Common Ground Student Run Educational Farm

Things are running smoothly on the farm these days and our veggies seem to be loving all the rain! Here are some pictures of what's been going on at the farm!

Broccoli



Bumble bee on a broccoli flower



A kale leaf



Weeding the onions and leeks



A predatory stink bug assassinating a Colorado Potato Beetle



A predatory wasp cleaning itself after a dinner of Colorado Potato Beetle



And here we are, your Common Ground Farm Crew! (from left to right: Liz, Becky, Andrew, Claire, and Maggie)



We hope you're enjoying the pictures! We'll try to keep them coming!

Posted by Claire at 11:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We're working hard at the farm, and things are coming along really nicely! Here are some pictures of what's sprung up in our fields and hoop house!
Enjoy!

Posted by Claire at 7:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Happy summer everyone!

I feel like it is finally starting, and we have our first miniature harvest to prove
that! My goal is to write a small update every Sunday through the listserv and blog to
keep students, shareholders, faulty, and community members updated with Common Ground
throughout the summer. Let me know what you think of this and what information would be
useful.

We have been working hard out at the farm transplanting everything out into the field,
setting up the irrigation system, and figuring out how everything works. Andrew and Becky
have pretty much been working full time while Claire and myself come in part time towards
the end of the week. Right now we have peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, kale, cabbage,
greens, peas, potatoes, and so much more in the ground. We are considering putting
lambsquarter into the first CSA share (weeders, everyone?) and are getting use to the
sandy, beach-like soils out at Common Ground. Other news is that Greg set up his
beehives, Common Ground lettuce was served in the Waterman cafe, and we'll be bringing
our first donation to the food shelf today.

If you are around this week and want to help out at the farm, we would love to see you
and could really use your help. We are consistently out there M-F from 8-4 and sometimes
on the weekends to do small chores. Email myself or Andrew if you have any questions,
otherwise we'll see you out there!

Reminder, first CSA share pickup is June 11th (the day after Michael Pollan comes to
town!) Thanks everyone!

Take care,
Kate

Posted by Kate at 7:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

(Common Ground will be selling greens and transplants at this event!)

May 17, Saturday
10 – 3 p.m.
Burlington Garden Club, Branch Out Burlington, and Winooski Parks Dept.
• Time TBA. Rain Gardens. Presenters: Emma Melvin and Jessica Andreoletti.
• 11 -12 p.m. Tree Walk. Presenter: Paul Wieczoreck.
• 12 - 1 p.m. Bats. Presenter: Barry Genzlinger, Chiroptera Cabin Company.
The world of bats and the important role they play today in controlling airborne pests. Talk and walk to our new bat house.
• All Day. Lilac Collection Tour. Presenter: Jeff Young, Curator.
Like to have a leisurely walk through the Hort Farm's award winning Lilac Collection? No lectures, no workshops, just a chance to smell the beautiful fragrances and admire the lilacs in full blossom. See the beautiful blush pink/white Russian 'Beauty of Moscow' considered by many to be the most beautiful lilac; the blue lilac, “President Lincoln”, the pinks 'Maiden's Blush' and 'Marie Francis'; the smallest Lilac 'Prairie Petite'; and a hundred more. Lilac Curator and VT Master Gardener Jeff Young will be on hand to walk with you and answer any questions you have. Lilacs will also be on sale to benefit the Hort Farm.

Posted by Kate at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hello Common Ground CSA shareholders!!

Welcome to the 2008 growing season! School is finally out so we now have a farm crew out
at Common Ground full time and are really getting going. We are still not sure the exact
date of our first pick up week but we hope to have the first shares available the second
week in June. Just a few reminders:
- the pick up will be at Common Ground. If anyone told me they needed their shares
brought to Hills on campus please let me know again.
- Please bring your own bag to collect your shares. We would like to cut down the amount
of plastic and paper bags we use to hold the produce.
- In addition, there has been talk within the farm crew about having shareholders bring
their food scraps for compost to the farm each week when they pick up shares. I am sure
many of you have your own compost at home but if not, feel free to bring food scraps with
you when you come get your shares and we will be more than happy to take it for our
compost!
- I will also be emailing out around the first of June to let everyone know about our
first shareholder and farm crew potluck that will be taking place in June. I We would
love to see as many of you out there as possible.

Thanks so much and I look forward greatly to meeting all of you!

Happy Summer

Maggie Donin

Posted by Kate at 9:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Draft Horse Workshop
Saturday April 26th at 10:00-1:00pm
UVM Horticulture Research Center
65 Green Mountain Dr, So Burlington, Vermont
Common Ground Student Run Farm

Come celebrate spring and the start of the growing season with Common
Ground Farm and friends! There will be two teams of draft horses to
plow the fields and demonstrate using animals for power. Refreshments
will be provided. Also, find out more information about how to buy a
CSA share and get involved with the farm for the summer! Contact Kate
for more information, kturcott@uvm.edu. Thanks!

Need directions to the farm?
Here is the HRC homepage, the link is on the left:
http://www.uvm.edu/pss/dept/hort_farm/

Posted by Kate at 6:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Updates:
-Seeds! They're here! All of them! We're ready to start planting all varieties!
-Compost will arrive on Friday... all 30 yards of it!!!
-Transplants- we'll start selling them the week after next. Kate is working on getting us a table for them.
-Big compost project on the farm this summer! We might be taking all of UVM's summer orientation session compost in addition to inviting our CSA share holders to bring their compost to the farm! Where will it go? How will we handle it? We have no idea, but we're up for the challenge!

Upcoming Events:
-Friday 10-1 Maggie will be going out to the farm. Contact her if you would like to go as well.
-Sunday Kate will be going out to the farm from 9-12am. Contact her if you would like to go.
-Earth Week is next week!
-Slow Foods Banquet is April 15th at 6:00pm in the Living and Learning Fireplace Lounge. Each student group attending should bring at least one dish to share as well as a little sign to connect your dish to your student group. Bring your friends! Common Ground will have a table set up as well.
-Hunger Forum, April 16th, 4:00-6:00pm. Carpenter Auditorium. There will be 3 guest speakers, Fred Magdoff, Rob Meehan, and Jean Hamilton. They will be talking about worldwide hunger and food issues. It's supposed to be an amazing talk, bring your friends! Afterward Common Ground will sponsor refreshments and hold a meeting in the Hills Conference room on the first floor where meetings are usually held.
-Draft Horse workshop- it's still in the works... April 19th or 26th. We might turn it into a May Day Celebration complete with May pole. CSA share holders will be invited as well as the UVM community... more to come.

Posted by Claire at 7:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Updates:
-Transplants- people are interested in them! We should talk to Growing Vermont to get them to help us sell them!
Transplants to start:
Tomatoes
Basil
Peppers
Herbs(even though we don't have the seeds yet... still waiting on that order)
-CSA shares- we've sold 27 shares already!! So, we need to get the brochure together and sent out! Andrew is going to do that. Also, on Monday Maggie will be out at the farm from 2:00-6:00pm collecting money from people who have bought shares.
-Growing Vermont wants to sell our stuff! They want to try our canned goods before they sell them, and they want us to do Dilly beans! We also have to use the Food Science Facilities here on campus.
-Becky has been working on the Draft Horse workshop and now has names, phone numbers, and knowledge about how to contact and such. She'll keep us updated!

Upcoming Events:
-Trip to the farm this weekend! Saturday we'll be starting transplants, and taking inventory of what supplies/equipment we have out at the farm and what we need to get. Sunday 9-12 there will also be planting.
-Earth Week is April 14-17
-Slow Foods Banquet April 15th
-Hunger Forum April 16th
-Draft Horse Workshop (either April 19th or 26th)

There's a Common Ground Officers Meeting Thursday at 3:00 in Hills Conference Room

Compost will be coming to the farm next week! We've ordered 30 yards.

We need to take more soil tests this weekend.

We have $750.00 more for wages from SGA and $750.00 more for supplies!! This money should be used before July 1st, when our new budget kicks in.

Bees!! Andrew went to a Vermont bee Keeper's Association meeting last night. Rave reviews! Chittenden County is working on getting it's own chapter of the Bee Keeper's Association... Greg and Andrew are figuring out where the bees will go (in the conventional plot? By the corn field?)

There's an article about us in the WaterTower! Thanks Hillary!!

When can we get into the Hoop House? We need to plant tomatoes, greens, and maybe melons and peppers. Are there other things we should plant in there?

Posted by Claire at 7:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yolanda was here!

Upcoming Events:
-Kate and Andrew are giving a PSS Seminar next week!
-Mushroom workshop is next Tuesday(the 25th) at SLADE from 4:00-5:00
-Slow Foods Banquet April 15th
-Hunger Forum on April 16th. Fred Magdoff is speaking(among others)!

Updates:
-Seed Order- Andrew has made a fantastic spreadsheet!
-Blog- Minutes will be posted on the blog. Also, lists of what needs to be done on the farm will be posted. Should be updated after every meeting.
-Mission Statement/Vision... we still need them!
-Farm Crew-please email Kate the times you need off during the summer. Also, we can do independent projects during the summer... herb gardens, composting, cloth bags, etc. Also, there will be some sort of bonus system in place to reward farm crew members for their extra work.
-CSA shares- it sounds like we're shooting for around 30 shares.

Posted by Claire at 7:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Seeds from High Mowing:
Maybe instead of handing out seed packets we can use the free seeds we got from High Mowing to start transplants to sell a later date! Maybe during Earth Week: April 21-25. So, we should plant them now!!

Website: We can make a whole new one or re-do the one we have. Claire will be in charge of that. Also, email Claire if you want to write on the blog.

Seed Order: It needs to be in before spring break. At 1:00 on Thursday a group will get together to work on it.

Publicity: Hillary is still writing articles for us. Look for them in the campus newspapers when we get back from spring break.

Upcoming Events:
-Green Mountain College Student Run Farm Trip. We'd work with them, and then later on in the season they could come work with us. The dates have yet to be set.
*St. Mike's is starting a student farm as well!
-Slow Foods Banquet. It'll be during Earth Week. Kate is meeting with Student Life about it tomorrow.
-Michael Pollen is coming to Burlington on June 10th, 2008. We need to get him to the farm!!

CSA:
Shares will be priced as follows:
Students/Staff: $250.00
Faculty: $300.00
-We need to figure out how many shares we want to sell. Maybe around 30?

The Brochure:
Andrew is reformatting it right now. Adding pictures and making it look spiffier. We should link the brochure in the website.

Posted by Claire at 2:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)