It has been just over one month since Friends of Boulder Knoll signed their first ten-month lease with the Town of Cheshire to use two acres of land on Boulder Knoll Farm. In that time, Friends of Boulder Knoll have plowed the field, amended the soil with lime and compost, harrowed the land, planted tomato, pepper and basil plants, and seeded numerous crops for an intended fall harvest.
Friends of Boulder Knoll are growing fall crops now for local sale and donation to the Cheshire Food Pantry, and also preparing the soil for a bountiful harvest of local food next year.
Now that they are established on the land, the Friends of Boulder Knoll will hold an on-site, hands-on educational program on Saturday, September 27, from 1pm to 4 pm at the Boulder Knoll Farm (just east of the barn on Boulder Road). The rain date will be Sunday, September 28 at the same time. The program will feature Dr. Robert Giddings, a veterinarian specializing in the care of birds and avid bird watcher, who will talk about the diversity of birds he has seen in many years of living at Boulder Knoll. Rose Hiskes of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station will lead a tour of invasive plants on the site and discuss how and why to manage invasive plant species. Additional speakers will discuss how to set up a compost pile, how to start an organic garden, food crops for the fall garden, and cover crops for building soil. Members of the Friends of Boulder Knoll will lead tours of the farm.
Friends of Boulder Knoll will also be reaching out to the people of Cheshire at other local events:
At the Fall Festival on September 13, the Friends of Boulder Knoll will have a booth to present their activities and offer opportunities to sign up for Community Supported Agriculture, a way for a household to buy a share of a local farm.
On September 17th, Jill Casertano, secretary of Friends of Boulder Knoll, will be speaking to the Suburban Garden Club of Cheshire at their monthly meeting.
On October 6th, Dr. Robert Giddings will be speaking to the Cheshire Garden Club at their monthly meeting.
These two educational talks will present the mission of Friends of Boulder Knoll, and answer the questions of garden club members about the work at Boulder Knoll Farm.
Friends of Boulder Knoll are currently looking for new members and sponsors for their growing community farm. Interested individuals and businesses can explore the website www.friendsofboulderknoll.com to download a membership form, or contact the organization via email atinfo@friendsofboulderknoll.com.