The sign at the end of our driveway.Grafted in 1998, this Redfield apple blossoms in late May, 2005. Redfield is a cross between a crabapple and a Wolf River, and has red flesh.By late May wintered-over parsley (left) and Swiss chard (right) have gone to seed in the Sunroom that is attached to our home. We removed these soon after this photo and replaced them with cherry tomatoes and cukes for the summer.Greenhouse One in late April. In the foreground are summer squashes soon ready to be transplanted outdoors. On the right is the potting table where all the work gets done. Growing in the raised beds are beet greens, lettuce, carrots and summer turnips. Planting in the ground in the greenhouse starts in February for harvests starting in early May when the farmers’ markets open.In early May Tom inspects the fall planted garlic which is already a foot high. Planted from garlic rounds instead of cloves, the bulbs will be harvested in early August. In July the “scapes” (curly-cue tops of the garlic plants) are cut and brought to market for an early taste of fresh real garlic.We grow three rows of lettuce on a bed (green in the foreground, red in background). On the right are radishes and beet greens, covered with floating row covers to protect against the flea beetles. Beyond the row covers is the hayfield where we cut hay mulch for tomatoes and celery.In October and November residents of Pittsfield bring their leaves to our farm. We have become the official drop off point for leaves for the town, and people come here instead of going to the landfill. The Town estimates this results in a savings of over $3,000 annually to taxpayers. As the leaves arrive, we sort out shredded leaves and pine needles, which go immediately into a separate pile to be used for mulch, and the rest are mixed with cow manure and composted for a year. Any not used by midsummer are stored for a few years to produce leaf mold to be used in potting soil. See more about using leaves for mulch at our Using Mulches page.Angelica is one of several perennial herbs we grow in “side gardens”. This one is about to bloom in late June, 2004, and almost obscures Lois’s daughter Lori. Since angelica seed is short-lived, we gather seed every two or three years to sell at market and start some seedlings for sale in pots. With a strong celery-anise flavor, spring shoots of angelica are used as a celery substitute. Later in the season, the red stalks are candied for use in holiday cooking. The entire huge top dies back to the ground each winter.
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