westoninsert
10/20/09
4:47 PM
Page 37
FIELD OF
GREENS by Vivian Simons
When a little league baseball field, built by a friend, was no longer being used by his children, the time came to find a new and positive way to embrace this land. It was the middle of March when an alternative idea began to take root — transform the former Weston playing field into an organic vegetable farm. With very little farming experience, we had a lot to learn and not much time to do so. We needed help. Through Craigslist, we found Alec Gifford and Mike Robertshaw, happy to assist in this endeavor. Together, we worked to remove baseball diamond clay, tall grass and large rocks buried below the surface. Fencing was added to exclude unwanted guests, rows were mounded, plastic placed over them and many hopeful seeds and seedlings planted. Despite the slow, wet start to the growing season, this large, flat and sunny parcel of land has now produced luscious tomatoes, beans, okra, eggplant, pumpkin, squash and sunflowers. Undoubtedly, we learned much from nature, met some very nice people, got a dose of fresh air and maybe even increased the size of our muscles. After working at the farm, I realize the joy and feeling of accomplishment that comes from growing your own food. More photos of this project can be seen at vivshotshots.smugmug.com. �