organic nursery and fruit farm, and grows multi-functional perennial plantings without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. Over the past 25 years he and his wife have developed a biologically diverse, ecologically based, economically viable business model. Mr. Hayden did his MS research on apple pest ecology, and has over 35 years of experience in sustainable agriculture as a college educator, extension agent, international consultant, and practicing farmer. Free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-farming-on-the-wild-side-regenerative-production-practices-based-on-multifunctional-perennial-plantings/

    Image result for John Hayden The Farm Between

  • Wednesday, July 25, 7:30 pm – Cultivating the Next Generation of Farmers

    Although many of us are a few generations removed from having a family member engaged in commercial farming, there are people today who still want to steward the land, grow healthy food, and build community connections through farming. How does someone become a farmer today? With steep land prices, the significant capital required to launch a farm business, and all of the knowledge needed to produce food and run an agricultural enterprise, getting started in farming is a challenge. With an aging farmer population and more than half of our land base predicted to change hands in the next two decades, who will have the knowledge and skills to grow our food and steward the land? Learn about the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project’s strategies to support next generation farmers to get started in agriculture today, build expertise in the field, and support a thriving local food system.

    Jennifer Hashley, is Director of New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, a beginning farmer training program, (http://www.nesfp.org) and a vegetable and livestock farmer in Lincoln, MA. Jennifer holds a Master’s in Agricultural Policy from Tufts and a BS in Environmental Science from Indiana University. She hopes to keep sustainable farms thriving in New England and beyond.

    The session will be held at 7:30 at Wright-Locke Farm in Winchester on Wednesday, July 25 in our beautiful 1827 Barn, and will be followed up with a Q&A session. We will also offer a casual supper before each presentation. For more details, check out our website, http://wlfarm.org, or to RSVP, email Kim Kneeland at kkneeland@wlfarm.org.

    Image result for new entry sustainable farming project

  • Friday, October 7, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm – Practices and Principles of Growing Nutrient Dense Vegetables

    This Berkshire Botanical Garden course, for serious home vegetable gardeners as well as professionals caring for vegetable gardens, is an overview of how biological systems function and support you in addressing limiting factors in your garden. Examine soil testing and mineral balancing, biological inoculation, seed sizing and sorting, potting soil, tillage, fertility, in-season plant and soil monitoring and supplemental feeding based on plant needs. In-season monitoring will be based on conductivity and Brix monitoring with appropriate solutions including nutrient drenches and foliar spraying. The objective of this course is to support gardeners in growing vegetables that are pest- and disease-resistant as well as very flavorful and containing high levels of nutrition.  The course will take place Friday, October 7, from 9:30 am – 4:30 pm, and will be repeated in the spring, on Friday, March 23.

    Dan Kittredge is an organic farmer and cofounder of the Real Food Campaign. As the son of two prominent leaders in the organic farming movement, Dan has been an organic farmer since childhood. His experience managing organic farms and developing sustainable agriculture techniques has connected him to farmers in Central America, Russia, India and the United States. Dan is passionate about raising the quality of nutrition in our food supply.  This hands-on workshop will cost $185, plus an additional $35 soil test fee, payable directly to the instructor. Participants are requested to have their soil test completed prior to the first class. For information on specifics, contact the garden, 413-298-3926, four weeks prior to the course.  To register, visit www.berkshirebotanical.org.

  • Pick Your Own Fruits and Vegetables

    Looking to pick your own blueberries, raspberries, apples, peaches, pumpkins, vegetables, etc.?  Log on to www.pickyourown.org and search for a farm near you.  There are Christmas tree farms, corn mazes, picking tips, easy canning directions, canning supply locators, equipment guides, and recipes.  Make strawberry jam, blueberry pie, ice cream – the site is updated daily.  Readers post comments.  Links give directions, and information on whether the farm is organic, whether credit cards are accepted, and hints for dressing for the occasion.  Some farms offer eggs and chickens as well.  You can search by product or location.  Enjoy the harvest experience and meet your farming neighbors.  The website provides a page for every state in the US and six other country pages, plus lists of fall festivals, Halloween festivals, and special events.

    pumpkin patch in the field