LETTER FROM YOUR AGROECOLOGIST- Ongoing PRojects Spring 2024

Dear Farm Fam,

Hey there! It’s been a few months since I’ve written one of these so I hope this finds YOU, dear reader, doing well this Spring. I’m not gonna lie, Winter can be a tough season for me so I am pleased that Spring has arrived and

brought with it a beautiful rejuvenating energy for myself!  And it came with no time to spare – the farm is abuzz with wonderful work to be done as we transition from projects that we hoped to but maybe didn’t quite totally finish this Winter and into projects that Mother Nature has pushed to top priority; ready or not!

A peek into a few ongoing projects that I am working on:

• Lawn Transition at Freetown Farm
  • Recently I have brought folks together to help me remove the Bermuda grass and other lawn weeds around our Market Garden, which can be quite the task! This is one step in the process of converting more lawn into pollinator habitat and part of the journey to reduce all lawn space at Freetown Farm to what is strictly necessary. The grass that once occupied the land will be replaced with native shrubs, grasses, and flowers that will not only attract a variety of lovely pollinating species but also help with some of the stormwater issues that our Market Garden has been facing recently.
• New Food Forest!
  • We are planting a new food forest in our Market Garden and after spending time this winter to design the space its time to get roots in soil! We still have a ways to go but thus far we have blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries in the ground. I cannot overstate how excited I am for berry season!
• New Fiber Garden!
  • The Fiber Garden team and I put in a great effort to establish a new plot at the farm to expand our fiber production and offer more opportunities to educate folks on where the material for their clothing comes from.
• Stormwater Management - Planting
  • Our two newest rain gardens that were constructed last year are finally getting outfitted with a variety of edible, deep rooting, native plants that will help to mitigate some of the harmful impacts that excess stormwater has been causing at our farm.
• Follow the Raindrop Tour
  • Our first Follow the Raindrop Tour is coming up in May and I have been finalizing the last details on how to best offer this information to the community and brushing up on a few topics myself. These tours are meant to highlight the stormwater Best Management Practices we have at Freetown Farm, but also to provide folks with more information about their watershed, stormwater issues in a changed climate, and what role they can play in keeping our communities resilient. I’m looking forward to (and maybe a little nervous for) the discussions that take place during this first event!

In addition to everything above, the Tender Greens (our lovingly self titled farm team) has been busting our behinds to prepare for the Plant Sale season ahead of us. By the time you are reading this Earthapalooza has come and gone but there will be many more plant sales to come - one each Saturday in fact - so worry not if you missed out on getting a plant for your home space. To me plant sales mean getting to spend time talking to the community about some of my most favorite things in the world, encouraging folks to have fun in their growing spaces, and feeling good knowing that we are offering affordable, sustainably grown plants for our community. It’s really a beautiful thing to see the excitement on people’s faces as they load up their boxes with the plants we have been pouring our love into for the past weeks or months.

For myself Spring can really be a time for regrowth; physically, mentally, and spiritually. And since Spring can be such a wonderfully busy time for us all I wanted to end with a reminder – both for you dear reader and myself. Don’t forget to take a pause for a small moment of mindfulness to take in the regrowth that surrounds you. Why not even do it right now? Step outside, if you are able, and just take it all in. Notice the buds, the birds, the buzzing. Feel the warmth from the sun and be awash with love knowing that you belong in this community and on this Earth.

Ever Growing,
Simon