Fall is a great time to add native plants to your garden! As temperatures above ground cool, the warm temperatures below ground are ideal for root growth and establishment.
Volunteers shared over 319 hours of their time in July and participated all over the farm, from field to farm stand. The most popular areas continue to be in the growing fields, with our monthly Community Work Day the second most popular turnout. We are so thankful for everyone who visited and volunteered, from a few hours to a few days, we can accomplish so much more when we work together.
Starting next week, our kids Farm Team will begin planting the remaining tomatoes, tomatillos, flowers, summer squash, melons, and beans into beds they weed and water regularly! Later in the summer, Farm Team will harvest for eating and donation from these same plants. (Sound fun? Register online and join us!)
This month flew by here at the farm, and the weather often waylaid plans as we dealt with heat, smoke, and hail. June saw a total of 230 hours of volunteer help in the areas the farm needed assistance the most.
Much of May was devoted to really working in the dirt, as we cleaned up beds and edged new areas after taking stock of what survived the winter and what new weeds popped up. The most popular areas to volunteer in were Native Plants, closely followed by event assistance: the spring plant sale was better than ever thanks to all your help! Volunteers pitched in over 305 hours of their time: a new May record!
We are delighted to announce the arrival of Adam Choper, who joined Hilltop as our new Farm
Director on April 17th. Ideally suited to take up the reins at Hilltop, Adam comes to us from the
New York Botanical Garden, where he was Associate Director of Outdoor Gardens and
Sustainable Horticulture.
Q: I am getting ready to plant out my summer vegetable garden and have heard the term “hardening off” but am not sure exactly what it means. What is hardening off and why is it important?
In early May, students and volunteers will re-break ground in our dedicated educational garden space. Together at our May 6th Community Work Day, we will dig the beds into the earth and fill them with rich compost and soil, ready for a spring’s worth of little (and big!) hands to transplant leafy greens, delicious herbs, bright root veggies, tall and swaying corn stalks, and more throughout the season.
What's the big deal about biodiversity? At Hilltop, we recognize that we are dependent on biodiversity for our world-wide ecosystems to supply food to our increasing population. To sustain agriculture in an unstable climate, Hilltop is committed to addressing the biodiversity crisis.
Many CSA programs supply you with a prepackaged box of produce once per week, with little or no choice of what’s in it. In our model, you have the flexibility to get what you want, when you want it! Plus a brand-new meat and dairy CSA offering through Chaseholm Farm.
To celebrate Earth Day, on Sunday, April 23rd, Westchester's compost specialist, Aleks Jagiello, is offering opportunities for residents to tour the CompostEd facility. CompostEd is designed to educate residents, students, and municipal officials on the benefits of food waste recycling.
Carol Sommerfield is an award-winning artist with a deep connection to Hilltop Hanover Farm. We are honored to be one of nine beneficiaries of Carol’s exhibit on display March 18th through April 29th at the Greenburgh Public Library.
Winter has kept up its momentum here as staff still work through the daylight and dark, though now we race to beat the afternoon sunset rather than the morning sunrise. Like many places, the winter is a time of preparation so that the growing season starts off on the right foot.
The Hilltop Hanover greenhouse is officially turned on for the 2023 season and our first seeding complete!
The first seedings of the season include specialty flowers, onions, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. All of our seedlings and transplants are grown in a compost-based organic potting mix.