Our intention is to grow food by helping to revitalize ecological systems. It starts with the soil. Restoring the microbiome in the soil produces healthy nutritious plants. Healthy soils equal healthy plants equal healthy people.
The suburbs in a sense are a waste land for large scale food production. True, in a few towns, they have been diverting land from development by turning them into community farms. But mostly here in the suburbs what we have are miles of lawns that have almost no ecological value.
We are tapping the experience of our local organic farmer at Wright-Locke Farm, Adrienne Altstatt, and make use of the resources provided by groups like the NRCS and NOFA-MA.
Local Food Production
Our first year we have recruited 12 homeowners, 2 churches (Parish of the Epiphany & Winchester Unitarian Society), and one elementary school, Linscott-Rumford. We have had help from several dozen volunteer gardeners, of all ages and backgrounds. We have expanded existing gardens and installed new fenced in gardens in all the 15 locations.
We won’t know the size of the harvest until it is complete but we have been delivering produce to both pantries since the end of July.
There are several homeowners on the waiting list. The Unitarian Church has committed their congregation for a day of service to convert the lawn of one of the homeowners on the waiting into an fenced in, fully composted garden for 2024.