April 2024
Volunteer Impact
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Volunteers planted more than 800 seed potatoes during April's CFWD!
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We are so glad to see April's showers lead to May's flowers! Visitors can now spot pops of colorful flowers in the field and beyond: from vibrant red columbine to delicate white strawberry flowers, and happy dandelions to fragrant lilacs, these signs of spring are a welcome sight on the farm.
More than 44 volunteers shared over 142 hours of their time in April, with the majority of tasks helping with native plant care, tree pruning, and the first bit of field work in our burgeoning strawberry fields and garlic beds. Since the year's beginning, more than 106 volunteers have visited and spent over 550 hours at the farm. Amazing momentum!
With peas, onions, spinach and lettuce sprouting in the field, we are looking forward to having a variety of spaces to help in as we focus on raising delicious, nutritious veggies for our community to enjoy.
See you at the farm,
Cynthia
HHF Food Donation + Volunteer Coordinator
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"A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees."
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Community Farm Work Days are all about many hands making light work of bigger projects on the farm.
Our next Community Farm Work Day will take place on Saturday, June 1st from 10am - 1pm : the day's task will be announced next week! Reserve your spot now, and receive an email when the activity is announced. Sign Ups are Open!
In case you missed it: We have now switched to Eventbrite for our big weekend volunteer events. You can find all of the upcoming CFWD in our Eventbrite Collection.
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April's Community Farm Work Day
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April 21st had all the right signs for potato planting, with bright yellow dandelions spotted across almost every corner of the farm and field. Dandelions are not only universal, with many health benefits and stories associated with them, but they have also been a traditional signal that the temperature and soil conditions are just about right for planting potatoes.
Volunteers prepared and then planted four different potato varieties this year, and we are looking forward to harvesting them in the summer.
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Overcast but dry, bins of potatoes are laid out along their four beds, ready to be planted.
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A few days prior to the CFWD, shifts of volunteers helped chit, or appropriately cut and lay out to dry, four varieties of seed potatoes. Checking the size, firmness, and eye count on each piece is key to making sure that each piece sprouts and thrives.
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Pieces of wood, cut to a length of 12inches, helped make sure each seed potato was perfectly spaced. Too close, and the growing plants will crowd and stunt each other; too far, and we risk weeds popping up in between!
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| Younger volunteers used teamwork and a game of "the floor is lava!" to step around and to space their work.
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Volunteers chose the best and biggest seed potatoes to plant in the field, with plenty left over for everyone to take home and try to grow. The seed potatoes to the right didn't properly cure, and in this state they aren't appropriate to plant. Into the compost they go!
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Waves of volunteers tackle strawberry pruning and weeding, with lots of stretching in between.
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By pruning the flowers, runners, and early fruit off of the farm's strawberries, we are helping these plants to direct their energy towards root and leaf development, rather than spending it all on developing their fruit.
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This pruning also encourages the plants to spread out, taking steps towards the end goal of creating a lush field that will replace grass and crowd out weeds. When the plants do produce strawberries, the fruits will be bigger and more flavorful as a result too!
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Native plant volunteers had unlucky mornings with rainy days, but the sun finally shone at the end of the month for some perfect days to tackle outdoor work!
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After an unsuccessful trial with paper mulch last year, native plants are once again getting traditional wood mulch spread around them. Once a farm vehicle dumps a mulch pile, it's up to volunteers to roll up their sleeves and spread it, taking care around the small, newly sprouting plants.
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Before any mulching is done, it's important to fully weed the space, as they will only be more difficult to remove once the mulch is spread.
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Hilltop Hanover Farm was honored with an Eco Award for developing and hosting the first Community Work Day for Native Plants Care in 2023.
On 5/4/24, we hosted the second CFWD for native plants: stay tuned for photos next month!
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Hilltop Hanover Farm continued supporting the Port Chester Vegetable Grow Bag program, by growing 15 varieties of vegetables for over 300 grow bags.
Almost all these seedlings are in their new space, ready to be planted en masse in just two weeks!
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| Food donations have had a slow but steady start as well.
Here, 70 lbs of imperfect radishes and turnips were saved from the compost, and instead were handed off to a pantry partner who is able to cook, slice, and serve up meals using these veggies for our neighbors in need.
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"Try and leave this world a little better than you found it." |
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