As I write this, the official arrival of Spring is next week, but the birds, trees, wood frogs, peepers and all the rest of the life that we recognize as signs of spring have jumped the gun. Sugaring season (turning sap into maple syrup) has run its course, and yesterday our bluebirds were selecting their preferred residences for their 2024 brood.
While the Friends of Holcomb Farm never really sleep, the atmosphere at the Farm is distinctly energized. Please mark your calendars to join us for some of the coming events, described below. Or strap on your boots and hit the trails anytime; they are there for you. – Jenny Emery
Arbor Day Event on the Tree Trail
“While most holidays celebrate something that has already happened and is worth remembering, Arbor Day represents a hope for the future. The simple act of planting a tree represents a belief that the tree will grow to provide us with clean air and water, cooling shade, habitat for wildlife, healthier communities, and endless natural beauty — all for a better tomorrow.” This wisdom comes from the Arbor Day Foundation (arborday.org), and the Tree Trail at Holcomb Farm is part of our effort to live this wisdom and share it with the community.
To that end, come celebrate Arbor Day on the Holcomb Tree Trail at 10 a.m. on Saturday April 27 (rain date April 28). Tree Trail members and UConn Master Gardeners Barry Avery and Eric Lukingbeal will talk about the history of Arbor Day and the importance of trees in our environment. They also will discuss how to determine the trees best suited to your environment and demonstrate the correct way to plant a tree. Participants should meet at the main campus parking lot at 10 a.m. and then join in the 10-minute hike up the road to the Tree Trail, where the planting demonstration will take place. Children and leashed dogs are welcome.
Since 2018, the Tree Trail crew has planted more than 100 trees and numerous shrubs and flowers on the trail. This is a great opportunity to see what a group of dedicated volunteers can accomplish.
Upcoming Events
May Plant Sales: Farmer Joe and his crew held a two-day sale of fresh greenhouse greens in early March, and the hunger for fresh, local produce was truly palpable, leading us to sell out early. Thanks to all who helped us clear out the greenhouses to make room for getting the next round of plants growing, which we look forward to sharing with you in May:
May 10-11: just in time for Mother’s Day, we will have herbs, early flowers, and cold-hardy veggies,
May 24-25: come back for the warmer weather plants, including all of the above PLUS tomatoes, melons, zucchini, cucumbers, basil, peppers, and more.
Volunteer Appreciation and Annual Meeting: For 2023, we developed a rough, and likely understated, estimate of volunteer hours that contributed to the stewardship of the trails, the development of the Tree Trail, the raising of funds and harvesting and delivery of food through Fresh Access, and even help in the farm fields, themselves, of over 2,500 hours!
If you were a part of these efforts, watch for your invitation to a thank you breakfast in your honor on May 19, at 10:30, at the North Barn. This will be followed, at noon, by the Friends Annual Meeting of members. Members include anyone, and their immediate family, who has donated $25 or more to the Friends of Holcomb Farm, and/or purchased a CSA share during the preceding July 1 – June 30 period. The timing has changed — moved earlier in the year — to better align with closing the books on 2023 and sharing plans for 2024.
All members are welcome and invitations will be sent. If you are not a current member, and would like to be, you can join anytime by making a donation on-line (holcombfarm.org) or by contacting Cat Kadrle, our administrator, at kadrle@holcombfarm.org
Save these Dates
May 18: Rotary Club Workday at Tree Trail
May 20: FOHF Annual Presentation to Granby BOS
June 1 (rain date June 2): CT Trails Day Hike
June 15 or June 22 (estimate): Opening Farm Store and Summer CSA Launch
Aug. 24: Fresh Access Fundraiser @ the North Barn
Sep. 14: Open Farm Day @ the CSA Barn
Oct. 19: Harvest Dinner in Support of Fresh Access @ Healing Meals Project, Weatogue, Conn.
Recent Goings-Ons to Share
Thanks to Granby Land Trust: Once again, the Granby Land Trust (GLT) has stepped up as a tremendous community partner, making some fields just to the north and south of the east side of the Simsbury Road bridge over the Salmon Brook available to the Friends. We have potatoes in mind, and just received news of a State of Connecticut grant to help us purchase a potato digger and irrigation tools. We are excited to be putting these fields back into agricultural production.
The Friends Meet the Grand: Granby’s relatively new neighbors at The Grand invited us to visit in March, so Farmer Joe and Board Member Lori Armentano bagged up some fresh greens and headed to the south side of town. We had a great time meeting so many new residents, and encouraging them to head north and west to the Holcomb Farm, and get to know the great community they have joined.
We Got Supplements: The excessive rains of 2023 are a double whammy for us: they undermined the harvest and forced the cancellation of our Winter CSA—a financial blow to the Friends and a loss to our many patrons. The rains also depleted the soil which could hurt future harvests. Fortunately, we secured grants from the state and Northwest Community Bank Foundation that, together with our own reserves, have funded the purchase of significant compost and other soil supplements to repair the damage. Farmer Joe is also “Dr. Joe” when it comes to soil health, and this is just one of the ways we are facing the changes wrought by climate change.
Joe’s Excellent Adventures
We couldn’t be prouder of our Farm Manager, Joe O’Grady, who has been recognized through two recent opportunities for continuing development. First, through a scholarship, Joe attended the Pasa Sustainable Agriculture Conference in Lancaster, Penn. The focus of the conference was Climate Change: mitigation and adaptation strategies.
He came away with many ideas on how to help our farm remain working and sustainable despite the volatile weather of the recent seasons. Other important workshops addressed the challenging task of producing strawberries organically, improving the performance of our winter greenhouses and making our own biological amendments here on the farm through the brewing of native microbes with compost tea.
Then, through the American Farmland Trust, Joe was selected as part of a two-year cohort of “Farmer Led Innovations in Reduced Tillage”. Along with five other progressive farmers in Connecticut, Joe will be planning and executing experiments in reducing tillage and will share his findings through seasonal meetings and site visits to each farm. Reducing tillage is the goal of all farms — to improve soil health and reduce carbon emissions. However, scale-appropriate techniques for mid-size and large farms, absent chemicals and herbicides (which we don’t use) are slow in coming.
We are thrilled that Joe’s talents are not only being recognized, but also leveraged to provide value to others, as all in the agricultural community fight for sustainability in a challenging environment.
