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Managed by The Friends of
the Farm at Hilltop, Inc.
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Greetings!
It's finally Springtime, or so the calendar tells us. There are several events and programs at Hilltop Farm and beyond to help welcome the season!
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Upcoming Events at Hilltop Farm and Around the Area |
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Hilltop Farm Community Garden Plots Available
If growing flowers and vegetables on the lush eastern slope of Hilltop Farm appeals to you, then sign up for your own Community Garden plot before they’re all taken. Hilltop volunteer Joan Heffernan who manages the garden plots with her husband Tom states that there a few more plots available.
The 18’ x 25’ plots cost $35 each and you can rent more than one. Plots will be ready to plant by mid-May. Just go to the “Programs” menu at Hilltopfarmsuffield.org to sign up and pay.
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Grow a Meadow, Large or Small
The Suffield Garden Club is pleased to announce that landscape designer Kathy Connolly will be the guest speaker at their April 3rd meeting. The meeting will be held in the fellowship hall at the Second Baptist Church, 100 North Main Street, Suffield at 11:00 am. Club members and non-members are invited to attend.
Kathy will present her popular lecture “Grow a Meadow, Large or Small” for Garden Club. She specializes in naturalized designs, low-impact techniques, and native plants for homeowners, municipalities, and organizations. Kathy holds a Master’s degree in Ecological Landscape Planning and Design from the Conway School in Northampton, MA.
Connolly explains. “Meadows are low maintenance and attract all kinds of wildlife, including birds and butterflies. They do not require pesticides or herbicides, and meadow flowers and grasses come in beautiful colors.”
Kathy is a regular columnist for The Day community news media, which circulates throughout southeastern Connecticut. She gives more than 30 talks and workshops each year for conservation organizations, master gardeners, land trusts, and garden clubs, and is an Accredited Organic Land Care Professional through the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut. Her website is www.SpeakingofLandscapes.com.
The Suffield Garden Club, organized in 1934, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the beautification of Suffield. Visit www.SuffieldGardenClub.org.
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April 22- Straw Bale Gardening
FOFAH will host a Bale Gardening Workshop that is co-sponsored by the Suffield Garden Club and FOFAH. The workshop is scheduled for April 22 at Hilltop.
Mark Creighton of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station will present the workshop on Planting a Garden in a Straw Bale. Straw Bale Gardening is one of the thriftiest, most versatile ways to grow vegetables and herbs. Learn to garden without tilling the soil or weeding, that places little strain on your back and knees.
There are 2 parts to this workshop- Register for one or both parts.
PART 1 is at 11:00AM the program is the lecture- in the Barn Workroom. Attendees will sign up through the website. Registration is required.
PART 2 is at 1:00PM, in the Barnyard. This is a hands-on program in the Exhibition Shed in the Barnyard. Leave with a straw bale. Materials fee is $20/ per family. Separate registration is required.
See www.HilltopFarmSuffield.org/events .
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Monster Tag Sale & Flea Market
It’s time to start thinking about spring cleaning. Wondering what to do with all that stuff you want to get rid of, but that is too good to just throw away? How about a tag sale?
Make plans now to join The Friends of the Farm at Hilltop for a community tag sale in front of Suffield’s “Monster” barn. Crafters are also welcome!
Hilltop Farm is a GREAT place for a tag sale! Located on Route 159 in Suffield, just south of the MA border, there is easy access from Agawam, Windsor Locks and Enfield.
The historic farmstead has room for dozens of tents and tables, plus plenty of free parking. There will be refreshments for available, and kids can play in the big sand pile while your customers are shopping.
Sign up now for a 12’ x 12’ space for $30. The price goes up to $35 on April 25th.
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Celebrate Arbor Day!!
Join the "Trees for Suffield Initiative" for an Arbor Day event on Saturday, April 29 at 10am on Main Street near the Kent Memorial Library. New trees will be planted because you, our neighbors, responded to our long range tree plan.
The celebration will include a hands on demonstration on the correct way to plant a tree. You will also have a chance to use that information when planting your own sapling tree (available while they last). Make a donation and take home a tree.
Learn how you can help by volunteering to water the new trees. The Trees for Suffield Initiative continues to need your support and we will be there to answer all your questions.
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Conservation Issues Viewed
In keeping with Earth Day activities, and a concern for environmental issues, FOFAH invites you to see the film, "On Sacred Ground ". This film is based on the true events during the 2016 construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline that runs through the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota on land that is owned by the Lakota “Sioux” Tribe. The filmmakers worked alongside the Sioux tribe to ensure their depiction of the events to ensure their story was accurately told.
Protests of the Dakota Access Pipeline occurred at several places because of concerns about the pipeline's impact on the environment and to sites sacred to Native Americans. Indigenous nations around the country opposed the pipeline, along with the Sioux tribal nations. In North Dakota, next to and on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, nearly 15,000 people from around the world protested, staging a sit-in for months.
Copy the link below to register and view the film at your convenience between now and the end of April.
https://www.filmplatform.net/impact-event/on-sacred-ground-two/ The invitation code is: OSG-TWO.
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Partner Farmer/ Orchardist Wanted |
FOFAH is looking for a Partner-Farmer to administer the maintenance and production of a small organic orchard at Hilltop Farm.
The orchard currently consists of 35 apple trees, 30 blueberry bushes and 125 feet of raspberries with room for expansion of the orchard and the possibility of growing other crops. This position offers the possibility for flexible in-kind compensation and growth potential for the right match.
Please submit a letter of interest, an outline of your interest and experience in agriculture/ orchard management to FOFAH, POBox 372, Suffield, CT 06078 or email at info@HilltopFarmSuffield.org.
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PO Box 372 1616 Mapleton Ave
Suffield, CT 06078-0372
860-758-0668
www.HilltopFarmSuffield.org
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