Spring 2013 Store Opening

The farm is opening Thursday, March 28, 2013, 9:00 am- 5:00 pm. There will be an Easter Egg hunt Friday & Sat. 11:00- 3:00 pm. We will be closed on Sunday for Easter, re-opening Monday at 9:00 am and regular hours from then on. Hope to see you soon!

March 2013

Another winter storm is howling outside as I write this but daylight savings time begins this weekend so the end of winter is in sight. Since you probably have a severe case of the winter blahs, why not cheer yourself up by visiting us at the Boston Flower Show this March 13 thru 17? By now you’ve hopefully got your flower or veggie garden planned and are itching to get dirty. Before you get started however you need to consider several things. First is indoor seed starting and how long it takes for seeds to germinate. You don’t want to start plants too early, which makes for difficulties transplanting into the garden, nor do you want to be so late that you don’t even have a crop before the first fall frost! Timing is also important for the first outdoor planting. You need to keep in mind soil temperatures, moisture and nutrient levels (including pH) and spring frosts. Soil testing is available via the UMass Extension service and pH meters can be found at your local hardware or garden center. Be sure to keep an eye on the weather report for frost warnings once your plants are outside. We may be a bit premature in talking about outdoor planting since the ground is hardly even thawed in some places but March is the time to get outside and prune your fruit trees and blueberry bushes! Instructional videos are available on the UMass extension website as well as in numerous books and online writeups. There are numerous methods and theories on pruning and depending on the type of tree some methods work better than others. It is best to do as much research as you can since over- pruning or incorrect pruning can, in extreme cases, weaken the tree/bush and lead to its premature decline. We carry a selection of fruit trees ready for home planting should you wish to start your own orchard. Keep in mind you need two different varieties of apple trees (and most other fruits) in order for pollination to work and produce a crop! Happy Spring and hope to see you soon. ~Smith

Winter 2013

Happy 2013! So far this winter has been pretty good weather-wise. Its certainly not as nice as last winter when temps were mild and no snow fell at all, but compared to some recent years , we’ve been pretty lucky. However the fact remains, you cannot go out in the garden and pick a nice fresh tomato – so what can you do? Well, my mailbox has been full of seed catalogs lately so its obviously a good time to plan this year’s garden. Also, consider attending a gardening conference – SEMAP has a nice program coming up in February (semaponline.org). The UMass Extension service usually hosts winter meetings/demonstrations for home gardeners’ as well so check out their website for more info. On the farm we will be maintaining our equipment, planning our fields and orchard expansion/renovation as well as ramping up our seed starting in the greenhouses. We still have fire wood for sale, winter squash, apples, cider, jams, jellies, and honey (while supplies last). So stop by and say “hi” and thank you for your support of local agriculture. ~CN Smith Farm

November/December 2012 Update

Open WEEKENDS for fire wood, squash, apples, cider, etc. The bleakness of winter is upon us. Colder weather, brown grass, leafless trees and snow all add up to say the growing season is certainly over. Note you can still plant your garlic cloves up until the ground freezes and be sure to cover your strawberries with clean straw mulch. On the farm we also cut fire wood, repair our equipment and plan for next year. You can also start planning next year’s garden by browsing seed catalogs or supplier websites for ideas, seeds, methods, supplies and items for your list to Santa. At CN Smith, our farm store is still open WEEKENDS for November and December. We have fire wood for sale, winter squash, apples, cider, jams, jellies, and honey (while supplies last). So stop by and say “hi” and thank you for your support of local agriculture. ~CN Smith Farm

November 2012 Update

The growing season may be over but we still have plenty of our own produce available! What better way to keep warm this time of year than with hot apple pie or fresh pumpkin pie and warm mulled cider? Did you know you can substitute butternut squash for pumpkin in pies, breads and cookies? It tastes virtually the same ! We have plenty of apples for your baking and snacking needs and we press our own cider right here on the farm. So stop by and enjoy some local produce. ~CN Smith

Mid October 2012 Update 2

The 2012 apple harvest is now done! Overall it was quite a success and thanks to all those who came out and picked apples this year! But fear not, there’s still plenty to do for the rest of October on the farm. This weekend and next we will have our “NOT TOO CREEPY” HAYRIDES from 11am-4pm. This daytime ride with Halloween decorations, and a few ghouls who aren’t afraid of the sunlight, is perfect for young kids! PICK YOUR OWN PUMPKINS (hayride purchase required) will also be this weekend from 11am-4pm. Plenty of our own apples are available already picked as well as piles of pumpkins at the farm stand. We also have fall decorations, baked goods, fall vegetables such as potatoes and winter squashes, our own fresh pressed apple cider, and more. Now that a hard freeze has occured, it is the time to put your garden to rest for the winter. We have rye seed, straw for mulching and other gardening supplies as well. For those of you wondering, the Hallow-Lantern carved-pumpkin nighttime Hayride is cancelled for 2012 due to circumstances beyond our control - but you can check back next year for a possible reincarnation. Thank you for your support of local agriculture. ~CN Smith Farm

Mid October 2012 Picking Update

The 2012 APPLE harvest has been quite a success and best of all, its still going on! Thanks to all those who come out and pick apples and special thanks to most of you who do so in a civilized manner! October continues with PICK YOUR OWN APPLES and PUMPKINS (hayride purchase is required to get to the orchard and pumpkin patch. Pumpkins and apples priced seperately). Several apple varieties are available in the orchard including honeycrisp, delicious, and mutsu. Pick your own apples are limited in supply. We also have plenty of other apple varieties for sale in the farmstand, piles of pumpkins just outside the farm stand, fall decorations, baked goods, fall vegetables like potatoes and winter squashes, our own fresh pressed apple cider, and more. Now is also the time to think about putting your garden to bed for the winter. We have winter rye seed, straw for mulching and other gardening supplies as well. For those of you wondering, the Hallow-Lantern carved-pumpkin Hayride is cancelled for 2012 due to circumstances beyond our control but you can check back next year for a possible reincarnation. Thank you for your support of local agriculture. ~Smith Farm