Spring Success

The first spring season taught Burkett Farm workers a lot about the piece of land we're tending - like which weeds have a stronghold (horse nettle, for one), where the water collects after a hard rain, and how fast the Colorado potato beetles can find our plants!

It also revealed that the soil in the two new fields is just as fertile as the older ones. We grew beautiful cabbage, scallions, carrots, snap peas, lettuce and more.

With volunteers' help, we've donated more than 2,500 lbs in 2015. Most has been distributed by Interfaith Food Shuttle.

We're also growing a nice population of beneficial insects! Planting herbs and flowers, minimizing tilling, and other sustainable agricultural methods have helped bees, wasps, ladybugs, dragonflies, spiders and other helpful bugs thrive.

The Burkett Farm volunteers have been invaluable in their help. We make sure people get to help with a variety of tasks and learn a little something while they're at it.

Students from N.C. State University's Hands-On Horticulture class, along with their lecturer, Lee Ivy, were a big help last month when they spent a morning harvesting and washing vegetables, weeding, trellising cucumbers and mulching.

The farm is bursting with summer growth, especially in the tomato gardens, and we welcome the community's help.

If you're interested in lending a hand, please contact us at generalmailbox@burkett.farm