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The past 1 1/2 months have been quite the whirlwind. Back in March Joaquin and I weren't sure what our growing situation would be for the coming season. At first we thought we'd "farm" an empty double lot next to our house in the Old Fourth Ward, but after receiving the results of a soil analysis we learned the land was badly contaminated with lead. We talked about putting in raised beds but questioned if it would be worth the investment. Then on April 1st we were informed that the lots had been sold to a new owner and that it wouldn't be wise to move forward with any plans.
Amazingly, after only a few brief moments of panic, everything managed to work itself out. The day before we received notice that the lots were no longer available, Joaquin had been browsing through the Georgia Organics
Grower's Exchange looking for mulch. Instead, he stumbled upon a post by a lady who owns a 5-acre plot of land in Roswell. She was looking for a couple to tend to the farm and animals in exchange for living space. Honestly, it sounded too good to be true. Still, I had nothing to lose so I contacted her and the next day we drove out to see the property. We met with the owners, Carroll and Jim, and almost immediately we were trying to figure out how we could uproot our lives and replant ourselves in Roswell. We had wonderful luck finding renters for our home in Atlanta and on May 1st we officially made the move.
It would have been hard not to fall instantly in love with this land. For starters, the Chattahoochee River is literally in our front yard. The 5-acres are mostly wooded with the exception of 1/2 acre which has been cleared and fenced off for the growing area. Carroll and Jim
named the place Rottenwood Farm, in part due to a large number of pine trees on the property that have been devastated by the pine beetle. Benches made out of these pine trees offer resting spots all around the land. I'm personally in love with the Magnolias, especially one right outside of Oscar's windowed "play-nook" that shades the small pond where he watches the ducks splash around.
There is ample room for all sorts of livestock. We brought our 23 laying hens and 2 goats to live with the 20 or so chickens that were already here. The fencing and animal housing is well-constructed and well, just plain fun! This month we're adding 15 heritage Blue Slate Turkeys, hatched locally, to be harvested come Thanksgiving. Two donkeys just moved onto the land this weekend as well, although we haven't yet carved out a purpose for these fellows. And I still have my fingers crossed that one day we'll be able to pasture a couple of pigs in the woods.
There are 6 raised beds in the center of the garden, and we're putting in several more ground level beds ourselves. In the raised beds we've planted several
different varieties of basil, peppers, and onions. This week we'll also be planting one as a perennial herb garden and another we'll use for potatoes. In the beds Joaquin has prepared we've planted chard, okra, sungold cherry tomatoes, and summer squashes: crookneck, patty pan, yellow and green zucchini. Soon we'll be
planting heirloom tomatoes, eggplant, kale, carrots, and melons, in addition to a few more peppers and onions.
We purchased a
Top Bar Hive off ebay last month because, well, who doesn't love bees?! A worm bin is also planned for the near future. I can't wait to start mixing worm castings in with our homemade compost - oh, there's just so much to get excited about! As is true on any working farm, there's always plenty to do and never a dull moment.
This place is a dream come true for us and Oscar's just as happy as an earthworm in a compost pile. Everywhere you look there's something delicious already in the ground. Blueberry bushes and blackberry bramble, muscadines, strawberries, asparagus, overwintered garlic, a walking onion experiment, and a couple rhubarb plants. There are lots of young fruit trees scattered around the property as well - apple, peach, plum, even a bitter lemon tree.
1/2 acre of growing space is half the size of what we grew on last year in Canton, but we expect yields equal to or greater than last year as we are practicing new growing methods for small spaces. Last month Joaquin attended a
Grow Biointensive conference by John Jeavons, author of
How to Grow More Vegetables: Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine. Joaquin has been diligently
double digging beds on the weekends and weeknights; in other words, whenever he's not working his day job in the city. This is a tiresome task that I'm personally in awe of and he deserves double credit for often doing this work while wearing a baby on his back. The double digging, in addition to quality compost (produced in our very own backyard in the city) and close plant spacing, should produce an abundant harvest of nutritious and flavorful fruits & vegetables all summer long.
Oscar, after putting in an honest day's work
But wait, there's more! My parents are planning to grow on the land in Canton again this season. In fact, my mom is responsible for all of the seedlings we've planted in Roswell, and we certainly wouldn't be able to grow our farm without her. Again this year my mom mixed her own organic potting soil from the recipe Daniel Parson shared at the 2009 GO Conference. Her greenhouse is absolutely beautiful.
Joaquin and I will help my parents put their plants in the ground in Canton this month as well, and we're excited to create a joint venture with them at markets this season. Because they have so much land to work with, we should find ourselves overwhelmed with tomatoes in no time.
Our plan is to sell our produce at Roswell's Saturday Farmers' Market off Hill Street this summer. Once we have enough to harvest mid-week, we will also be attending a Tuesday market. There's actually a great little vegetable stand right on the corner of the property that would be so much fun to sell from, but as of now the city will not permit it. So, if you see us working out in the garden in the coming months and you'd like a few fresh veggies, please stop on in. And as for eggs, we've always got 'em!
Volunteer Days
Volunteer days will be every Wednesday from 9:30 - 11:30am, beginning Wednesday, May 26th. These mornings will include planting, weeding, small farm projects, and possibly some harvesting -- depending on the time of season. Children are not only welcome but encouraged to participate. Just be mindful because there is poison ivy on the farm. The garden and well-traveled areas are generally safe, but little ones should always be supervised. Once the produce is abundant, volunteers will not leave empty-handed :)
If you're interested in helping out on volunteer day, please send me an email so I can get a rough idea of the number of people who will be here any given week; it will help me plan the mornings well. (Jess426 @ gmail.com)
We have knowledge to share and we have just as much to learn. We'd love to see the community become an integral part of our farm. Don't hesitate to stop in and lend a hand if you see us out in the garden. I know Wednesday mornings don't fit into everyone's schedule. You're always welcome to send me an email in advance if there's a particular day you'd like to come out. Also, I'll be posting on a few forums for help with harvesting for markets come summertime. I'd like to find a regular volunteer for Fridays and possibly Tuesdays as well. If you think this may be something you'd be interested in, send me an email and we can discuss it further.
**If anyone lives closer to Canton and would be interested in helping out occasionally on my parents' land, I know they'd love to talk with you. Send me an email and I can put you in touch.**
We couldn't be more excited about the coming season. Here's to a bountiful harvest, great company, and of course...
Happy Eating
!Jessica
The crops in Canton are, once again, bearing fruit a-plenty. Allan, Alex, and Mike built another impressive fence and spent long days planting the field alongside my mom. They work hard keeping up with the garden as well, but specifically those 600 tomato plants. That's a LOT of trellising!
There's always room for more! If you have Wednesday mornings from 9:30 - 11:30am available and you'd like to come out and spend a little time in the garden, we'd love to have you. See my Volunteer Day post for more information.
