EVENTS CALENDAR

First Tuesday Every Month

NOFA-NH Monthly Board Meeting

7:00 - 9:00 PM from April through October and 6:00 - 8:00 PM from November through March. Meetings are held at NOFA's office at 4 Park Street, office #208 in Concord, across from the State House, next to the Episcopal Church. Board meetings are always open to members and interested non-members alike. Please join us!

Summer 2008

Organic Farm & Garden Tours

Come join us at one or all of our popular tours of organic farms and gardens this summer! Full schedule in flyer format is available here in pdf format. The tours are free, open to the public, and will take place rain or shine. Anyone interested in learning more about how organic farming and gardening works is welcome to attend. There will be several opportunities to enjoy a potluck after (or before) a tour; for those please bring along a dish to share, your own utensils, plate/dinnerware items, and a chair or blanket.

Monday, July 7, 6pm

Cover Cropping for Soil and Weeds Farm Tour

New Roots Farm LLC, Newmarket, NH. Cover cropping as a soil building and weed suppression component of a diversified organic vegetable farm will the subject of this tour led by farmer Jeff Cantara. We'll look at peas/oats, straw, various clovers, buckwheat and living mulch systems in row/bed vegetable operations.

New Roots Farm is a 70-acre certified organic farm on a permanently conserved property. They grow a variety of premium vegetables for 3 large farmers' markets and a 40-family CSA. They also produce certified organic hay and straw and raise pastured heritage breed swine and poultry.

High quality tomatoes are grown in six high tunnels. The farm is run by Renee and Jeff Cantara. Farm address is 31 Doe Farm Lane.

Directions: From NH 101 Exit 7, head north on 125. Turn Right at NAPA Auto onto Old Hedding Road. Follow to Stop sign. Turn Right onto 87 cross Lamprey River Bridge and turn left on Jacob's Well Road. Follow several miles and turn left onto Doe Farm Lane. Doe Farm Lane is a long cul-de-sac. Our farm lane is off the backside of the cul-de-sac.

From Route 108- Turn right or left onto Ash Swamp Road across from Great Bay Athletic Center. Follow to 4-way stop. Turn left onto Grant Road. Follow 1.7 miles and turn right onto Doe Farm Lane. Doe Farm Lane is a long cul-de-sac. Our farm lane is off the backside of the cul-de-sac.

Wednesday, July 16, 6pm

Integrating Schooling and Farming Tour & Potluck

The Meeting School, Rindge, NH. The Meeting School, founded in 1957, is a small co-educational Quaker boarding and day school for grades 9 - 12. It has been a place where students participate in small classes, family style living, growing food, caring for farm animals and making community decisions. Everyone in this community cares the 3-acre gardens, fruit trees, pigs, sheep, cows, chickens, and turkeys, raising their own meat, veggies, milk, eggs and fruit (using organic methods). Address is 120 Thomas Rd.

Directions: From the North; Take Route 202 South until you cross Route 119. Not far after 119 there is another set of lights for the entrance to Market Basket. Take the next right is Thomas Road. (If you miss it you can also take Perkins Road, the next road.) The office the first building on your right at the top of the hill, address is 120 Thomas Rd.

P.S. If you can't make this Wed. tour, The Meeting School invites folks to tour their organic farm and gardens, Saturday mornings from 10 AM to noon all summer. See lambs, piglets, calves, chickens, turkeys and how we use compost and mulch from our cooperative programs with Hannafords (leftover produce) and the Town of Rindge (leaves and wood chips) in our fruit, vegetable, flower and herb gardens. Talk with folks about organic gardening and orchard practices. Find out about up-coming garden workshops.

Thursday, July 31, 6pm

Native Plants in the Landscape Farm Tour and Potluck Dinner

Found Well Farm, Pembroke, NH. Found Well Farm is a one-acre nursery and certified organic greenhouse specializing in vegetable plants in the spring and native plants in the summer/fall. Owner Ayn Whytemare focused primarily on eco-landscaping before she opened her nursery and her academic background is in forestry. Her markets include on-site sales for veggies with pre-order through the internet, native plants through open houses, festivals, and by appointment. She also does contract growing of native plants for mitigation, restoration or to expand habitats.

She features green efforts in her business, such as a woodstove for supplemental heat for the greenhouse, and use of (used) yogurt containers and fabric pots for plants. We will also see her progress with creative water collection methods, and onsite landscaping to feature plants sold. Address is 730 Borough Rd.

Directions: From N, S or W, use I-93, take exit 13, Route 3 south towards Pembroke (Manchester St.) Continue several miles until you hit the light at Route 106. Left on Route 106 and go exactly 1.0 mile to Borough Rd. (NH Tile Distributors). At 1/10 mile, stay left at the fork. From the fork we are 1.5 miles on your left, red cape, sign out front. If you get to North Pembroke Rd. you've gone too far! From points East use Rte 4 to get to Rte 106.

Monday, August 4, 6pm

Organic Vegetable Twilight Farm Tour with UNH Cooperative Extension

Concord, NH. Larry Pletcher, owner and farmer of the Vegetable Ranch in Warner, NH, will open the Concord fields of his farm for an educational tour on August the 4th. Larry will be joined by UNH Cooperative Extension Specialists Becky Grube and Alan Eaton to cover topics such as new and popular crop varieties, season extension, crop rotation and planning, insect identification and organic control, and much more. Some of the crops to be covered are lettuce, cabbage, potatoes, winter squash and corn.

This event is co-sponsored by UNH Cooperative Extension and NOFA-NH. We'll be outside walking the fields so please dress appropriately. This event is rain or shine. For more information call Elizabeth at 224-5022 or Sadie at 225-5505 ext 323.

Directions to the farm: From Concord, take 393 East to East Side Drive (Exit 2). Go north on East Side Drive and take your first left onto W. Sugarball Road. Drive down the hill and continue to the end of the dirt road.

Saturday, August 16, 5:30pm

Prolific Micro Gardening Organically Garden Tour and Potluck Dinner

Bow, NH. Hilary and Jeff Warner say they are average people in a regular house who grew up in homes that had family gardens. They started growing organic vegetables and perennials the first year they moved in, 12 years ago. But they didn't know very much and didn't realize that they lacked 2 key ingredients that the gardens of their parents had- good soil and sun. Combine that with chipmunks, moles, and grubs, the results were disappointing. They managed to overcome these obstacles and have a rather prolific micro/mini vegetable and herb garden (~12'x10') along with an extensive perennial border all done organically. As a Registered Dietitian, Hilary is particularly drawn toward growing nutrient dense vegetables. They have a compost pile, harvest rainwater, and will also talk about how they improved their lawn using organic methods. This year they are experimenting with extending the growing season with second plantings and by starting seeds later indoors. Bring a swimsuit for a possible dip in their pool! Address is 3 Pine Crest Dr, Bow, NH 03304

Directions: From exit 2 off I89, turn left onto Clinton St./ Rte 13 south and go about 1+ mile to left on Birchdale Rd. At T at end of Birchdale, turn right on Page Rd. In about 1/4 mile, turn right on Pine Crest Dr. We are #3, taupe cape on left. Park in driveway, on the house side of street, or at the T at end of road.

Thursday, August 21, 6pm

Land Use Partnerships & New Farmers Farm Tour and Potluck Dinner

Two Mountain Farm, Andover, NH. See collaboration in action at Two Mountain Farm, where landowner Mary Anne Broshek has made it possible for Katherine Darling, 28, to establish a commercial market garden. In her fourth growing season, Katherine will share her perspective on beginning-farming and Mary Anne will talk about the property's history, process of land-use partnerships, and farm transfers. Topics will also include: season extension, plasticulture pros and cons, pasture and soil restoration, cut-flowers, post-harvest handling/storage.

Of the 55-acre property, 40 is woodland, 10 is in pasture, and 1.5 is being actively cultivated for food production. There are plans to add blueberries and to integrate animals into the existing system. Most work is done by hand and a 25 hp tractor is used for mowing and new plot establishment. A barn serves as the post-harvest station and a retrofitted floral cooler with a "Cool-Bot" regulation system serves cool storage needs. Farm address is 76 Shaw Hill Rd.

Directions: From S/N on Rt 93- Take exit 17 (Boscawen), Right off exit onto Rt 4 West. In Boscawen, take slight Left to stay on Rt 4. Follow Rt 4 for 10.6 miles, then take Right onto Plains Rd, at "Green Crow Lumber" yard. After .4 miles, take hard Right onto Shaw Hill Road. Two Mountain Farm is the first property on the left, after the corner on the big hill.