On the surface, our farm is only two people. Most days Laura and I are here together dreaming and scheming and planting our way through our first season. But what most of our customers don't get to see are the magical days when friends visit the farm and work with us.
When your standard is a two person working pace, a three person working pace makes a huge difference. This spring when we were forking new beds, friends made it possible to turn a hay field into over 40 beds of produce and flowers. Forking was one of those tasks where more people felt exponentially helpful, because moral was higher and the pace was faster. I can't emphasize enough that we literally would not have been able to grow as much food this entire season without the help of friends who came to fork beds this spring.
Our farm actually got started with a work party last year, where almost 20 different friends and family came to the farm on a slightly damp and dreary October Saturday to help us get our hoophouse in and plant garlic and tulips. It felt like such a blessed way to start a business, held up by our friends and community.
This week we had two helpers drop by the farm. Kelsey came all the way from Amherst on Monday to help us transition beds in our hoophouse, making room for some late summer flowers like celosia. We were also able to plant our second succession of kale outside. Today (Saturday) my friend Meg and my sister Bella will be joining me at market to help with sales so that Laura can go to the Cape for the weekend to visit her family and celebrate her nephew's birthday. I feel so lucky to have people in my life who will get up at 6:30 a.m. on a Saturday to work with me! I must be doing something right to have these people in my life.
It is so easy as a first year farm owner to feel overwhelmed by being behind. Everyday I waffle between pride and joy at everything we have accomplished and the stress of having that we still have to do. But as far as I can see, that's just farming. I don't know that any farmer, no matter where they are in their career, feels on top of everything all the time. That's why friends helping out this season is so essential. Not just for the sweat equity that they put in, but for the moral boost. Seeing the farm through fresh eyes always makes me appreciate how far we've come.