Mike in Cleveland

This week was the biggest harvest so far by a long shot at the farm. We had a lot of herbs, squash, and lettuce. The next few weeks should really see a rise in production of pumpkins, squash and zucchini. At the farm I have helped to increase capacity for next year and beyond by tilling new land, building fences, and helping to improve the soil. I also have helped with volunteer programs to get more students involved at the farm to learn about local food production. I want to visit next year to see how my efforts from this year have taken hold.

I was at the farm this morning and we had visitors from Oberlin. They came to check out our progress and give us their thoughts on our new food program. They have been growing food for a decade already so they had some good tips to offer. It was nice to share what we have been doing all summer and talk to people that had the same interest. The occ students from Oberlin did not come but there were about 8 students that did so it was a nice break from the daily gardening work.

We are going to start harvesting collard greens and peppers tomorrow at NuGarden so the kids will get to see the outcome of their hard work over the past month. They have become better workers and picked up job skills for the future at NuGarden which was part of the goal of the program. They complain less and work harder. Hopefully this experience will stay with them in their future and make them more successful adults.