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First seeds are planted at community farm
If the world-class experience behind the Fauquier Community Farm is any indication, the newly planted garden should have a productive first season.The brainchild of Tom Benjamin, executive director of Fauquier Community Action, which runs both the farm and a food bank in Warrenton, the farm will grow produce to be distributed to the needy through the food bank. Benjamin, farm consultant Rob Burnett, and farm manager Matt Robinson worked with more than 20 volunteers Saturday to plant the garden’s first seeds.
Benjamin and Burnett, who will devote 20 hours a week to the project as a consultant, will collaborate to make the Meetze Road farm produce as much food for the food bank as possible. Benjamin, who has traveled extensively and picked up innovative farming and sustainability techniques, said he was thrilled to join forces with Burnett, a former Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office deputy and owner of The Edible Gardener.
“Finding him was a dream come true for me, really,” Benjamin said, noting that Burnett’s lifelong farming experience ? he grew up farming in England and has built his new business on that experience ? and interest in soil stewardship, conservation, and producing high yields in small spaces made him an ideal consultant for the project.
After the approximately 10-acre parcel was disced Saturday morning, the small farm staff and a group of volunteers began staking out the property. Working in pairs, volunteers from Manassas’ Grace United Methodist Church Youth Group cleared marked beds of rocks and the remnants of corn stalks that once grew on the property. They defined the edges of the beds, using a fine rake to finish them off.
The first series of 4 feet wide by 100 feet long beds runs perpendicular to Meetze Road, “to get the full benefit of the sun,” Burnett explained, adding that beds positioned a bit to the south of these initial beds run parallel to the road to work with the contour of the land in that area.
At 4 feet wide, the beds may be worked by one person on one side, reducing the amount of manpower required to tend the plants, Burnett said. The first bed, carefully and methodically planted by the teens, will produce 300 linear feet of beets, explained Burnett, noting that by using different varieties, the bed will produce three separate harvests about 10 days apart.
After the beets are gone, a cover crop will take their place, nourishing the soil and providing material for compost later in the season, Benjamin said.
Other early-season crops slated for the farm include lettuce, Swiss chard, and peas, Burnett said. Running his fingers through the soil, Burnett added that he is “pretty happy with this as a growing medium. This is a great opportunity. This time next year, this whole place will be looking different.”
While the large group of volunteers worked on the beds, a smaller bunch created cold frames to be positioned over the crops to protect them from cold weather. Volunteers from Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Warrenton helped bend pipe into position, creating frames that were later covered with plastic.
Benjamin is well-versed in the usefulness of these protective gadgets. “At the house, I have tomatoes this tall,” Benjamin said, gesturing with his hands to indicate four-inch tall plants. “They’re growing outside.”
Robinson explained that the cold frames, which look like mini-greenhouses, will open on one side, allowing access to tend the plants. Robinson, who was hired by Fauquier Community Action last week, will split his work week between the farm and the food bank.
Robinson and Benjamin are hopeful that they’ll have lots of volunteer help on the farm. As the season gets underway, they plan to open the farm every afternoon from 2 to 6 p.m. so that volunteers can help out with weeding or planting or, eventually, harvesting.
While the farm’s primary objective is to supply the food bank, Benjamin noted that supporting agricultural education is another goal.
Nodding to the youth group busy digging and raking, Benjamin said, “To me, this is education. We can give an opportunity for people who’ve never planting anything to come out and plant. We’ll also be doing a lot of weeding.”
Tools and training will be provided, Benjamin added. Further down the line, Benjamin hopes to include educational opportunities showcasing sustainability and innovation in farming.
“It’s a lot of work, but it’ll be worth the effort,” Robinson said.
For more information or to volunteer, contact Benjamin at (540) 347-7000 ext. 102.
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