May News - From Blueberries to Window Box Gardens

For those of us who already know a little bit about growing different plants and bushes, attending a workshop where the presenter has so much experience and knowledge is a delight. Lisa Hoare of Covered Bridge Blueberry Farm bought a house that came with a blueberry farm and now she is a wealth of knowledge on what it takes to not only have healthy blueberry bushes, but how to get those really big blueberries that make you have to pop it in your mouth. Many of the 20 attendees at her workshop had blueberry bushes but really needed to know how to make them thrive. Everyone went away with great tips to put into practice.

A different sort of workshop was offered at Valley Dream Farm, window box gardening, with an equally knowledgeable presenter in Anne Tisbert. But first, John Connell designed and built some wooden window boxes that were used by the workshop attendees. Covering everything from placement of their box in SUN vs SHADE and how morning sun or less than 4 hours is considered shade, to the 3 flower elements in a box that make it work: a thriller, a spiller (1-2) and a filler (1-2). 

The newest Guide to Local Food, Farms and Agricultural Products is in the works and should be mailed to every household in Jericho and Underhill again this year. There are new businesses along with updates from past farms and businesses. Included are 38 farms and businesses from Jericho and Underhill, and 11 businesses from out of town that sell at the Jericho Farmers Market. 

A few topics we’ll discuss at upcoming monthly meetings are gleaning and farmer assistance volunteers, survey of home gardeners, the summer community meal, Blueberry Jam fundraising event, and more.