News and blog
Hi All
We are in from the fields before sundown today due to the Rain.
Last nights hail storm didn’t cause too much damage, we lost 27 tomato plants (out of the 420 we have planted) some greens and a few cucumbers, could have been worse. We will re-seed the cukes and greens, transplant additional tomato plants and continue planting for later in the season.
Saturday we’re installing a new pump down the well in order to keep up with the water demands of 4 acres.
That’s the news for now.
Earl
Blog – 26 May 2011
Hi everyone, there hasn’t been much to report due to our cold and rainy month of May.
Our planting schedule has suffered and we are about 8 days behind. We plan to catch up over the next week or two.
After 17 days of gray, foggy, rainy, drizzly days, it was great to get out to the field and work the soil yesterday.
We created 14 new beds for transplanting and direct seeding. It’s still too cool at night to put out the tomatoes, peppers and tomatillos.
The broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts are doing well. Celery, onions and leeks are surviving all the water. Carrots are sprouting, as well as beets and radishes.
Its Sunday now, and I may have spoken too soon about the weather. We have had incredible fog every day until the early afternoon.
We have finished seeding and transplanting the first half acre. Preparations of the next half are underway. The soil has been turned; we are picking out the rocks – softball size up to 3 feet around (anything smaller we don’t consider rocks anymore). We have removed almost 2 dump truck loads from the first half acre and are well under way to do the same in this plot.
The tomato plants are now out of the greenhouse and are hardening off, awaiting to be transplanted this week. Peppers are soon to follow.
I will work at getting better about updating you all on a more timely fashion.
Earl
The signs of spring are all around us here on the farm! The lilacs are starting to bud, the daffodils are shooting out of the ground, and birds are nesting all around.
We have been fine-tuning the corn boiler settings so that we can achieve the proper temperature in the greenhouse. This is a tricky time of year for greenhouse operation. On sunny days, the temperature in the greenhouse can climb to over 100 degrees, but we definitely need the heat at night and on cloudy days.
Planting is on-going - onions, leeks, celery, celery root, cabbage and broccoli. Both the onions and leeks are sprouting! Next week we'll be starting some herbs and some bell peppers.
The bees are taking flight on the warmer sunny days. Although one of our hives did not survive the cold of winter, we have one healthy hive and we'll be adding more hives later in the spring.
This week, we are buying some new equipment for the tractor, after which we'll start working the soil in preparation for April's outdoor planting.
We can’t wait for the smell of the freshly-turned soil!
It’s finally that time of year again - spring (for us, anyway)!
But before we get into what's happening right now, let us catch you up on all the events of the past winter. There have been some great changes at Hilltop Farm - we were awarded 3 grants, one to build a walk-in cooler, one for a rain water collection system, and the third for a corn-fired boiler to heat our greenhouses. Each one of these projects will greatly enhance the quality and quantity of the produce that we provide you.
We have made arrangements with several local farms and stables to use their composted manures to enrich our soils and reduce our use of purchased fish emulsion fertilizers. This is really a win-win situation. Horse owners often don't have a use for the manure and sometimes need to go to great lengths to dispose of it. Since it is exactly what we need to enrich our soils, we are happy to haul it away. Everybody is happy!
Our flock of Ameraucana chickens has doubled - we now supply eggs to 3 Whole Foods Markets. We are also able to donate some to a food bank in New Bedford, and we still have enough for our CSA shares. That's right, this year, you'll be able to purchase CSA egg shares! A family share will be one dozen per week, and an individual share will be one-half dozen per week.
The seeds have been ordered, the planting schedules for the greenhouse and fields are done, and we've started the first seeds of the season! We will very shortly begin construction on our new walk-in cooler, soon to be followed by installation of the rainwater collection system. Stay tuned for more details on these projects!
We're excited to begin our second CSA season! Right now, we are ancitipating the first pickup in mid-June. We are very much looking forward to re-connecting with past members and meeting new ones.
If you haven't yet signed up for our 2011 CSA season, now is the time!
While our farmhouse is undergoing major renovations, our chickens are enjoying their newly-renovated home as well. Before our Ameraucana chickens arrived, Earl needed to renovate the chicken coop that had been used in the early 1900's to raise chickens. 
The coop has now been completely scrrubbed, and our chickens have new roosts (constructed from some old ladders we found), luxurious new nest boxes, a convenient new "chicken door," and a big, sunny outdoor space for scratching. Take a look at these photos of the renovation project!
During the renovation, we discovered a few old wooden boxes that were used to transport eggs to customers many years ago. Painted on the front of the boxes -- "Hill Top Poultry Farm - South Westport, MA" -- what a great find!
On Saturday, we started the first of what will undoubtedly be dozens of renovation projects at the farmhouse. The fireplace that was the heart of the kitchen more than a century ago was largely destroyed and boarded up when stoves came into vogue and fireplaces were no longer necessary for cooking. Since most of the fireplace is gone, we decided to remove what's left of it, which will give us a larger kitchen space. So how do you remove a couple of layers of brick wall behind a plaster wall? With a sledgehammer, of course! After we equipped my son and a couple of his friends with the necessary safety instructions, eye protection, and masks, they tore down the plaster wall and what was left of the old fireplace. They had a blast! Many of the old bricks are still intact, and we will save them for a future project in the house. Next up on the to-do list ... we need to jack up the back corner of the kitchen by a couple of inches where powder post beetles have destroyed part of the sill.
Yesterday, we went to an equipment auction in White River Junction, VT to look for a tractor. The auction was held at Connecticut Valley Auto Auction and run by C.W. Gray & Sons. There were nearly-new tractors with all the bells and whistles, as well as beautiful antiques dating back to 1941.
Since we clearly love old stuff, it's a surprise to no one that we left the auction with a gorgeous (to us!) 1961 International 340, with 47 HP and a (well-used) front loader. We just couldn't be happier! You can look forward to seeing "Miss Lucy" anytime you visit us at the farm!
When I purchased the farm in November 2009, we knew we had lots of work ahead of us. Or course, there were all the administrative tasks necessary to set up the business, plan the details of our CSA, decide what crops to grow, how to best use the greenhouses (not to mention clearing out a few years of weed growth in the greenhouses!), developing a marketing and advertising plan, creating this website, and much more, before we can even begin to plant any seeds!
As if that were not enough, we also have the exciting opportunity to completely renovate the wonderful farmhouse on the property. The house was built in the 1750s (as near as anyone can figure) and it hasn't changed much since that time.
From the outside, you wouldn't really know that the house dates back to before the Revolutionary War. But the inside......that's another story. Let's just say it will benefit from some updating. Here are a couple of pictures of the kitchen. Notice the space heater and the hot water heater in the kitchen. 
And, yes, those pipes along the walls and ceiling ... that's how water is distributed around the house. Yup, no plumbing inside the walls.
The other side of the coin, of course, is that the house still has many of its original features -- fireplaces, beautiful hardwood, glass doorknobs, built-in shelves ... and that fabulous kitchen sink!
Fortunately for us, Earl is a general contractor and I can learn just about anything (I hope). Honestly, we were thrilled when we saw the house ... inside and outside. The opportunity to restore this home is a such a thrill for us.
As the weeks progress, we'll be starting many house projects -- plumbing, wiring, stripping wallpaper, plastering, refinishing the floors, and more. Stay tuned for updates on our house projects. And, of course, we'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Please leave us a comment!