Farming
We don’t use chemical fertilizers or pesticides but rely on compost, mulch, crop rotation and cover crops to build fertile soil. In 2008 we transitioned to low-till gardening, adding organic material to the tops of the beds and letting plant roots and earthworms loosen the soil. This provides a more stable soil structure and habitat for beneficial soil organisms as well as saving our backs. We also began to experiment with drip irrigation, which puts water directly on plant roots, discouraging plant diseases and saving time and money in dry years. As the seasons have become less dependable we’ve built a couple cold frames inside the garden fence to get an earlier start on setting out plants and to protect against temperature swings.
We still do some gardening in the cold season. Since 2004 we have been growing hardy greens, brassicas and herbs through the winter in an attached greenhouse as well as starting seedlings there. In 2006 we began composting food scraps in an indoor worm bin. The nutrient-rich worm castings are good for houseplants and seedlings.
In addition to vegetables we grow strawberries and rhubarb in the garden. An old orchard and wild trees provide apples for freezing and sauce. Raspberries and blackberries grow wild around the edges of the hayfield. The grape vines we started in 2008 bore well in 2011 but most of the grapes were eaten by birds and raccoons before we put up adequate protection.
Two dairy goats bought in 2002 added milk and cheese to our meals. First we made a soft quick cheese. In 2006 we began to make pressed cheeses during late fall and early winter after our pigs were gone. Now each year we make 60-70 pounds of cheddar, colby, gouda and jack cheeses. The goats also provide extra milk for the pigs, manure for the garden and a reminder of home for guests from other countries.
We have raised feeder pigs every summer since 2003. They drink the whey and extra goat milk, eat excess produce and low-grade apples and provide meat for us. The pigpen is moved regularly for the health of the pigs and the land. Since 2002 we’ve had a small flock of laying hens who spend the summer in a moving coop and the winter in solar housing.
We found flower gardens when we arrived at the farm, but food production seemed more important. Then we began to notice how much visitors enjoyed the flowers. Boys with reputations for trouble-making asked if they could pick flowers to take home to their mothers. At the end of a week a migrant worker staying with us asked if he could cut new flowers to replace the ones we had picked when we got his room ready. He said he had never had flowers in his room before. So now we make the flower gardens a priority.
The herb gardens also please visitors, provide extra flavor for our meals and are a very welcome addition to the produce we send to the food pantry. As herb and flower gardens thrive, we have perennial plants to divide and share.
Farming provides us with much of the food that we need and with surplus to give away. We have a large vegetable garden, some small fruits, mushrooms, dairy goats, laying hens and feeder pigs. The different parts of our farming work together: goat manure makes rich compost for the garden, and leguminous weeds and cover crops from the garden feed the goats; extra goat milk and dropped apples feed the pigs.
Our 30 acres of hayfields provide feed and bedding for our goats. Since Unity Acres sold their beef cattle in 2006 we have had hay to sell and have only needed to hay half the fields each year. The fields not being hayed are bush-hogged to keep them from reverting to brush.
We grow shiitake mushrooms on oak logs from our woods. In spring 2007 we inoculated our first successful batch of logs, and during the growing season in 2008 and 2009 we were able to force-fruit logs and harvest mushrooms. In 2010 we inoculated two batches of logs, some with a warm-weather, forced-fruit strain and some with a cool-weather strain that fruits naturally in spring and fall. The latter logs produced their first crop in fall 2010 and in 2011 we had enough to dry some for winter use. Shiitakes are high in protein and vitamins as well as flavor.
We invite people to help us with our work, learn about food growing and take produce home. Church and student groups have come to stay for a week of service/learning and young children have come for a couple mornings a week during their summer recreation program. Since 2009 volunteers have come through WWOOF (World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms). Starting in 2011 Family Days offered a chance to volunteer and explore.
Our 50’x250' garden provides us with a wide variety of vegetables to eat and share in summer and to preserve and store for the winter. We’ve sent seed peas and garlic with guests who were starting community gardens. We also share farm produce with assorted neighbors. Since 2006 we’ve sent vegetables and soft goat cheese to a local soup kitchen, a senior meal site and a refugee resettlement center. We send herbs and garlic to Unity Acres.
We grow food for many reasons. When we first came to St. Francis Farm in 2001 we struggled to feed ourselves and our guests. Money was tight and the farm hadn’t produced much food in the chaos of transition. Beginning in 2002 we focused on growing and preserving food. We have hosted migrant workers injured on commercial farms and learned about the untenable working conditions of the people who grow the food we buy. Now as the economic system grows less stable more people seem interested in learning to provide necessities for themselves and their neighbors. Growing our own allows us to reduce our dependence on an exploitative food system, to welcome guests without anxiety, and to share food in the wider community.
