back to school with Farmer Steve

less talk, more action!

Steven spent the afternoon yesterday working in the school garden that he helped to start two years ago at St. Francis School in Goshen, Ky. He came home dirty, happy and inspired! Here's his report-

Seems like our eco loco movement has reached a fevered pitch (one of the few conditions not swine flu related).
There are events weekly, scratch that, daily. It is very exciting to see a whole community take it to the next level. Lots of great conversations, conferences, workshops, festivals, concerts, you name it, its happening in Louisville. And I've been to or participated in my share fo sho.
 But in all the representin' , rabble rousing, and celebrating of THE CAUSE, I aint getting enough of what brought me to the party- getting my hands in dirt with others. So yesterday I got a much needed dose of hands in.
 A group of parents and kids showed up at St. Francis School in Goshen and turned beds, planted, transplanted, and mulched our way into the beautiful state of healthy community agrarian action. We transplanted strawberries and planted garlic- ground zero for my tastebuds.
 The kids got to turn dirt, put the plants in the ground, cast worm castings, all while taking in sunshine under a perfect Kentucky blue sky autumn day. All the talk is healthy and good- but thankfully, there comes a day, when less talk and more action happens.

fall-derol

It's our final day of selling veggies at the Wednesday farmer's market at Whole Foods. The autumn greens and root crops are gorgeous, and I made some wild-cut bouquets in mason jars- they turned out decently, and we're confident that the addition of flowers to our offerings at the Beargrass Creek market next year will be worthwhile.

Valerie and Josh have been spading new beds for cover crops. The garden looks tidy and ready for winter.

The hardneck garlic was a huge success, and next season's crop has been planted, as well as a large asparagus patch from corms given to Steven.

I have the cut-flower bed planned and 700 bulbs planted. I was too late to get peonies in the ground and will have to wait until spring, but did get in some hydrangeas and lots of butterfly bush. Next year I'll plug in perennials and annuals, and I have big plans for dahlias.

these are calla bulbs ready to go

The hives have been checked and the bees pronounced healthy.

A bit more housekeeping, and we'll be ready for frost.

The Ohio Valley is at peak color and the trees are spectacular- I guess because of all the rain last summer. It couldn't be more gorgeous, and a bit of powdery mildew on my lilacs seems a small price to pay.

Fresh Start

When Steven first became interested in sustainable farming and decided to start the micro-farming project here at Riverfarm, our education began with a bang.

We had taken a trip to South Georgia, where Steven met a brilliant young man named Daron Joffe, and learned from him about biodynamic/organic farming. Farmer D is one of those charmingly quiet and unassuming people whose accomplishments are beyond impressive. He's the founder and president of Farmer D Organics- please check out his website, it's fantastic, and very inspirational.

Anyway, with Farmer D's help, New Farmer Steve was able to hook up with the right people in our area to help him get started restoring the soil at our site biodynamically, and Daron sent us our first farm manager, Ben Walter, who we took to right away.

During these first weeks, Steven discovered that although there were many people in our area who were dedicated to farming organically, they were finding it time consuming to locate all the different organic products they needed- they were having to buy soil supplements, test kits, ferlilizers, pest controlling agents and livestock feeds and supplies from several different sources, and this could be frustrating.

So Farmer Steve put together a list of products and founded Fresh Start Grower's Supply, which has developed a healthy early customer base and continues to grow in a very satisfying way. The website is working nicely to allow people to shop online, and we're adding educational content in the form of short videos- Steven has interviewed several people who are prominent in the world of promoting local foods and sustainable gardening. You might want to check it out if you're looking for particular products or information.

the Riverfarm Organics project

Riverfarm Organics started as a tiny seed of an idea in the very fertile brain of my husband Steven, who was searching for a project with a purpose that would blend his love of the country with his desire to live his life in a peaceful, generous and purposeful way. Our family climbed aboard his big idea, and we've been astounded and gratified at the incredibly rich experience this continues to be.

We've learned a lot- mostly about how much we have left to learn. We've met wonderful people in the Louisville area who are creating and promoting an exciting and vital way of life. The culture of our family has benefitted by a mission and purpose in which each of us has a comfortable place. Plus- the food is good.