The Blandford Farm is quick five to ten minute walk west of the visitor center. Here you will find our fenced in field, our hoop house and greenhouse, and our farm barn. We are currently using 2.5 acres of land for vegetable production. We grow food for our CSA and also for sale at the farmer's market. Part of this space also belongs to our community garden where community gardeners can purchase a plot to grow food during the summer. Kids are also learning about farming through the Youth Farm Team program. Here are some more details about what we do at the farm:
CSA and Farmer's Market: The Blandford farm has a CSA! Our CSA is a great way for its members to receive fresh produce every week along with a community of people connected to the Blandford Farm. We are also growing vegetables specifically to sell at the Fulton St. Farmer's Market. Look for us at the market Friday mornings!
Community Garden: The Blandford farm has 50 available garden plots for community members to grow their own food. We offer an 8'x20' plot for you to feed your family fresh produce that you've watched and help grow.
Youth Farm Team: Participants will discern the ins-and outs of sustainable agriculture and also receive an introduction to what it means to be a local "green" business at the Fulton Street Farmers Market. The YFT will also assist Blandford's own sustainable farmer, Aaron Snippe, with daily farm chores such as weeding organic pest management and building healthy soil. Here, agriculture leads the way as nature reveals itself through germinating seeds. plant and insect relationships, soil science, companion planting and so much more.
Our Practices: Although the farm is not certified organic, we feel strongly that organic practices are important to promote a healthy environment and healthy bodies. So we follow organic and natural practices in all we do on the farm. We hope that the practices we use will be able to work with our environment to improve our soil and grow healthy, nutrient dense produce.
Our Future: Keep an eye on what we are doing at the Blandford farm. We hope continue to find ways to expand what the farm has to offer. We plan to offer more opportunities for education, increase our honeybee production, introduce animals to the farm, continue to expand our mushroom production, and incorporate principles of permaculture to make our system more sustainable and diverse.
