Farewell, Bloggers!

Dear faithful readers,

As social media has changed, so have our blog posting habits! We are no longer using this platform.

Please find us on instagram @springvalleystudentfarm or facebook @uconnsvsf. 

You can also find lots of information about the farm, and contact information for the current farm manager, at https://dining.uconn.edu/spring-valley-farm/.

Sunny wishes from the valley,

Spring Valley Farmers

We are inside for market this rainy summer day! The veggies like having the air conditioning to stay crisp, but we miss our spot in front of the library where we can engage with everyone on campus during the summer. Two Thursdays ago it was sooo windy outside that we had to anchor the tents down with sandbags and physically hold on to the produce! Today we have head lettuce (butter-head, romaine, red-sails (aquaponics) and arroyo (aquaponics)), garlic scapes, snow peas, sugarsnap peas, red russian kale, micro greens, basil, thyme and mint.

Aquaponics Update

Our first deep water culture bed is 95% done, just needs the pond linear and it's complete. As always, message us if you are interested in helping or learning more about Aquaponics at the farm!

Meetings Galore

Last week, the farmers sat down with the chefs from Chuck n' Auggies. At this meeting, each farmer shared information about a crop they thought would benefit Chuck n' Auggies' menu. SVSF left the restaurant eager to start growing. All but one farmer got the go-ahead to plant their crop. Of course, we first need to let the ground thaw and the temperatures rise. For now, we're planning what varieties to buy, where to buy, what plots to plant said varieties, and how many seeds are needed.

In other news, this Wednesday we have our second SVSF club meeting, at 6:00 in the Sprague basement. We hope to see you there!

The above are pictures from our seed catalogues.

First Snow Day of 2016

We were only supposed to get 5 inches of snow, but by Friday morning almost a foot had piled up! Not ones to shy away from the elements, the farmers got outside and shoveled around the hoop house. Then, many hiked the hill to sled down, before thawing out their toes inside, and settling into blankets and hot cocoa.

 

We're Back!

Over the break, many of us stayed at the farm to work on our new up and coming aquaponics system! Starting from a wide eyed hope, forming into a grant proposal, filling into a plan, and then slowly inching towards becoming a reality, the aquaponics dream has come so far! Soon, we'll be able to use fish waste as nutrients for plants and harvest produce all year long! If you're interested about learning more about how aquaponics works or helping us to realize a sustainable project, feel free to contact any of the farmers. Now that school has started, SVSF is in full swing. We'll be in Sprague hosting farm meetings twice a month and around campus putting on other fun events. Stay tuned for more information about what you can get involved in this upcoming semester!

Preparing for Winter

It's about time to get the plots ready for winter!

Last Farm Friday

Our last Farm Friday came and went on Halloween. We had a wonderful time saying thank you to our wonderful volunteers and saying goodbye to the growing season.