Groundwork Farm

Happy Holidays!! See you in 2012!

groundworkfarm — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:30:10 +0000

Groundwork would like to send along best wishes for a happy holiday season and New Year!! Thanks to everyone who bought a share, volunteered, bought from us at market and made 2011 such a great year. We are enjoying some nice downtime thus far in this quite mild winter. Upon 2012, we will be starting to go through those seed catalogs and beginning to plan for the season. We are happy to announce that we will be offering another great season of CSA shares, again growing on the land of Wolf Pine Farm in Alfred, ME. Applications will be available soon after the New Year. Please email Luke at groundworkfarm@gmail.com for one.

We are also spending time researching how and when Groundwork might transition after that to a new, permanent home in the community. Throughout 2012 we will be considering options for the future. Wolf Pine has been so good to us, and we LOVE them so much. Putting down some roots on a new piece of land will be quite the transition, but we have faith that the right thing will come along.

Summer CSA to begin June 22nd!!

groundworkfarm — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 21:26:24 +0000

Groundwork will start up its Summer CSA next Wednesday, June 22nd!! We are filling up our fields planting, weeding like mad, and now will start harvest too!! Everyone already signed up should receive an email with details about pickup sites. Distributions will be Wednesdays, weekly, all season long.

We had a large planting day last week with a stellar crew of staff and volunteers who planted 18 beds of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers and summer squash. And they all got watered in nicely with the rain we’ve had. We will continue to be planting through June.

Any questions regarding the CSA should be sent to Luke at groundworkfarm@gmail.com Shares will start out on the lighter side as there are fewer early crops at this time of year and grow as the season progresses. You will be eating locally, in season, all year. This is so important to our local food system here in Southern Maine. Thanks for a being a part of this community agriculture endeavor!!!

Spring Rains & The Pigs

groundworkfarm — Thu, 19 May 2011 14:17:58 +0000

We sure are getting some wet weather here on the farm, which affects our planting schedules and gets us better caught up in the greenhouse. We have been able to continue some transplanting and if we can get a nice stretch of sun here soon, the plants will be loving it. Of course the weeds are right behind them, so it will be necessary to to keep the beds clean early on.

Sooo, with these grey days its easy to get a little on the gloomy side, but I am very excited these days about the new addition to the Groundwork Family! We got our first ever piglets to raise for meat, and they are happily adjusting to their new home on the farm.

They are very smart animals, figured out the feeder right away and are rooting away in the pen. We got two males and they bring a new energy to the farm. After one week, they seem acclimated, but like us, I think they’d appreciate some drier, warmer weather.

Stay tuned for more updates, the CSA is nearly full so if you know someone who wants in, tell them to get in contact with Luke ASAP! Email at groundworkfarm@gmail.com and get those last few applications out and back to us.

Market Day & Field Prep

groundworkfarm — Tue, 10 May 2011 22:35:53 +0000

We had a great time at the opening day of the Kennebunk Farmer’s Market. It was a nice morning and the plants all looked great. Many greens, herbs, flowers, onions, leeks found happy new homes. It was also so nice to see all the familiar faces that we have missed all winter. The reconnection is a great part of a local, community farmer’s market. Most agreed, it was a long, hard winter in Maine this past year.

Groundwork will have lots more starts for sale this week and hopes that by week 3 we will be bringing salad greens to eat! We could a little more sunny, warmer weather though.

Field preparation has begun in earnest, with lots of tractor work on the farm. I mowed, then spread compost, then disked one of our main growing areas, and I will not rototill the beds for seeding and transplanting. Lots to do.

Come visit us at the market, pick up some plants for your garden and gear up for the season!!!

Farmer’s Market Season!

groundworkfarm — Fri, 06 May 2011 13:04:27 +0000

OK, Farmer’s Market season is here and Groundwork will be at the Kennebunk Farmer’s Market on Saturday, May 7th with loads of Spring veggie, herb and flower starts for sale! Come get a jump on the season (a little later than last year) with some healthy, organic plants for you to grow some of your own.

There will be lots of Spring greens starts with lettuce, kale, chard, mustards, asian greens as well as varied herbs and flowers. Come get ‘em!

We are busily planting out the first sections of the fields, and had a nice rain this week to water them in. Our irrigation pump is a the mechanic, so that was great timing. We will hope that nice sunny days combine with some rain to get things growing strong.

May will be quite a month, with the majority of our plants getting started and transplanted into the ground…as well as June…If anyone is interested in coming out to help for a day and get their hands a dirty a bit please email Luke at groundworkfarm@gmail.com

Also, the CSA is nearing capacity, so PLEASE get your applications in if you want to join us, or email Luke if you still need one. I want everyone who has showed enthusiasm this season to get in on the action. I will post here when we are sold out for the season. Once full, I will be notifying everyone of the distribution schedule and dropsite locations. If you’re not busy this Saturday come say hi at the marke, or make it to the one nearest you. It’s important to support your small-scale farmer’s at the beginning of the season!! More soon….

May Day

groundworkfarm — Sun, 01 May 2011 12:25:26 +0000

Today is certainly a day to celebrate here on the farm. May Day is not only International Worker’s Day across the globe, but also part of the Celtic festival Beltane. Signaling the end of the unfarmable half of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, May Day is exactly half a year from November 1st. Again, the recurring theme is “Full Circle.”

Here at Groundwork, we are preparing for our first large plantings this week. Salad and Braising greens, herbs, onions, leeks are all planned for transplant, and radishes and salad turnips will be direct seeded. It’s been a long time coming, so let’s rejoice in this time of renewal.

The Greenhouse is full of beautiful veggie, herb and flower starts that will be going to market starting next Saturday in Kennebunk. Please come visit our stand and get your hands on some healthy plants for your own home garden. They are off to a great start, hardened off in the cold frame and ready for new homes.

We have some shares left for the CSA, but are starting to approach capacity, so please contact Luke at groundworkfarm@gmail.com if you still need an application and want to join us this season. Stay tuned for updates on the planting schedule and be sure and check us out on Facebook now too!! More to come…

Earth Day Groundwork

groundworkfarm — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 00:33:57 +0000

Actually was able to get on one of our driest fields today with the tractor and disc it! A fitting way to celebrate Earth Day after a long and cold Maine winter. After many hours spent in the greenhouse, (with lots more to come) it felt great to be out in the sun preparing our fields for a new round of growing food. Full circle.

This is what we call the Hilltop field, it’s where are our potato crop grew last season. This year it will be planted to early Spring greens for salad and braising mix. After a couple days we will rototill out the beds and begin planting out transplants. I was also able to get on the driest section of the Beach Field today and disc that. Onions, leeks and scallions are planned for there. It looks like next week it will be really warming up a bit, so says the forecast…we will see.

Stay tuned for updates throughout the planting season! Laying the groundwork.

Projected Croplist!!

groundworkfarm — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:56:14 +0000

Here’s what we’ve got in store this season…This list is by no means set in stone, there may be late additions for sure or other varieties worked into the plan. Mmmmmm

Groundwork Farm
2011 Summer CSA Projected Crop List

1. Beans
Bush (Green and Yellow Wax)
Pole
Fava
2. Beets
Red
Golden
3. Broccoli
Early
Late
4. Broccoli Raab
5. Cabbage(s)
Early
Late
Red
Green
Savoy
Napa
6. Carrots
Early
Late
7. Celery(iac)
8. Cucumbers
Picklers
Slicers
Lemon, heirloom, etc.
9. Eggplant
Round
Asian, long
10. Fennel
Bulb
Herb
11. GREENS
Arugula
Mizuna
Komatsuna
Tatsoi
Pac Choi
Joi Choi
Cress
Mustards
Lettuce
12. Kale
Red
Green Curly
Lacinato
13. Collards
14. Leeks
Summer (smaller)
Fall (larger)
15. Onions
Storage
Fresh Eating
Red
Yellow
16. Head Lettuce
Butterhead
Romaine
Leaf
17. Peas
Snow
Snap
18. Peppers
Hot
Sweet
19. Potatoes (Red, White, Blue and Gold)
20. Radishes
Red
French Bkfst
Daikon
21. Scallions
White
Purple
22. Spinach
23. Summer Squash (5 or so types)
24. Winter Squash (5 or so types)
25 Swiss Chard
26. Salad Turnips
27. Tomatoes
Slicers
Cherry
Paste
28. Tomatillos

29. Herbs
Culinary
Basil
Cilantro
Parsley
Dill
Thyme
Oregano
Mint

30. Medicinal
Chamomile
Calendula
Sage

Seeing Green!!

groundworkfarm — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 22:15:10 +0000

Alliums

We are in a full frenzy seeding and uppotting in the greenhouse!! It’s so great to see good germination and healthy sprouts coming on strong. The plants are really taking a liking to the sun and warmer temperatures.

swiss chard

Our onions, scallions and leeks are looking quite good and will be nice sized as they transition into the field. Lots of early greens getting started too including Rainbow Lacinato Kale, Bright Lights Swiss Chard, Speckled Lettuce, Romaine Lettuce, Pac Choi, Tatsoi, Mustard Greens, and Napa Cabbage.

greens!

We also have a nice start on herbs with Cilantro, Dill, Sage, Oregano, Chives, and Salad Burnet coming along. We are doing more flowers this year too, with lots of starts available for your home gardens or planter boxes. Marigolds and Calendula are getting nice and big, with Zinnias, Bachelor’s Buttons, Dianthus, Love Lies Bleeding, Cosmos, Globe Amaranth just up.

Applications for the CSA are coming in and we have a nice group forming. Please email Luke if you still need one at groundworkfarm@gmail.com We will sell them until sold out. The first farmer’s market in Kennebunk is Saturday, May 7th so come on down to the Mayday Celebration and get some of the beautiful veggie, flower and herb starts for your homestead. Groundwork will be selling lots of starts this year, so contact Luke if you are looking for certain things, we will have some of every crop for sale.

Support your local commmunity farms and join a CSA or buy from us direct at a farmer’s market near you!! Together we can all change our food system into one more locally controlledl by farmer’s and consumers. Thanks so much!

April is here

groundworkfarm — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 15:16:46 +0000

OK, we got pummeled with more snow on April Fool’s Day, a not so welcome storm. Winter is holding on for just a little longer it seems, but after 24 hours it was obvious that the snow was not going to be around long.

Things in the greenhouse are going great. We have good germination so far, with onions, leeks, scallions, celery, herbs, swisschard, and lots of greens sprouted. It will be getting VERY busy in there over the coming weeks as we start the majority of our croplist this month.

Summer CSA applications are coming in and if you still need one I encourage you to contact me soon. This week begins the last Winter Shares of Wolf Pine, and I expect to receive a good amount of applications from people who have showed interest. We will be doing drops in Kennebunk, Alfred/Sanford and now in Portland too. Email Luke at groundworkfarm@gmail.com to get in on the action!

We had our annual meeting for the Kennebunk Farmer’ Market and it looks like it will be another great season there. Please look for us at the market, which opens Saturday May 7th. I will be selling mainly vegetable, herb and flower starts for the first few weeks, as it’s obvious we won’t be getting anything in the ground for a while still. I will have lots of all types of plant starts available for sale, so if there’s anything you would like for your home garden, buy local and contact us. Please do not buy starts from big box stores! That’s what caused the horrible late-blight of 2009, and we sure don’t want that around again. We love our tomatoes!!!

More to come….