We had a good team this year. Maddie, our farm manager, started in March of last year and just this November we committed to bringing her on year-round. She is our only full-time employee. We’ve had several part timers too. Naya, Jeannette, Dani and Sophia have provided extra hands for harvesting and packing through the year.

Labor is easily the largest expense here on the farm but we are committed to providing a living wage for our workers and investing in their passion and knowledge for this farm life.

We also took delivery on our BCS two wheel tractor. Last year we rented the BCS from a local tool coop - getting it was hit or miss and we knew immediately that it would be on our list. - Smaller tractors like the BSC are versatile and help reduce compaction - one of the keys to keeping our soil healthy and the optimal density for growing. The BCS is a tractor-transformer of sorts as there are over 50 individual implements that can be attached to the front or back of the tractor. We outfitted the tractor with 4 individual tools: A 30” tiller (all of our beds are 30” so we can prepare new beds in one pass. A rotary plow helps to throw dirt from the aisle up onto the bed - like a snowblower, Our harrow is our most-used implement as it stirs in amendments and shapes the beds so that our seeders work smoothly and accurately. This is important so that we get even seed distribution and spacing making care, weeding and harvesting more efficient. Lastly we purchased Fawn’s favorite implement, a spreader allowing us lay down a perfect layer of compost or worm castings. The BCS is one of the larger investments we’ll make but already we are seeing the efficiencies and increases in quality from having our own.

INVESTMENT 15K

We came out the gate quickly last January purchasing two 100 x 16’ caterpillar tunnels. Growing in tunnels helps us do a few things; extend the season so we can get things in the ground earlier and harvest later. We can also control the amount and timing of water. In addition, the structure of the tunnel makes a super-trellis system for tomatoes.

INVESTMENT 5K

Another investment this year was in a 30” Flame Weeder. Since organic-principled gardens like ours don’t use pesticides to control weed pressure, the flame weeder is used to sterilize seed beds and control weeds around our pathways and aisles. A steric seed bed allows our seeds to germinate and grow without competition for soil nutrients and water from weed pressure.

INVESTMENT $700

Speaking of bees, it was another tough year. We only had 2 of 8 hives survive into 2021. We purchased another 6 hives in May and a local beekeeper helped us capture a local swarm which brought our numbers back to 90 hives. Unfortunately, like last yea, many of the hives were robbed. We only pulled around 25 lbs of honey this year - a disappointment for sure but we are learning and we are determined to make this work.

INVESTMENT 1K

We planted a health mix os soil-building seeds in the early spring. The crimson clover, hairy vetch and oats served a number of purposes, feeding the bees, helping to affix nitrogen in the soil and, oh, providing beautiful fields to enjoy. In September we made the decision to plant the entire 4 acres in bee friendly perennial flowers. We’ll be planting those in the spring of this year

INVESTMENT 2K

One of our first decisions when starting the farm was to deliver our fresh veggies to our shareholders with style. This year we introduced the new PLUS shareholder crate with its distinctive new badge. Each year as we grow, we’ll be investing in more crates. We need 2 X the number of shareholders to allow everyone to exchange each week.

INVESTMENT 1K

Since doubling the size of the garden, we have made soil health - objective number one as healthy soil as it is the key to growing and harvesting healthy vegetables. Since our soil is mostly clay we have been concentrating on building up the organic content and introducing helpful bacteria and other microorganisms to our garden. To help speed that process we having invested in both compost and earthworm castings to help give our soil a head start. We started with 40 years of organic compost and then late last summer we began to introduce worm castings to the mix. Between our "no till” techniques of babying our beds as to not disturb the healthy biome that is being created and the amendments we are introducing, we hope to bring the entire garden up to a higher standard. Once we have better soil, our vegetables will be more healthy, we’ll have less weed, pest and disease pressure, we’ll use less water and natures cycle will be in full swing now and not the future. These practices are all designed to create optimum growing environments for all of the produce and flowers we grow. investments now will yield dividends for many years to come - and it will be easier too.

Sometimes you just have to invest in your mental health - and part of teat is being proud of where you work. What started as a simple request for a “man-door” turned into a photo-op gateway to the Yankee Street way of life.