March
This month officially brings the Spring Equinox. After a seesaw winter, we are very ready to welcome warmer weather. Check out what is coming along at Maitri!
We want to give a special ❁❁Thank You ❁❁, to our volunteers who’ve been helping us catch up this month as we recruit new members of the farm team.
March a.k.a. Farmer March Madness
WORD FROM Farmer JENN
The excitement of the farmer’s version of March Madness is upon us once again with the return of the sun and the start of seeding in the greenhouse! During the winter season, there is so much time spent indoors sorting through data from last year’s notes in order to build this year’s plan. I also spend a big chunk of time getting caught up on the business end of running the farm - licenses have to be renewed, taxes sorted and filed, systems tested and repaired, projects and vendors have to be coordinated and time blocked out for work and the search for field crew goes on. When it was cold and dark outside, time spent in my office was a nice thing but now that we have the strengthening sun, I want to be outside or, at the very least, out in the greenhouse on the windy days.
Adding the weekly ritual of seeding is always enjoyable and it feels good to dig my hands into the dark earth of our seeding mix and fill trays. I’ve been enjoying listening to podcasts of old gothic horror stories and Daphne du Maurier’s novel Rebecca has been a great companion in my ear while I work. Now that Farm Dog Sage is well into the final stages of recovery from leg surgery, I am also looking forward to enjoying this space with her once again. I’ve missed listening to her snore from her spot under my work table while I commune with baby plants.
The return of the sun also heralds the return of the various farm CSAs and we are looking forward to sharing the bounty of tulips with our members starting in a few weeks. In the vegetable garden, I am excited to have the first official harvest of our three year old asparagus bed coming up soon and the first seeding of baby greens, radishes and turnips go out into the greenhouses next week in time for our favorite local restaurants to open back up for the season. I’ll have more information on where you can enjoy our produce at your favorite local spots once we get fully back into production. In the meantime, I am going to continue seeding all of the amazing veggies we have in store for everyone this year and look forward to sharing favorites like tomatoes and sweet corn and a few new items, like ginger and rhubarb, with everyone who stops by.
2024 Flower CSAs
March can be a funny month. One week it's snowing and freezing, the next it's high 50’s and sunny. As the weather allows me to shift to outside work, I'm eager to complete some chores that I left last fall. Such as cleaning up the perennial field, laying another layer of wood chips in the pathways and planting into the high tunnels for spring crops. Next week I'll be planting sweet peas. Can you believe it?!?! Sweet peas love the cold temperatures and need this time to grow strong roots so they can produce the sweetest smell you've ever smelt.
I’ve been finding joy in sitting down each week and seeding, imagining the beautiful blooms this season holds & the hands they will go into. I have been expanding my outreach and looking forward to announcing some new retail locations & offerings.
With all of our tulips out of the cooler and budding up for your tulips CSA, I'm so excited to announce that our CSA will begin March 12th! We have just a few more spaces, so if you want to experience 5 weeks of lush tulips be sure to click the image of tulips to the right & sign up before it's too late.
I'm looking forward to longer days & welcoming spring with open arms. Bring on March Madness!
Join our Team!
Maitri Farm has several job openings for the 2024 growing season. We are seeking people who want to learn and engage with the ins and outs of running a small scale organic vegetable and cut flower farm and work alongside us for the rest of the 2024 season and hopefully beyond.
We think we’ve built a welcoming environment here. Maybe we’re looking for you or maybe you know someone?
While the farm property is large, we practice small-scale, high production farming, which means that we rely on our bodies a lot, and the work that we do is often repetitive and strenuous.
Previous experience working on a farm for a full season is strongly preferred. Because our space is small, we hope to work closely with folks who want to collaborate, communicate and have fun growing food and flowers for the community. Learn more at our website.
Spring Equinox!
Spring will officially be here as of Wednesday, March 20th! The sun will set at a relaxed 7:08 PM
