Happy 2022 from the Friends of Holcomb Farm

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February is hunker-down, tend the fire, bundle up, and order the seeds time for most of us in New England, and the Friends of Holcomb Farm are no exception. Still, there is much to be done to assure that this place will continue to serve the people of Granby, and its region, once the frost is gone. You may think all is quiet on the West Granby front, but in fact Farmer Joe O’Grady has been busy prepping and planning for the next big harvest. He called the staff out for some workdays and took advantage of the tree pruning throughout Granby to build up some resources. To quote:

“A mountain of wood chips has accumulated over the holidays in the Farm Store parking lot, and we feel like kids on Christmas morning every time we see them. Especially since they are mostly ramial wood chips—from the small to medium sized branches that Asplundh has been clearing from power lines. Ramial chips are the most desirable to use for stewards of soil and growers of food because of their chemical structure—they provide direct energy and nutrients to the soil biology—most importantly mychorrizae—and lead to a long list of benefits to any plants growing near them. Standard wood chips from larger branches and trees still have a use on our farm, but because of their high carbon to nitrogen ratio, anywhere from 400:1 to 750:1, they have fewer applications and must be used more cautiously.

Ramial wood chips have a carbon to nitrogen level of anywhere from 30:1 to 170:1—a desirable meal for soil life to metabolize and then make available to the plant roots lucky enough to be growing nearby. On mild days this winter you’ll find us puttering around the farm happily spreading ramial wood chips on the growing list of perennials we have at the Farm. We’ll even find a perfect place to spread the chips from larger trees; even though they won’t be of immediate benefit, in time they will break down, feed the soil life and improve the health of the plants. We’ll be farming these fields for a while, so we can wait for the delayed reward.”

O’Grady is hoping to have a February “pop-up” winter veggie sale but is waiting for the greenhouse greens to cooperate. Keep in touch with us on Facebook or Instagram or get added to our e-mail list by sending a request to cathy@holcombfarm.org, so you will be in the know when it happens.
Meanwhile, the Tree Trail volunteers have been clearing invasives and hoping for more snow for x-country skiing. And our Fresh Access folks are making plans for a fun-filled fundraising event at the farm on Sunday, June 26, so mark your calendars now.

Even in the dead of winter, there is much to be done to prepare for a successful growing season. On a crisp, cold day in late January, the Holcomb Farm Crew did some maintenance pruning so they could spread ramial wood chips in the aisles of the Farm’s beloved Bramble Patch. Ramial wood chips provide a long list of benefits to any plants growing near them. Photo by Melody Smith
Town of Granby First Selectman and former Friends of Holcomb Farm Vice President Mark Fiorentino enjoyed a walk with his pups in the Farm’s East Fields. Photo by Ellie Fiorentino
Here the Farm Crew is readying the greenhouse beds for mulching with ramial wood chips and geeking out over mycelium networks and soil health! Photo by Melody Smith
An apple tree planted by Tudor and Laura Holcomb was rescued from invasives by dedicated Holcomb Tree Trail volunteers this year. Photo by Eric Lukingbeal
Evidence of a great winter day: parallel sets of XC ski tracks cut into the snow at Holcomb Farm. Photo by Eric Lukingbeal