The Acadia Community Farm

July 1^st morning and it is the quintessential ‘perfect day’. Blue sky , light breeze , warmth of the sun on your back as you  survey the seemingly overnight growth in the garden. Despite some minor setbacks such as the lettuce bolting before it was even mature and heavy rains that delayed planting beds ( but not the weeds!) the Acadia Community gardens are looking great.  Could there be a better place to reflect on what Canada Day means than working in the soil that was reclaimed by the Acadians and the Founders more than two centuries ago. Today we have the privilege of  growing own our food  not out of necessity but by  choice. We also are not reliant on our gardens exclusively as we know that at any time throughout the year we can supplement those ‘essential’  items such as avocados or bananas, butter and  even local food from a variety of sources. Our ancestors’ ability to grow their own food was for their survival.  We also need to be mindful about the diversity of our gardens. The first settlers were very limited in what they could grow. If you find yourself feeling less than inspired about leftovers…again…try eating cabbage and rutabagas for six months of the year!  Did you know that the flavour of tomato plants  is enhanced by growing basil along with them? Or that many of the herbs we enjoy act as flavour enhancers and bug repellents to their companion plants?  With diversity our gardens are richer and certainly more interesting.

A little like our fellow Canadians …eh?

Summer solstice is almost upon us. Where did spring go already? At the farm we are seeing  signs that indeed spring has firmly ‘rooted’ herself.  After a very wet week the soil was reminding us of its  history ( dare I say roots?) as part of the salt marshes and dykelands. We experienced the thick red mud from the abundant rain that made tilling new beds nearly impossible.  Some community gardeners were concerned about the seed they had recently sown.  Glorious sunshine then replaced the rain and before we knew it we were complaining of hard packed conditions! Ah the yin and yang  of the urban farmer -  too much rain – too much sun!

Still we are seeing exciting things happening in the garden.  It is easy to share the joy of your fellow gardener as you recognize their forward-bend stance then their smile as they discern a hint of a green thin line appearing in their beds. We are hoping to encourage the sharing of stories and questions through our website.  Please consider adding comments or questions to your fellow gardeners. Perhaps you have an abundance of zucchini to share or barter for parsnips, or perhaps you would like to split an order of straw with someone. Recipes for those unusual herbs or new line of heritage dried beans you are growing would also be most welcome.Links you have found interesting such as we have posted on our web page  side bar or literature you have found helpful would also be  appreciated.

If you haven’t been able to attend a work session Wednesday or Sunday consider coming out to lend a hand and meet some of your fellow ACF members.  It is another great way to learn more about gardening as there are always interesting discussions going on as we work together.

Hello!

We’ve got plants in the ground, gardeners have claimed their plots, and everybody is moving to get seeds in the ground. Our first work-party of the year will be Wednesday, May 26th from 6-8pm, but until then – come down and check it out! Things will be greener in a few weeks, but it’s still exciting to see everything ready for another season down at the Farm.

Also, Thanks to Rene Prefontaine and Tyler Boucher, we’ve got some long overdue photos back on our site. Check out our photos page, or see some of the highlights below.

Green times are upon us! Our early-season planting has paid off, and we have an entire phytotron full of green leafy plants ready to get in the garden. Our field is tilled, and we’re getting psyched for our planting date, which will be next weekend (stay tuned for details)!  In the meantime, here’s some resources for planning your garden, as well as some pictures of our very green greenhouse.

Gardening Resources:

• Starting a New Organic Garden – About.com’s take on starting a new garden. Really just the basics to think about when planting a garden for the first time.
• Building a Square Foot Garden – Similar to the link above, but in more detail about how to apply compost, and more nittygritty of preparing a garden.
• 7 Tips for Starting Your Garden – Some practical tips on vegetable gardening for the first time.

Also, a few places around Wolfville where you can find seeds, plants, gardening supplies and friendly people excited about plants include the Wolfville Farmer’s Market, Hennigar’s Farm Market, and Blomidon Nurseries, just to name a few. Give them a visit!

Despite the fresh snow on the ground, we are still thinking about farm-ish things. exciting farm-ish things.

For those of you who aren’t on the email list, or as a reminder to those of you who are, MEETING SUNDAY AT 2pm, at the KCIC!

We’ve heard from lots of people interested in having their own community garden plot this summer, but there are still spaces available, so if you or someone you know are looking for a space to plant some veggies, send us an email! A single plot (10ft x 10ft) will cost $15 for the season, and a double (provided there is space) will cost $20. However, cost should not be a deterrent, so if you can’t pay the fee, email us anyway!

For those who ARE interested in tending their own plot over the summer, there will be a brief meeting for all community gardeners next Sunday, March 28th, at 2:00pm at the KC Irving Centre, Acadia University. We will be going over the details/process of getting a plot, as well as discussing the role of community gardeners (plot and volunteer responsibilities, for example). Individual plots will not be confirmed until these contracts have been signed, so please attend if you are able! It will be a great opportunity to meet the people you’ll be gardening with this summer. There will be a second round of seeding to follow the meeting (at approximately 2:30), so feel free to stick around to help us plant some seeds! If you are unable to attend the meeting, but still want a plot, just let us know, and we will try to have a second meeting another time for folks who couldn’t come to the first one. Also, if you’re not interested in a plot, but want to come plant some seeds, meet us at the KCIC at 2:30 for some planting fun! As always, dress to get dirty!

If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with us! Just send an email to info@acadiafarm.org.

Hope to see you all soon,

Heather, Dewey, Tyler, and Brynne, your garden coordinators

It might be the dead of winter, but to us ACF organizers, it seems like spring is just around the corner! We have a few brief updates on this dreary February day.

First, we now have our first order of seeds! Thanks to Owen Bridge at Annapolis Seeds and input from those we hope to grow for in the coming season, we’ve been able to do some preliminary garden planning and place our first order.  With an anticipated seed start date in mid-march, it seems like we’re on track for an early start to a new season!

Second, the numbers are in from last Saturday’s Fundraiser – we made over $900! We owe a big thanks to Ruth Minnikin, Adam Bazinet, Heather Kelday, the Old Orchard Inn, the Acadia Environmental Society and all of those who came out on a busy Saturday night for making the show a success (photos by Tyler Boucher).

Third, as you may have seen at our last few events, we now have Acadia Community Farm t-shirts! Featuring artwork from Hillary Barter and my sister (featured below), these t-shirts are a must-have!

And as always, if you’re interested in a plot at the farm this coming season, or if you’d like a t-shirt, or if you just want to tell us how excited you are about vegetables, let us know! The address is info@acadiafarm.org.

Wolfville, Nova Scotia:  The Acadia Community Farm will present a fundraising concert at the Al Whittle Theatre in Wolfville featuring Halifax’s folk singer/songwriter Ruth Minnikin, with local talents Heather Kelday and Adam Bazinet. The show will take place on Saturday, February 13, 2010, at 8:00pm. Tickets are $12 in advance/students, available at the Box of Delights book store on Main St., Wolfville, or $15 at the door.

The concert will feature Ruth Minnikin, one of Halifax’s finest folk singer/songwriters and an accomplished veteran of the Nova Scotia indie music scene. She was a member of the critically-acclaimed Halifax bands The Guthries and The Heavy Blinkers, and has performed and recorded with many internationally-renowned artists: David Byrne, Kris Kristofferson, The Lemonheads, Calexico, and Blue Rodeo, to name a few. She has also collaborated with many well-known local artists, including Joel Plaskett, Old Man Luedecke, and Buck 65. She released her fourth solo album, “Depend on This”, on January 26th, 2010. In Wolfville, Minnikin will highlight songs from this new record and will share the stage with special guest openers Heather Kelday (www.heatherkelday.com) and Adam Bazinet.

The Acadia Community Farm broke ground in the spring of 2008 when a small group of students had a vision to provide local, organic produce to the dining hall at Acadia University. The project quickly evolved into a multi-faceted community garden that not only provides vegetables for the University, but also makes regular deliveries of fresh food to the Wolfville Area Food Bank, offers community garden space to local residents, and provides educational opportunities for both students and community members. This past growing season, more than 40 Wolfville residents tended garden plots at the Farm, and over 1500 pounds of vegetables were produced for both the Acadia dining hall and the Food Bank. In November, the Farm hosted a symposium at Acadia, entitled “The Farm in Education”, which connected educators and farmers from across the province. Now, with its third growing season fast approaching, the Acadia Community Farm hopes that fundraising efforts such as the Valentine’s weekend concert will allow the project to continue to build on the success of its past endeavors.

For more information, please contact:

The Acadia Community Farm

c/o Heather MacArthur

(902) 697-2254

info@acadiafarm.org

www.acadiafarm.org

Hi everyone,

As Hillary mentioned in her last email before she, Alex, and Stefan left town, I am one of the new volunteer coordinators of the Acadia Community Farm (along with Dewey Dunnington, Brynne Sinclair-Waters and Tyler Boucher); many of you may remember me from the gardens this past summer, as I had a garden plot there and could be found digging around in that rich, clumpy soil on a near-daily basis! I am very happy to be one of the members of a new team dedicated to making sure this wonderful project continues- as any of you who have spent time down at the gardens know, the Community Farm is a very special place where all good things grow! And even though gardening season seems to be eons away when we look outside and see the icy, snow-covered ground, the four of us (and others) have been working diligently to make sure that things are in place down at the Farm by the time Spring rolls around (it will be here before we know it!). So I wanted to send out an email to let you all know some important things that we’ve been up to lately, and how you can help and get involved! So, here goes: Continue reading ‘Community Farm Updates!’

Hi, Acadia Community Farm !

I’m writing this short note in order to introduce you all to the NEW email writers (and coordinators of the garden) — and, because it’s my last chance to write to you all at once.  Alex, Stefan and I have officially left Wolfville (for now) and so, it’s time for new folks to take over on the gardening front from us.  These people are Heather, Dewey, Brynne, Tyler, as well as a bunch of others. Read on for my attempt at their biographies… (as I know/recall them!)

Many of you know Heather MacArthur – she had a plot at the garden this past summer. She’s a New Minas native who spent some time away from the valley, getting educated in Peterborough Ontario and has now returned, much to Wolfville’s good fortune.  Heather plans on staying in Wolfville for the foreseeable future and as such, is a wonderful asset to the project.  Send her a note at heather@acadiafarm.org.

Brynne Sinclair-Waters is a 5th year Political Science major at Acadia who began helping the Farm in a serious way this past fall, when she managed to get loads of students involved in the project and helped to organize the ‘Farm in Education’ forum. She’s especially interested in improving connections between the Farm and the student body. If you have ideas… brynne@acadiafarm.org.

Dewey Dunnington is a 3rd year Environmental Science major who is a long-time shoveler at the garden, but a recently converted grant-writer and fundraiser. Stay tuned for word about several wintertime fundraisers that Dewey (and others) are putting together… Get in touch with him if you have fundraising ideas (or if you like bluegrass music) – dewey@acadiafarm.org.

Tyler Boucher’s a Mainer with an independent Environmental Science project to do this upcoming semester, which he intends to use as an opportunity to do some research that could benefit the farm. Stay tuned for more on what he’ll come up with…  and reach him, if you’d like to, at tyler@acadiafarm.org.

So, that’s all you’ll hear from me.  I look forward to visiting Wolfville next summer to see and taste what’s growing!  Thank you for the opportunity to work alongside you all these past two summers. It’s been a wonderful adventure.

Happy new year!

Hillary

Here’s a brief update on “The Farm in Education” conference happening next Friday and Saturday (Nov. 6 and 7) at Acadia. For all the relevant details and background information, click here to check out the events page. If you’ve already checked it out and are ready to register, you can do so here!

We’re really excited about the number of fascinating speakers we’ve managed to sucker into coming and sharing, here’s a quick breakdown: Norbert Kungl, Av Singh, Kathy Aldous, Leo Elshof, Zanne Handley, Greg Cameron, Janet Eaton, Soren Bondrup-Nielsen, Garrity Chapman, Patricia Bishop, Jen Scott, David Greenberg, Carol Harris, Alan Warner, Edith Callaghan, Cate Trueman and maybe a few more last minute additions. The workshop/presentation schedule is now available in more detail here.

Also exciting is the quality of food we’re able to provide for the weekend. With ingredients coming from Longspell Farm, Stewart’s Organic Farm, Selwood Green, Acadiana Soy, Goldfinch Farm, Hutten Family Farm and, yes, even kale and rutabagas from our very own Acadia Farm – the meal should represent the really incredible harvest available in the Valley in October.

We have registrants from all over the Maritimes (hopefully a few from afar manage to fill that form out soon!) and all of us are anxious to hear about, analyze, and share exciting intiatives that take aim at the unfortunate gap between the classroom and the farm.

Hope to see you in Wolfville next weekend. As always, any questions about the Acadia Farm or the conference can go to info@acadiafarm.org or (902)585-1311 and ask for Alex