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Edible landscape” seems to be going head to head with “staycation” as the most popular catch phrase of Summer 2008. Lawns may not be disappearing before our very eyes, but citizens are definitely swapping out blades of grass for bushels of beans in increasing numbers.
The New York Times, July 28, 2008.

Many moons have passed since we expressed our first vision of Boulder
Knoll. Tonight we actually were able to stake our claim. 
So enjoy this picture and pat yourself on the back

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Hi folks,

Below is the message from back in April with the soil test results.  The magnesium tested high.

Based on Mike’s recommendations, I think we should plan to put on less than the recommended amount, rather than the full amount, this fall – because we sure don’t have 6 inches of topsoil on a lot of that land.  Ideally, we would put on ½ the recommended amount.

The calcitic lime vs. dolomitic lime question is tricky.  While calcitic lime would be the best thing, it is much harder to get and more than twice as expensive.  I would recommend that we go ahead with dolomitic lime now at ~½ the CAES recommended rate, and work on getting calcitic lime for the next application in the spring.  While we don’t need the magnesium, and I know that Mike would argue that continuing to put on dolomitic lime and adding more Mg year after year will decrease soil quality in the long run, at this point I think getting the pH in a reasonable range is a higher priority.  Extra Mg will not lead to pollution, the way extra P or N might.

I’d say, after going through the above process, we should get one pallet-load of dolomitic lime from the least expensive local source (or donated, if possible!).  On Monday, we can figure out how much area we want to lime

Is there anyone willing to work on getting a pallet-load of lime delivered quickly and at low (or zero) cost?

Here are the results:

Soil texture: Sandy loam

Organic Matter content:  medium low

pH 4.8

Nitrate N Low

Ammonium N Low

Phosphorus:  Stripped area = medium, area not stripped = medium high

Potassium Very Low

Calcium Low

Magnesium High

Suggested treatments in pounds per 1000 square feet:

Limestone 175 lbs.  (this may be too much to apply all at once – we may want to apply half in spring and half in fall)

Fertilizer (given both as 10-10-10 and as organic fertilizers)

Either 25 lbs. 10-10-10 pre-plant and 10 lbs in July

Or 30 lbs. cottonseed meal, 20 lbs. bone meal, 20 lbs. Greensand  (this would all be pre-plant, but these might not be the best choices for organic fertilizers – I’ll work on alternative recommendations)

Our friends in Woodbridge will be starting a CSA at Massaro Farm.  They had to mobilize quite a movement to keep this farmland (50 acres!) from becoming baseball fields, but they did it (and they will help the town find another site for ball fields).

Here’s an article on them: Amity (Orange) Bulletin: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19854794&BRD=1661&PAG=461&dept_id=9538&rfi=6

You can help bring Community Supported agriculture to Cheshire. Become a member of Friends of Boulder Knoll today. 

Hi Friends,

Hope you can come to our upcoming Board meeting on Thursday July 24 at 7  pm – we have a lot to do! Email info@friendsofboulderknoll.com for information or directions. 

Agenda:

Brief update on lease, insurance, plans for the land for any new people

Liability Waiver – before we do anything, everybody who will be involved needs to sign a waiver, and we need to keep them in a permanent file somewhere.  I have 15 copies of the waiver to distribute

Getting started on the garden area: 

Mowing (done by Bob already)

Plowing

Liming

Harrowing

Compost

Planting (transplants and seeds)

Mulch

Water???  Do we all need to pray daily for rain?

Expenses/Donations for materials

Scheduling work days

Plans for the rest of the two acres – how much to lime?  How much to plow and plant for cover crops?  Building topsoil in the area where it has been removed?  We will need to work on this soon (planting cover crops by mid September)

Outreach and fundraising

Outreach: Letter to Herald thanking everybody, press releases, recruiting volunteers, outreach to landscapers to get fall leaves

Educational event in the fall?  If we will do it, we should set a date now.

Fundraising:  Here is the fundraising plan that Jeff and I sent to the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.

Friends of Boulder Knoll Fundraising Plan

1.    Letter to former and current members describing progress in starting an agricultural operation and asking for renewal of memberships and contributions.  Went out July 1 [*] $200 

2.    Letter to interested individuals in the Cheshire community from our list of organizational contacts and personal contacts of board members.  Planned for late August. [*] $500 

3.    Phone calls with follow-up letters seeking sponsorship for Friends of Boulder Knoll from community businesses.  Planned for September. [*] $2000 

4.    Sales of produce from the farm – will be very modest this year.  September – November. [*] $300 

5.    Fundraising event – with dinner and music – at the Boulder Knoll Montessori School (down the street from the farm).  October.[*] $1000 

Date and time of next regular meeting

Seems like more than enough for one evening!

A Locally Grown Diet With Fuss but No Muss

The New York Times may describe the new “lazy localvore” trend, and a solution to fix it, but Friends of Boulder Knoll has an even better solution.

Support Friends of Boulder Knoll today, and one day soon you may be eating locally grown produce, right from Boulder Knoll Community Farm!

Click here to contribute and help see our shared dreams prosper. 

We just signed a lease with the Town of Cheshire for two acres of land, and we can’t wait to get started! We plan to grow organic produce as part of a CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture program. Plus, we will provide great recreational and educational opportunities. 

We need your support now more than ever. Donate to Friends of Boulder Knoll today by becoming a member. Click here to support our efforts! 

Hi Friends of Boulder Knoll:
Congratulations! Thanks to your hard work, this afternoon, the Friends of Boulder Knoll signed a lease with the Town of Cheshire for the 2 acres of land at Boulder Knoll.  
More to come…
Best,The Board

New Interest in Vertical Farms for Urban Areas

While you won’t see a vertical farm coming to Cheshire any day soon, this New York Times will get you excited about the latest concept in local farming.

“What if “eating local” in Shanghai or New York meant getting your fresh produce from five blocks away? And what if skyscrapers grew off the grid, as verdant, self-sustaining towers where city slickers cultivated their own food?”

Cutting Out the Middlemen, Shoppers Buy Slices of Farms

A terrific article in The NY Times about CSAs. Thanks to your hard work, Cheshire may have a CSA to call its own at the Boulder Knoll property soon! E-mail info@friendsofboulderknoll.com for more information on how you can help.

“CAMPTON TOWNSHIP, Ill. — In an environmentally conscious tweak on the typical way of getting food to the table, growing numbers of people are skipping out on grocery stores and even farmers markets and instead going right to the source by buying shares of farms.”