Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Take a Gander at All That Green

If you've poked your head in our greenhouse lately, then you know it's packed to the gills with thousands of baby seedlings (and seedlings-to-be). And, thanks to some help from the CACF Future Fund volunteers, soon there will be even more!

Last year at this time, our greenhouse production was probably a third of what it is right now. In fact, we weren't even heating the whole thing. We just built a mini-greenhouse inside and heated it with electric space heaters. Now that's what I call ingenuity.

So why all the green this year? Glad you asked!  There are a couple of new projects that we'd like to tell you about:
  1. Most importantly, we're getting started much earlier this year. If you'll recall, 2010 was our first year on the farm — and we didn't even move in until March! This year we've had all winter to plan and prepare, and we made good use of that time.

  2. We also have a new farmer to tell you about! Brian Moss, one of our apprentices from last season, is returning in 2011 as a senior apprentice. That means he'll be working his own small farm on our property. Lots of the seedlings you see in our greenhouse are actually his. We like to think the senior apprenticeship program is the perfect next step for a young farmer in Virginia. Expect to  hear more about Mossy Acre in the coming weeks and months!

  3. We like to share. Not all of our partnering farms have access to a greenhouse, and even if they do, we know that heating it can be pricey. At the same time, getting a jump on plant production early in the season can be a major boost to farm income. So we thought, since we're already heating ours, why not add some plant starts for our farmers and then give them away for free? And that's just what we're doing.

  4. Finally, Save the Date! Lots of these seedlings will be for our plant sale and open house on May 7, 2011. Pick up some veggie and flower starts for your home garden (or as a eco-friendly Mother's Day present), tour the farm, have a picnic, take a free class or two, and join in some volunteer projects. It's going to be a family-friendly, action packed day.
So that's the scoop on the green. How's your garden planning coming along?

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