A Look Back

About a year ago Kevin and I moved our farm here to this land that has become Groundworks Farm.  There was nothing here and we set about the task of building a farm, something that Kevin had done once before but on a smaller scale.  

First we spread manure, then we had the ground plowed and we planted cover crops of oats and rye.  We built the greenhouse next to our house, and planted garlic.  We made plans and reorganized the barn.  We built the cooler by our house.  We welcomed 11 piglets onto the farm.  We began to plan and map out the future of the farm and we went out seeking members, people to grow the food for.  

Then spring arrived and everything that had been a plan began to take real form.  Baby chicks arrived, and more pigs.  I spent hours, and days in the greenhouse, seeding tiny plants that would grow into tomato and eggplants, lettuce and kale, everything that you have received in your share for the past 5 months came from tiny seeds that I planted in the ground or into trays and then transplanted out into the fields.  June arrived and with the chance of a frost well behind us we raced to transplant all of the frost sensitive crops. From there on we weeded, harvested and cared for the vegetables all season.  Now the season is coming to a close and we are preparing the ground for another season.  We are turning in old crops, pulling up plants and planting cover crops.  As I write this, despite the encroaching darkness Kevin is out on the tractor, turning up ground that we grew on this year so we can plant cover crops on it and rejuvenate the land for future use.  The farm, which seemed a year ago like a piece of land, now feels like a living thing.  I understand so much more about it now than I did then.  I cannot even begin to think how much more this land can continue to teach us.