Every year there are new things happening on the farm, as I’ve grown it from 1/4 acre to over 1 acre of growing space.
I try new crop varieties, I try new markets, etc. as I find out what works for customers & for me as a, mostly, one-woman show.
Below is my round up of 5 new things that happened on my farm in 2024.
Trialed Growing Ginger & Turmeric
Being able to grow ginger and turmeric has been a long dream of mine for the farm. Two years ago I bought some ginger rhizomes and tried with earnest to get them to germinate, but I failed.
This year, I decided I would give it another try, paying more attention to their care as I impatiently awaited their green sprouts.
It took a month on the heat mat, but I did have both ginger and turmeric germinated.
Yes! Step one, check!
I was able to keep them thriving until it warmed enough at the end of May to plant their heat-loving roots in the ground.
While I wouldn’t say I was as successful as I hoped I would be, I learned a lot about the true moisture and fertilization needs of these tropical plants.
This knowledge will guide me in creating a more intensive watering and fertilization schedule for these roots during the hectic summer months in 2025 and I am doubling down and increasing my rhizome order.
Fingers crossed that fresh baby ginger and turmeric make their way to the farmers market in 2025!
>>> Related: My Journey to Farming
Hosted my First Seedling Sale
I’ve grown seedlings for years – for the farm, for my own garden, and waaayyy back as a fundraiser for the alternative break program.
2024 was the first year that I applied for and received our nursery license from New York State to be able to sell our farm’s seedlings to the public.
Horray!
Since I like to “scale” things on the farm as much as possible, this year was admittedly a small sale, primarily taking place at the May 11 Winter Market hosted by the Lewiston Artisan Farmers Market.
I really wanted to learn what customers were interested in buying, so I grew wide and shallow in terms of plant types and varieties.
Now that I have a sense of what customers are looking for to fill their gardens, I’m really looking forward to growing seedlings again for our Seedling Sale in May 2025.
If you want the opportunity to pre-order your favorite varieties, join this email list.
Started Selling Salad Mixes at a Farm Market
Beginning in July, I started selling my best-selling salad mixes at Shenandoah Acres Farm Market in Ransomville.
Nicole and Cindy Jolbert operate this farm market located at 3140 Ransomville Road, featuring vegetables and fruit from their farm and other local area farms. They also carry beef, lamb, honey, jam, and maple syrup from other farms too.
It’s a great self-serve location that is a great stop-gap in the middle of the week when you forgot something at the farmers market.
That’s why I was so excited when Nicole asked if I would like to sell my salad mixes at their farm market.
I ended up selling a variety of salad mixes from July to November, and I can’t wait to continue offering this as a way to find my products outside the farmers market hours.
Want to know what I am bringing to the farmers market or am I restocking at Shenandoah Acres Farm Market? Join my harvest list!
Broke Ground on Section F
This was a long time coming. Since I started this farm in 2021, I have expanded its footprint, my growing area, every single season.
This spring, my dad put his cows out to pasture in the old barnyard one last time.
After the cows went to work on eating down the invasive rhizome grasses that have taken over many of the areas of the old dairy farm (ugh!), my dad thought the best course of action to help kill the grasses at the root level would be to do several rounds of disc and plowing throughout the summer, before we made the permanent, raised beds and cover cropped the section to be ready for 2025 planting.
The whole section is a exercise in regenerative agriculture practices – integrating animals, excluding the use of herbicides to kill weeds, and cover cropping to reduce soil erosion and increase organic matter.
My dad’s guidance on how to best expand into their area of the farm is part of the reason why I am so glad to have him to bounce ideas off of. He might not have farmed vegetables, but he has a strong understanding of growing hay crops, soil conditions, and honestly so, so, so much more from his dairy farming experience.
If you want to see more of how we broke ground in this new section, check out my video.
Autumn Equinox Event with Senek Botanicals
Although I don’t talk about it much, I love yoga. I’ve been practicing for close to a decade now, originally seeking it out to help me stretch, find relief during migraines, and ease my generalized anxiety.
Earlier this year I enrolled in classes led by Jess Senek of Senek Botanicals, and I just fell in love with how she approached the practice and really vibed with her style.
I also know Jess from the Lewiston Artisan Farmers Market where she sells fruit from her family’s farm, Senek Farms.
So when she approached me about collaborating on an Autumn Equinox event was so excited.
She provided the yoga and grounding meditations to help us all embrace the balance the equinox brings, and I provided the flowers for guests to make a seasonal bouquet for their homes.
Tucked in the rows of the apple orchard on Senek Farms, Jess guided us in a flow to help us all embrace the new season.
Check out the experience with this video, and don’t miss out on next year’s event.
I can’t wait to see what 2025 holds for my farm!
>>> Related: 6 Ways to Celebrate Winter
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Schul Farmstead 
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