March had temperatures rise and fall, and the first seeds of the season getting sown and and slowly grow up. 

More than 36 volunteers shared over 133 hours of their time in March, with the majority of tasks helping with native plant tasks, tray sanitizing, and Trees for Tribs maintenance.

Looking ahead to the next few weeks, there are still volunteer spots open for helping to cut and prepare seed potatoes for their upcoming planting. Weeding can now be done in earnest in the growing field and raised beds. Help our plants be as healthy and productive as possible, and pitch in with this work over the next few Fridays.

We can't wait to grow with you this year. 

See you at the farm,
Cynthia
HHF Food Donation + Volunteer Coordinator

-Aristotle

March's Community Work Day

March 2^nd saw the first big push of tree maintenance within the Trees for Tribs space on the western farm edge, one of the largest sites of its kind in the state. Originally planted and maintained by the Watershed Agricultural Council (WAC), HHF volunteers now join this yearly effort throughout the early spring weeks.

You can read more about this activity in WAC's latest blog post, here.

The tree to the right had no protection when volunteers came across it this year. As a result, they saw intense buck rub damage present on the trunk: this was clearly a favorite spot for male deer to rub their antlers.

Some trees that are larger in diameter may need multiple protectors tied together to fully cover and protect them, which ended up being the case for this tree.  

Volunteers took care to fully enclose this tree and others along this section of the path, to help protect them from further damage in the months to come. 

Insects also pose a risk to trees here. For the first time, spotted lanternfly egg cases and spongy moth egg masses were found throughout the Tribs area. The patterns on the right indicate insect damage as well. Once identified, eggs were carefully scraped into baggies and deposited in the trash. 

Many of the weeds found throughout the growing fields are actually edible!

For example, the purple "weed" in the photo to the left, Lamium purpureum or purple dead-nettle, is edible and medicinal: it can be sautéed, baked or tossed in a salad, and the leaves can be infused for tea. 

In previous years, thousands of these labels had to be written by hand. This year,  the natives team were able to produce stickers that could be placed on wooden labels, a relatively quicker and less painstaking process. 

The few true spring days we experienced in March were perfect for setting up label stations outdoors, as shifts of volunteers worked to create enough signage for the coming season. 

Volunteer S., right, cleans the last of the native Sugar Maple seeds that were collected from wild populations last year, and that will go on to be the first generation of sugar maples grown here at the farm. Some seedlings have finally grown up though! Volunteer C., left, pots up Native Swamp Rose into deep cells that are perfect for root growth. 

 Hilltop Hanover Farm is supporting the Port Chester Vegetable Grow Bag program, which will supply hundreds of families with fresh food to enjoy throughout the year. 

We are seeding and growing 15 varieties of veggies, which will turn into hundreds of seedlings for this project. By sharing the duties of planting, watering, thinning and potting up, this project is a collective staff effort within our mission to feed our community.

- Robert Baden-Powell