My Farm at Waltham

Farm dinners in September and October

2011-09-01T14:11:00.003-04:00

Thursday, September 22, 7pm
and
Thursday, Oct 27, 7pm

This fall, Chef Sam Hunt will tantalize taste buds with a sumptuous meal served in the 1793 Carriage House using local ingredients including some from our farm.

Don't miss this opportunity to enjoy a world-class meal in this historic setting!

For more info, http://goreplace.org/farm-dinners.htm.

Lots of vegetables for sale at the farm stand!

2011-07-28T14:11:00.003-04:00

Try some Gore Place vegetables today!! Available for sale this week: squash, eggplant, yellow wax beans, white and purple top turnips, onions, zucchini, purple peppers, frying peppers, hot peppers, and cucumbers.

What's happening at the farm this week?

2010-09-17T09:29:00.002-04:00

In the back field, the pumpkin field was just cultivated and the field prepared for the winter rye cover crop. Some Waltham butternut squash is ready to be harvested.

In the north of cottage field, there's a lot that was ready for harvest this week: mustard greens, carrots, green beans, daikon and green meat radish. Come down to the farm stand to get some!
We also had a group of preschool children learning about harvest visit the field and pick green beans and carrots. They had a fabulous time finding out where their vegetables come from.

Lamb meat for sale

2010-09-10T12:48:00.000-04:00

In August, 9 lambs and 1 adult ewe from our farm were sent off to Adams Farm Slaughterhouse in Athol, MA, a USDA-inspected facility. You can now buy frozen lamb meat at the Gore Place farm stand. Shoulder roast, whole leg, shanks, riblets, loin chops, rib chops, stew meat, and ground lamb are being sold between $8-12 a pound (depending on the cut).

The lambs were pasture-raised and fed grass and grain.

On sale at the farm stand this week

2010-08-04T14:44:00.002-04:00

Harvested this week: Purple top turnips, green beans, cucumbers, leeks, eggplant and yellow wax beans.

Tomatoes are starting to mature, so look out for them as well!

Purple top turnips

Kids are busy on the farm

2010-07-29T15:32:00.003-04:00

What have our farm program participants been up to this week? They've been learning all about plants and animals, taking part in farm chores, and having tons of fun!

Hoeing the soil in preparation for planting radish seeds

Feeding the chickens

Picking green beans in the back field

What's happening at the farm this week?

2010-07-22T13:29:00.004-04:00

In the back field, the cabbage has all been picked. The summer squash, cucumbers, and eggplant are being harvested. And finally, the string beans are in flower and should be ready next week.

In the north of cottage field, it's time for some new plants. Red bunching onion and beet seeds have been planted.

For sale this week at the farm stand: eggplant, summer squash, cucumbers, cabbage, and garlic!

On sale at the farm stand this week

2010-07-14T16:01:00.000-04:00

Get your red and green cabbage, summer squash, Japanese and Italian eggplant, parsley, and kale!

Aaah....rain!

2010-07-12T15:53:00.005-04:00

The back field has no way of being watered except by rain or by hand (like, with buckets of water). The conditions had been very dry on those two acres, but finally the rains came this weekend and re-energized the field! Things are looking good for the squash, cucumbers, eggplant and other vegetables for now.

187 years ago, Christopher Gore was having similar issues with his farm. On July 3, 1823, in a letter to his friend Rufus King, he wrote:

Strawberries & cherries are abundant & fine. Indian corn very
backward and unless we have rain soon, our potatoes will be few.
The last rain we had, of any quantity, was in May.

My Farm at Waltham in the news!

2010-07-08T15:45:00.004-04:00

We've had three different articles about the Gore Place farm and gardens in the news just this week! Check them out:

Getting back to the garden at Gore Place in the Boston Globe

Farm journals chronicle activity at Gore Place in the 19th century in the MetroWest Daily News

Gore Place summer program combines work and fun in the MetroWest Daily News

On sale at the farm stand this week

2010-07-06T15:28:00.003-04:00

Stop by the farm to get some Swiss chard, beets, scallions, kale, eggplant, summer squash and red, green and mini cabbages.

On the Farm at Gore Place (a new summer program for kids!!)

2010-07-02T15:51:00.002-04:00

A week-long hands-on farm program for children 6-8 years old! You'll help out with animal chores, plant seeds & learn about the life cycle of plants, harvest & eat vegetables from the farm & gardens, explore modern & antique farm equipment, take a hayride tour of the grounds and more!

July 26 through 30, 9am-12pm

$135 Dual/Family members, $150 nonmembers

Space is limited to 10 children, reserve by July 19. To reserve, email the Gore Place Education Coordinator at tamar.agulian at goreplace.org.

Raised beds in the Boston Globe!

2010-06-25T08:55:00.002-04:00

Check out this article in the Globe about the raised bed gardens at Gore Place.

The hidden farm at Gore Place

2010-06-17T15:25:00.005-04:00

The "back field" is the area of land behind the animal enclosures, behind the trees. About 2 acres of it is farmed and this season it's been planted with cabbage, Pac choi, green beans, leeks, collard greens, eggplant, purple top turnips, five varieties of winter squash (Waltham butternut, Sibley, Pink banana, Delicata, and pumpkin), three varieties of summer squash (Raven, Soleil, and Bennings green tint), and two varieties of cucumber (Bush pickle and Marketmore 76).

Here's a peek of the back field as it looked on June 16:

On sale at the farm stand this week

2010-06-15T16:16:00.007-04:00

Stop by the farm to get your fresh eggs, kale, pac choi, and bunching onions.

Eggs are in the red cooler

The immature onions are picked early and can be used like scallions

Pac Choi

Garlic scapes

2010-06-03T12:58:00.005-04:00

As the garlic bulb grows, the stalk (or stem) of the plant grows and starts to curl. The garlic scape is the stalk of the garlic plant and, if harvested when still curly and tender, can be used in a number of recipes. If the scape is not cut off, the plant's food and energy is divided between it and the garlic bulb. Farmers will harvest the scape in order to direct all the nutrients toward the garlic bulb to help it grow.

Garlic scapes are now on sale at the Gore Place farm stand. Pick some up and try them out in your next meal!

Garlic scape

Three scapes

New raised beds!!

2010-05-20T14:14:00.003-04:00

Four new raised beds are being installed in front of the carriage house at Gore Place. These new beds are a little different than the ones near the farm. They are 10 feet by 10 feet and planted in a four square pattern, which I will describe in a future post. The raised beds will be planted with a mix of medicinal, culinary, and ornamental plants.

Two of the new raised beds in front of the carriage house

oh, those pesky wabbits!

2010-05-18T13:19:00.003-04:00

The plants Scott planted in the raised beds in April were all eaten up by rabbits. So he planted them again, and the rabbits feasted once more! To keep those pesky wabbits from striking again, Scott has had to place rabbit fences around the raised beds. They're working so far...

Rabbit fence around the mixed vegetables raised bed

Update on garlic plants

2010-04-27T12:18:00.002-04:00

The garlic that was planted in October grew well during the winter and will be ready for harvesting in July. The tops of the garlic can be cut off in June and eaten.

Garlic field

Close-up of Garlic plants

New year, new season!

2010-04-08T14:25:00.000-04:00

The raised bed gardens are back! Scott has prepared them for the new season and started planting. He also just planted cabbage, onions, and kale in the field north of the cottage.

Raised beds

Lettuce

Planting in the north of cottage field

Gleaning Gore Place

2009-11-03T13:56:00.004-05:00

This summer and fall, crews from the Boston Area Gleaners came to Gore Place several times to harvest the crops and deliver them to area food pantries, meal programs, and homeless shelters.

From the field grown produce, crews picked approximately 10 boxes of green beans, 12 boxes of cabbage, 6 boxes of turnips, 12 boxes of sugar pumpkins, and 54 boxes of butternut squash. The squash boxes weighed 50 to 60 pounds, totaling well over two tons of produce for those in need! And from the garden, crews picked 6 boxes of beans, 15 boxes of collard greens, and 5 boxes of mustard greens.

All this produce from Gore Place was delivered to Rosie's Place in Boston, the Salvation Army food pantry and meal program in Waltham, the Red Cross Food Pantry and the Sandra's Lodge shelter in Waltham, and also to food pantries in Cambridge.

Picking butternut squash in early October

Garlic

2009-10-22T13:32:00.005-04:00

Scott has started to plant garlic in the field north of the cottage. Not knowing which variety of garlic will perform well in our soil, he has selected three different varieties, all of which are reported to be very cold hardy and are of the hardneck type. Softneck varieties of garlic are the ones which are most commonly found in supermarkets. The hardneck varieties have a rigid stem, called a scape, that coils from the top of the garlic and has bulbils growing from it. Bulbils look like mini bulbs and can be cut off the top of the garlic and eaten or replanted.

The three varieties of garlic being planted are German Extra Hardy, Siberian, and Chrysalis Purple. A total of 65 pounds of seed garlic will be planted and if all goes well, we should have a total yield of 300-350 pounds of garlic around mid-July. The garlic will then go through a curing process of about 3 weeks.

North of Cottage field planted with garlic seed.
There will be four 100-foot rows of each garlic variety.

Lettuce!

2009-10-09T10:04:00.005-04:00

The first bed that was planted with the fall lettuce mix in early September produced its first harvest this week. You can buy some at the Gore Place farm stand, yum!

Lettuce 10.2.09

The second lettuce garden bed was planted two weeks later. Since the weather has gotten cooler, Scott built a greenhouse over the lettuce to keep the plants warm. The incoming heat from the sun warms the plants and soil inside the structure faster than heat can escape. We can extend the growing season a bit more this way.

Lettuce garden bed #2 9.25.09

Lettuce greenhouse 10.2.09

Inside the lettuce greenhouse 10.2.09

At the farm stand this week

2009-09-25T16:19:00.006-04:00

Ring of Fire hot peppers

Sugar Pumpkins

Kale

Waltham Butternut Squash

2009-09-25T15:41:00.004-04:00

At the end of May and early June, Scott planted Waltham Butternut Squash in the back field. During the first week of September, he began to harvest the squash, and is still harvesting the vegetables. The Boston Area Gleaners also come to Gore Place to pick and collect the butternut squash, delivering them to food pantries and shelters. Scott has estimated that about 2400 pounds of produce will have been harvested by the end of the season.

The Waltham Butternut squash field on August 6, 2009

Waltham Butternut Squash was developed at the Waltham Field Station in 1972. It is a popular winter squash, with pale yellow skin and a slightly sweet-tasting orange flesh. It is called a winter squash because of its thick skin and long shelf life. In the past, people would store this squash, knowing that they could eat it well into the winter months.

Waltham Butternut squash growing on September 1, 2009

Come visit the Gore Place farmstand for some Waltham Butternut squash!

Update on the farm

2009-09-11T10:57:00.006-04:00

The weather has been getting cooler, but did you know you could still be growing and planting vegetables?
The fall crop of chard and radishes that were planted just over two weeks ago are thriving. Scott is removing the tomato plants from the garden bed, and replanting the bed with a fall lettuce mix. And the Waltham Butternut squash will be harvested for the next few weeks.

Red Meat Radish and Daikon Radish

The first Waltham Butternut Squash harvest of the year

And now for some fun garden photos:

Eggplant flower

Ring of Fire peppers

Purple Top Turnip in the ground

Purple Top Turnips for sale

North of Cottage Field update

2009-09-02T09:54:00.005-04:00

The north of cottage field began producing vegetables last week. The mustard greens and late-season green beans that were planted six weeks ago have been nicely growing. The first harvest was sold last week at Scott's new farm stand, with more produce available this week.

Delicious green beans

Mustard greens

The unplanted area of the north of cottage field has been cultivated and covered with compost. Cultivating means an inch or so of the topsoil is loosened up and turned over in order to prepare the land to grow crops.

Changing seasons

2009-08-26T13:28:00.007-04:00

As seasons and the weather change, the farmer or gardener adapts and changes as well. The raised bed that was so lush with different vegetables was recently full of dried leaves and dying plants. Scott cleaned almost everything out and planted it with a fall crop this week. He planted the seeds of Rhubarb Red Swiss Chard, Red Meat Radish, and Daikon Radish.

Ready for clean-up 8.12.09

Planted with fall crop (the plant left standing is lemongrass)

Now you can eat veggies grown at Gore Place!

2009-08-19T11:32:00.000-04:00

Many types of vegetables have been growing in the raised garden beds. Whenever the vegetables are ripe, Scott brings them into the office and we all take them home to enjoy (after I take some photos of them). It's been a delicious experience and now our visitors can get a taste of the freshly-picked produce!

Scott has created a self-serve honor-pay vegetable stand near the farm cottage. Presently, the selection is limited and the hours are not set. As produce is available, he'll place it at the stand for sale and put up a sign on Waltham Street at the South Gate. Drop by on your next visit and see what's available!

The new vegetable stand is located to the right of the farm cottage drive

Orange veggies

2009-08-11T16:14:00.004-04:00

This Boston Marrow squash, weighing 14 pounds, was picked from the back field. Scott is going to cure it for a few days, then cook it.

The Dragon carrots, being grown in the raised beds, are ready for harvest and taste delicious! They don't taste as sweet as most carrots you might be used to, but still delicious.

Sliced Dragon carrot

More on the Back Field

2009-08-10T09:15:00.005-04:00

The field of Boston Marrow Squash has been doing well and should be ready for harvest later this week.

A couple of Boston Marrow squash vegetables.

This summer cover crop of buckwheat has been cultivated, and the field recently reseeded with oats. These cover crops, which are a method of sustainable agriculture, improve the quality of the soil and keep weeds from overtaking the field.

Harvesting the back field

2009-08-05T12:40:00.004-04:00

Last week, the Boston Area Gleaners picked over a hundred pounds of beans and delivered them to Rosie's Place in Boston. They will return again this week for more beans and some cabbage.

North of Cottage

2009-07-24T10:03:00.002-04:00

The crop field north of the farmer's cottage

In June, Scott began to establish a new row crop field in the animal enclosure. As it is located north of his cottage, he began to call it the North of Cottage field. He spread compost over the area to enrich the soil, then in mid-July planted a summer cover crop of oats.

Last week, the north of cottage field was planted with late-season green beans (which may not work), and seeded mustard greens and collard greens. Scott is now trying to locate some kale transplants. Where can he find them?

The Back Field

2009-07-21T09:10:00.004-04:00

The "back field" is the area of land behind the animal enclosures, behind the trees. In the fall it had been planted with winter rye, which suppresses spring weed growth and adds organic matter to the soil.

In May, while Scott was building the raised garden beds, he also was preparing the back field for planting. He applied a layer of compost and cultivated an 8,000 square foot area of soil. On May 25, he planted 4 rows of Boston Marrow Winter squash, a variety that was obtained from Native Americans in New York state and brought to Salem, MA in 1831. He also planted 4 rows of Waltham Butternut Squash, a variety developed at Waltham Field station in 1972.

In June, Scott planted 2 rows of bush beans (Provider variety), plowed the section of the field that was previously planted with winter rye, and seeded it with a summer cover crop of buckwheat. He mechanically and hand cultivated for weed control.

Scott began the month of July by cultivating a new area of the field to be used during next year's growing season. He planted it with a summer cover crop of buckwheat. As of this week, the Waltham Butternut squash and Boston Marrow Winter squash are doing well, with the winter squash in flower. The first planting of beans should be ready for harvest next week, though the second and third plantings of beans are not doing as well. The first planting of buckwheat cover crop is in full bloom! (Photos to come when the weather clears up.)

Harvest on July 13

2009-07-13T11:24:00.000-04:00

The cabbage, zucchini, cauliflower and turnips are ready for harvest. These are the first of the ripe vegetables.

2009-07-10T15:40:00.004-04:00

The tomato plants that were planted on May 18 are growing nicely and have some green tomato fruits hanging on the vines.

Yellow Gooseberry

Speckled Roman Paste

Oxheart

Black from Tula

Time to make some tabbouleh

2009-07-07T13:56:00.004-04:00

The parsley has been harvested and is sure to be delicious! The plants were set in the raised bed on May 25 and grew for 6 weeks before being harvested by Scott.

Parsley plants in the raised bed on May 26

Parsley plants on June 8

Parsley plants on June 29

Second harvest

2009-06-29T15:30:00.011-04:00

Swiss chard, arugula, and some radishes were harvested today. Yum!

Arugula in the garden on June 23

Harvested arugula on June 29

Radishes in the garden on June 23

Harvested radishes on June 29

cute little radish

The Sensory Garden

2009-06-25T10:20:00.001-04:00

The sensory garden bed was primarily designed for your sense of touch and sense of smell. It was planted with several varieties of thyme, sage, rosemary, and scented geraniums. It also has fennel, sweet mace, lemon balm, lambs ear, anise hyssop, and curry. These plants are all meant to be touched and smelled.

Come to Gore Place and enjoy the garden yourself! You'll have a great time smelling all the amazing herbs and feeling all the different textures. Gently rub a leaf of each plant with your fingers, then smell the aroma on your hand.

See how much the plants in the sensory garden have grown since they were planted on May 18.

Left and right sides of the sensory garden on May 18

Left and right sides of the sensory garden on May 26

Left and right sides of the sensory garden on June 8

Left and right sides of the sensory garden on June 15

Left and right sides of the sensory garden on June 23

The back side of the sensory garden on June 23

How the cabbage grows

2009-06-19T13:11:00.010-04:00

The cabbage plants were planted on May 13

Pine needles used as mulch for the cabbage, May 18

Cabbages on May 26

Cabbages on June 8

Cabbages on June 15

Cabbages on June 18

The cabbage leaves in the middle of the plant are beginning to grow together to form the head.

First harvest!

2009-06-16T10:39:00.007-04:00

The kale planted on May 13 has been harvested and tastes delicious! In its place in the garden bed, Scott planted wax bean 'Dragon's tongue' variety. The bean pods that grow will be cream-colored with purple stripes.

Scott had to reseed the Early Blood turnip due to poor germination. He had originally planted the seeds of this beet a little over three weeks ago. Let's hope the conditions are better this time for the seeds to grow.

How are the tomato plants doing?

2009-06-09T09:55:00.001-04:00

It's been about 2 weeks since the tomato plants were put in and they're growing nicely. You can see how much they've grown by comparing the two photos of each plant—one from May 26 and one from June 8.

Oxheart tomato plant 5/26 and 6/8

Yellow Gooseberry tomato plant 5/26 and 6/8

Brandywine tomato plant 5/26 and 6/8

Chadwick's Cherry tomato plant 5/26 and 6/8

Black from Tula tomato plant 5/26 and 6/8

Speckled Roman Paste tomato plant 5/26 and 6/8

June 1 update

2009-06-01T14:19:00.005-04:00

The Casper variety of Eggplant is set out in between the collards and the parsnip plants in Mixed Vegetable Bed #1. These will produce white eggplants.

The newest plants in Mixed Vegetable Bed #2 are Mexican Sour Gherkins, which will grow tiny cucumbers on the trellis pictured above.

May 26 update

2009-05-26T13:37:00.005-04:00

Raised garden beds on May 26, 2009

A bean tower has been constructed in the center of the Sensory Garden bed. It is planted with Speckled Cranberry string bean, which is a variety brought to the U.S. from England circa 1825.

Scott planted the seeds of Detroit dark red beet and early Blood turnip (circa 1825) in the Mixed Vegetable Bed #1. He also set out parsley plants in this bed.

Mixed Vegetable Bed #2 has been planted with the seeds of the Dragon carrot (it's purple!), and two types of radishes: English Breakfast and Pink Slipper.

The Ornamental raised bed is completely planted with drought-resistant annual flowering plants. There are both heirloom and modern hybrid varieties.

What's growing?

2009-05-22T14:24:00.004-04:00

What's growing in these five raised garden beds?

1. Sensory garden bed
This bed has been planted with a variety of annuals and perennials: thyme, scented geranium, sweet mace, fennel, hyssop, sage, lemon balm, lambs ear, and rosemary. Scott Clarke used cocoa hulls as mulch. The cocoa hulls retain moisture, control weeds, add organic matter to reduce the need for added fertilizers, and smell like chocolate.

2. Mixed vegetable bed
This bed has been planted with kale, cabbage, chard, and leeks.

3. Tomato cage demonstration
Six different supports have been installed in this bed--some commercially available and others made by Scott. The six heirloom tomato varieties planted here are Aussie, Yellow Gooseberry, Brandywine, Chadwick's cherry, Speckled Roman paste, and Black from Tula. The tomato companions planted in this bed are marigolds, strawberry spinach, calendula, and borage.

4. Mixed vegetable bed
Scott has installed a trellis and planted cucumbers in this bed.

5. Ornamental plants
Heirloom and modern hybrid varieties of drought-resistant annual flowering plants.

Planting the raised beds

2009-05-18T16:31:00.002-04:00

Installing an irrigation line into one of the beds

Six different supports placed in the heirloom tomato bed

This mixed vegetable bed is planted with leeks, chard, cabbage, and kale

The planted beds as of May 18

Building the raised beds

2009-05-13T13:24:00.003-04:00

Scott started working on the raised garden beds at the end of April and completed their construction about a week later.

The grass is marked and removed from the ground to expose the soil

Lumber laid out before construction

Completed raised bed

Raised beds filled with soil

Raised garden beds

2009-05-11T14:32:00.002-04:00

Five raised garden beds, each measuring approximately 16 feet square, have been constructed on the north side of the farm cottage. Two beds will be dedicated to heirloom tomatoes with a variety of supports – some commercially available and others made by Scott Clarke. The remaining three beds will contain herbs, mixed vegetables, and ornamental plants, such as vines and drought-resistant annuals.

Check back with us regularly to learn about the progress of our farm project!

My Farm at Waltham: Watch Us Grow

2009-05-08T11:05:00.003-04:00

In the early 1800s, when Christopher and Rebecca Gore lived here, the grounds of Gore Place extended south to the Charles River. Christopher Gore referred to their estate as “My Farm at Waltham”, on which he practiced innovative agricultural methods. The produce was grown for their table, for their animals, and to be sold at Quincy Market.

In order to tell the whole story of Gore Place – inside and out – we have started to think of the grounds as an exhibit that should be interpreted for visitors. The first step involves raised beds, which will be used to demonstrate different gardening techniques and how you can grow plants in your own backyard.