Yet this is a snowy winter for Rhode Island, and as a gardener and farmer I am so happy for it, especially when this bitter weather came along. All the perennials and shrubs are nestled in a blanket of insulating snow, which really helps to keep them safe and snug.

So much snow!

1500 ranunculus in the hoop...

The greenhouse in January is another matter. Jam-packed with our collection of not-quite-hardies, we clear off more and more space here at the end of the month for succulent cuttings that have rooted, and growing baby plants. We have started about 25 varieties so far, and this week we will start another 20 or so, some for our plant sale May 14, and some for cutting as late as July and August.

Big plans for this year include a new roof for the little barn, and a skylight for the workspace, as well as more varieties of dahlias, even better lilies, and lots more of all your favorite annuals. We’ll be increasing the amount of growing area and expanding the season for a few things. We’ve also decided on a few crops that just don’t pay their way – but don’t worry, you’re not likely to miss them, as they either didn’t grow well here or didn’t sell well. Deer fencing is another big project for spring.

Weddings and more
We are excited to announce that there is a two page spread of our bouquets (page 82, “Fresh Picks”) in Engaged! magazine, which is Rhode Island Monthly’s annual bridal issue. Thanks to the excellent Doreen Chisnell for the opportunity, and to Nat Rea for his gorgeous photographs! We also appear in one of the weddings that was showcased in the same issue, “Staying True” about Emily Rochon and Bram Claeys.

Robin Hollow will also be at our first ever bridal show, The Wedding Experience, also run by Rhode Island Monthly, on February 20, 2011 11-4 at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick. Send your friends, as the show promises to be terrific.

Market news
We miss our customers! As nice as it is to have the time to plan and propagate, we can’t wait to see all of you this spring. We will be returning to winter markets in March, but the date will depend on the weather. Coastal Growers’ Market in Wickford will see us mid to late March, and we’ll be  back in Pawtucket the week before Easter weekend or before if we can!

This summer, we’ll be at Hope Street Market (Lippitt Park) in Providence again, and of course Coastal Growers’ at Casey Farm in Saunderstown, both Saturday mornings. We’ll also be in Newport on Wednesday afternoons. Remember that you can purchase a flower account which gives you a discount on your floral purchases – see the link here for more information. These make great gifts for Valentine’s Day or birthdays, or give one to your self – our members love having a “house account” at the market stall or farm events.

Good luck with all the snow, and remember that the days will get so much longer in the next month, so spring is coming!!!

Natalie Knows.

Here’s the full Story

Greenhouse Management & Production : News United Farm Workers launches national Take Our Job.

exhale. return to center. · at the market.

Click here for DIRECTIONS TO THE FARM (open only on 5/15/10)

Robin Hollow Farm is known for beautiful flowers, but we grow hundreds of plants as well! Join Mike and Polly at our first ever plant sale at our little farm in Saunderstown. We’re sure you’ll be glad you came!

Carpool please, Parking is limited

We’ll have:

• Annual cutting garden flowers
• Bedding and container plants and flowers
• Hanging baskets
• Culinary and other herbs
• Flowering and foliage perennials
• A selection of our very favorite vegetables, including heirloom and hybrid tomatoes, that we still love after 15 years of vegetable farming!

SEE YOU THERE!

Rhode Island Wedding & Portrait Photographer • Faith Dugan » Russell Morin.

Many thanks to David and Meredith Kratzmann, Meg, Emma, Ollie, Mikey, Danielle ! More to come.

It was with a bit of trepidation that Mike and I joined the sixty or so farmers, land trust board members, state leaders and non-profit leaders at “Farm 2.0: RI Farming in the 21st Century” conference last week. Would the day be useful, would it make a difference? Although it is too early to tell, I think the answer may well be yes, and I think the issues addressed are worth talking to the whole region about, as Rhode Island is but a microcosm of our shared concerns.

A short list of these shared issues:
- protecting our remaining farmland;
- keeping farmland affordable for farmers;
- keeping farmland in agricultural use;
- enabling farmers who farm protected farmland to build equity in their operation;
- keeping agriculture economically viable; and
- building community understanding of, and support for, farming activities.

One day was hardly enough to tackle it all, but we had a super list of regional leaders there as resources from Long Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. We were organized into brainstorm sessions on each of the above, and each person could attend two of the sessions. I want to share with you two of what I consider to be the best ideas that you can bring to discussions with your fellow farmers and communities.

The development pressure on farmland may be somewhat abated in the last year and a half, but it will continue to be truly dire as more farmers age out of active production and prices for land continue to rebound. All agreed there needs to be serious work done to reform regulations around not only transfer of land between generations (how soon are inheritance taxes due? at what rate?) but what does it really mean to purchase development rights to farmland and what restrictions can be made to ensure that that purchase does keep the land in agriculture?  In Rhode Island, our development right program really only ensures open space, and frequently the land is priced out of the range of new farmers and is instead sold for it’s “estate” value. Sound familiar? Massachusetts  is tackling this with provisions that make the state have the right to disallow the sale of protected farms to other than actual farmers. (More at APR). With luck, this will work. I think it’s worth looking at for RI as well.

For the local issues, one of the best ideas that I heard was about increasing the community awareness of farming through an Agricultural Commission.Here in Rhode Island, there are none. We heard from Peter Westover of Massachusetts about the difference it can make when the zoning and planning boards can really hear from farmers about the issues facing your town. Here’s an overview from him:
AgComs represent the farming community, encourage the pursuit of agriculture, promote agricultural economic development and protect farmlands and farm businesses, and preserve, revitalize and sustain agricultural businesses and land.  In some communities they focus on farmland preservation efforts, while in others they review regulatory proposals developed by other town boards (planning board, board of health, conservation commission, etc), or provide marketing coordination to assist all farms in town.  Others have played key roles in mediating farmer/neighbor disputes, or simply providing referrals for farmers needing better information.  By working within town government through an AgCom, farmers enhance their credibility, and are viewed as part of the problem-solving team.
Here’s more information.

Mike and I have already spoken to our town planner, and we are excited to help make an agriculture commission happen in our town. As one member of my brainstorming session said “I’m on the planning board, and we have a conservation commission, a historical commission, a wind power commission, and so on. Agriculture is the only segment of town NOT being heard.”