Since Heart & Soil Gardens is owned by me (Amy Hallman) and I was leading the tour, there were not many pictures taken at this location!
Below are shots of my approx. 5000 square foot garden and back yard where I try to do edible landscaping where ever I can (see fledgling raspberry hedge in the background).
This garden is where I grow the salad mix for the Eat Local Sudbury store.
And of course we had to talk about the sprouts that are so popular at the store as well. Sunflower sprouts are seen growing in their tray below:
I showed the group how I harvest and wash the sprouts as well as demonstrating how I start each tray of seeds:
After a couple hours, we travelled from Chelmsford to Wanup to visit Allison Muckle at Rowantree Farms. Here Allison produces duck and chicken eggs, and meat chickens and turkeys for local consumption.
We began by eating our lunch and having Allison talk to us a bit about some of the ideas implemented on her farm:
Then we went to visit the birds!
The geese were fascinating to the kids that were there (don't worry, they all got along!):
Next we visited the ducks, who were heading to the shade of the forest (another hot day!):
Allison then showed us the moveable hoop houses for the ducks that are moved every few days to help cultivate the ground. AKA "Duck Tractors"!
Moving these pre-built hoop houses is definitely a two person job as they are quite heavy. But the ducks seemed quite happy there. Another great feature is being able to roll the plastic sides up during the day when the weather gets hot in the summer.
Next we saw the turkeys (also a big hit with the kids who had them gobbling non-stop!) that are all pre-sold to customers for Thanksgiving (where's mine? I wondered....).
While in the field, Allison took questions on how she cares for each type of bird and protects them from potential predators (bears come by quite often apparently!).
Lastly were the chickens in their 'tractors' built very similarly to those on Dalew Farms from Tour 1:
On the way back to the house, we took a look at the market garden where crops for a small number of CSA boxes are grown. Look at that healthy squash:
We also got a good look at Allison's favourite tool: her walk-behind tractor that allows her to do most of her cultivating work without a large machine. It has various implements for different jobs just like a large tractor does.
Finally we took a look inside the large greenhouse beside the barn that was built last year. The pellet stove inside allow Allison to extend the season for the crops inside. The hot weather crops like tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are kept in here all summer.
THANK YOU ALLISON!
