Be a Better Grower Newsletter
Welcome to the NOFA/Mass newsletter series
Each week we publish original articles on the topics we care about most.
Read about the latest policy issues affecting Massachusetts farmers and consumers in our “Policy and Advocacy” newsletter, get insider farming and gardening tips from expert growers in our “Be a Better Grower” newsletter, learn to do it yourself, from food preservation to building fences, in our “Practical Self-Sufficiency” newsletter and see how our community is working to improve the food system in our “Food Justice” newsletter.
Sharing the Pursuit of Biological Soil
Christy Bassett2022-08-11T17:39:44-04:00August 11th, 2022|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: August 2022, Be a Better Grower|
By Christine R. Nelson, NOFA/Mass Intern SEMAP's July 2022 event at Weatherlow Farms. Photo credit Christine R. Nelson. Growers interested in learning more about soil health converged at the beautiful Weatherlow Farms [...]
Indigo as a Dyecrop in the Northeast
Christy Bassett2022-07-21T15:36:04-04:00July 21st, 2022|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: Be a Better Grower, July 2022|
By Ophelia Jackson Yoko Takemura with fresh indigo plants. Photo credit: Assawaga Farm Indigo is the blue of Picasso’s Beggar and Child—of dreams, jeans, a peacock’s cheek—the blue of a black-furred creature [...]
Practical Nitrogen Management on the Vegetable Farm
Christy Bassett2022-06-08T18:29:15-04:00June 8th, 2022|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: Be a Better Grower, June 2022|
By Noah Courser-Kellerman, Farmer at Alprilla Farm First published in the July 2019 edition of the NOFA/Mass newsletter. Reprinted with the author's permission June 2022. Roller crimper, then coulter with an old fertilizer [...]
How Do Plants Get Their Nutrition?
Christy Bassett2022-05-11T15:15:40-04:00May 11th, 2022|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: Be a Better Grower, May 2022|
By Ruben Parrilla, NOFA/Mass Soil Technical Coordinator Plants, when considering their “diet”, are our counterpart foodies. They like to have a diverse range of nutrition choices depending on their stage of growth and the [...]
A Simple, Strong, Convenient Pea Trellis
Christy Bassett2022-04-14T10:44:31-04:00April 14th, 2022|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: April 2022, Be a Better Grower|
Snap peas growing against a remesh trellis By Richard Robinson, Farmer at Hopestill Farm Peas need to climb, and do best with a sturdy trellis they can cling to. There are several choices [...]
Caring for Your Soil: Understanding Soil Aggregation and Compaction
Christy Bassett2022-03-16T16:26:50-04:00March 16th, 2022|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: Be a Better Grower, March 2022|
By Christine Manuck, NOFA/Mass Soil Health Projects Manager Ruben Parilla, NOFA/Mass Soil Tech Coordinator, evaluating soil aggregation at Assawaga Farm (CT). Photo credit: Monique Bosch I’m frequently telling my kids, “you get what [...]
Soil Carbon Proxy Testing Can Help You Help Your Soil
Christy Bassett2022-02-14T12:37:23-05:00August 12th, 2021|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: August 2021, Be a Better Grower, Soil Health|
By Christine Manuck, NOFA/Mass Soil Health Projects Manager Soil organic matter is essential to healthy soils. Acting as a sort of “control center”, it regulates a soil’s physical, chemical, and biological properties. Every soil starts with a baseline level [...]
Soil Testing and Mineral Amendments
Christy Bassett2022-02-14T12:35:45-05:00October 13th, 2021|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: Be a Better Grower, October 2021, Soil Health|
By Christine Manuck, NOFA/Mass Soil Health Projects Manager Soil testing plays an important role in evaluating soil health and crop management, capturing snapshots of how the biological, chemical, and physical properties of a soil [...]
Planning Your Garden
Christy Bassett2022-02-02T19:45:04-05:00February 2nd, 2022|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: Be a Better Grower, February 2022, gardening|
By Richard Robinson, Farmer at Hopestill Farm, Sherborn, MA Now is the time to plan what will go where No matter what size your garden is, it is helpful to have a plan for what [...]
Strategies for Increasing Production Resiliency
Christy Bassett2022-01-13T11:12:37-05:00January 12th, 2022|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: Be a Better Grower, January 2022, Winter Conference|
Winter Conference Workshops for Growers By Christine Manuck, NOFA/Mass Soil Health Projects Manager Given the increased frequency of climate-related severe weather events and pandemic-related food chain and supply issues, we believe the need for [...]
Eight Bulk Order Items NOFA Farmers Love
Christy Bassett2021-12-16T12:03:55-05:00December 16th, 2021|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: Be a Better Grower, Bulk Order, December 2021|
By Richard Robinson, Farmer at Hopestill Farm, and the NOFA/Mass Bulk Order Team For me, the arrival of the NOFA Tri-State Bulk Order is, like the arrival of the seed catalogs, a harbinger of spring, [...]
A Primer on Sustainable Soil Management
Christy Bassett2021-12-02T16:10:19-05:00July 7th, 2021|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: Be a Better Grower, Farming, gardening, July 2021, Soil Health|
By Christine Manuck, NOFA/Mass Soil Health Projects Manager As with every living thing, what you get out of soil is related to what you put into it. Transitioning our mindset of soil from an inorganic [...]
NOFA/Mass Soil Testing and the Bulk Order Go Hand in Hand
Christy Bassett2021-11-18T10:06:02-05:00November 12th, 2021|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: Be a Better Grower, Bulk Order, November 2021|
By Christine Manuck, NOFA/Mass Soil Health Projects Manager At NOFA, we love being a resource for fellow farmers and gardeners, through education and outreach, supporting pollinators and sustainable agriculture policy, and by making healthy [...]
Correlating Produce Nutrient Levels with Soil Management
Christy Bassett2021-09-08T14:52:56-04:00September 7th, 2021|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: Be a Better Grower, September 2021, Soil Health|
Profiling Assawaga Farm, Freedom Food Farm and A&K Produce By Christine Manuck, NOFA/Mass Soil Health Projects Manager NOFA/Mass has been leading a project funded by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), “Correlating Healthy Soil Practices with [...]
Five Great Hoes for the Market Gardener
Christy Bassett2021-06-09T16:34:12-04:00June 9th, 2021|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: Be a Better Grower, Farming, gardening, June 2021|
By Richard Robinson, Farmer at Hopestill Farm Even those of us who are all-in on no-till gardening know weeds will still pop up, and must be controlled. By choosing a hoe that is best suited to the [...]
Three 2020 Garden Successes I’m Growing Again in 2021
Christy Bassett2021-06-07T12:20:19-04:00March 17th, 2021|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: Be a Better Grower, gardening, March 2021, Vegetables|
By Richard Robinson, Farmer at Hopestill Farm Tokyo Bekana, collards, and Panisse lettuce were the standout new additions to my garden in 2020. I’m looking forward to growing more, and selling more, of each this season. One [...]
Key Insights from the Climate Adaptation Fellowship: Part 2
Christy Bassett2021-06-07T12:19:47-04:00March 17th, 2021|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: Be a Better Grower, Carbon Sequestration, Farming, Landcare, March 2021, Soil|
We Need to Talk About Nitrous Oxide Emissions By Caro Roszell, NOFA/Mass Education Director and Soil Carbon Program Coordinator In our February newsletter, I shared some takeaways and resources around Massachusetts and New England [...]
Field Corn and Dry Beans in the Garden: Staple crops to feed your family and community
Christy Bassett2021-06-07T12:17:54-04:00April 14th, 2021|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: April 2021, Be a Better Grower, Farming, gardening|
By Noah Courser-Kellerman, Farmer at Alprilla Farm Photos by Paul Cary Goldberg and Sophie Courser-Kellerman Garland Flint Corn in the field at Alprilla Farm A perfect early fall meal from the garden: [...]
Pepo, Maxima, and Moschata: Know your Cucurbits!
Christy Bassett2021-06-07T12:13:32-04:00May 12th, 2021|Categories: Newsletters|Tags: Be a Better Grower, Farming, gardening, May 2021|
By Richard Robinson, Farmer at Hopestill Farm When you choose your winter squash, pay attention to the species. Some are easier to grow than others! As I write this in May of 2021, I am roasting [...]