What are we planting?

Though it just snowed 1 foot today, I thought I could brighten up this chilly winter day by thinking about our blueberry bushes. We will be purchasing 3 different varieties from Nourse.

We will have:

• Aurora: developed by MI State scientists, these somewhat tart blueberry ripen even later than Elliot. Its name is derived from the Aurora Borealis.
  
• Jersey: These sweet dark blue berries have high yields and grow quickly. Individual plants are infertile, so it is recommended to plant with other varieties for the highest yield.
• Elliot: These firm, powder-blue berries grow upright and are perfect for extending the season! They even resist cracking and are ideal for market conditions.

Photo credit: Nourse Farms

Rototilling!

So, I finally got around to taking pictures of the plot. From afar, it seems as if our plot magically disappeared. Where are the gopher fences? Where are the ugly plum trees? They're gone!Isn't it funny how our plot seems so small and insignificant when all that brush is cleared away? It just goes to show how hard work can get things done!

even though the picture is a little blurry, you can see the fantastic cover crop blanketing the plot. Thank you OPP!








look at all that grass!

Students attend Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) Conference

Today, Alison, Lambros, Kira, Mr. Kent, and Emily embarked on a quest through dangerous snow conditions to Tilton, NH for the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Hampshire (NOFA) Conference.

Alison and Emily attended "Gardening for Health", which identified therapeutic and medicinal plants that could be used as remedies for common ailments. Mr. Kent attended an intriguing workshop on the Global Energy Crisis. Lambros and Kira attended "Mead Making--Home Brewing."
For the second workshop, Emily and Mr. Kent attended the very informative "Season Extension", in which a worker from D Acres farm related all of the methods used on the farm to have the maximum production for the harsh climate. Some methods included utilizing greenhouses and old windows as insulators, starting seedlings early, and planning. Alison attended "Nutritional Excellence in Agriculture." Kira, after hearing that the Raising Pig workshop was canceled, attended the "Hot Peppers" workshop with Lambros. The workshop described all the methods used to care and maintain a hot pepper garden.
After the two workshops, the crew given a lengthy lunch break. They munched on an array of creative and delectable pot-luck dishes. Afterwards, they perused the many vendors and saw:



Then, the Keynote Speaker, Tod Murphy, who started the Farmer's Diner, spoke in front of the entire convention. The talk was mostly about business ventures, so the crew could not relate to his stories. He said that in order to succeed, he/she needs to find the right market.
For the third workshop, everyone except Emily went to "Getting Started on Organic Gardening" [Insert information about the workshop here]. Emily went to "Soil Minerals", but this only related to buying rocks to inject nutrients into the soil using sea salt and glacial dust.
Then, we waited along for the raffle, and Lambros won 100 packets of seeds! Nobody else had luck. All of the raffle ticket funds helped NOFA, since it is a non-profit organization.

Everyone got a ton of free stuff at the conference--trees and trees of pamphlets. Kira took advantage of the large variety of home-baked organic breads and scones. The free seeds are Egg Yolk Yellow Tomatoes.
Then, exhausted by the overwhelming information on farming, the crew trekked back to Andover.From the wisdom of the farmers, we learned special techniques that will certainly enhance our garden a year from now! The workshop really encouraged us to get on our feet and start working!

The End