2020 Progress!

We have had an extremely productive year at Bakie Farm on every front. Where to begin? One of the things that pleases me most is that the horrible pile of rubble that marred the mid-field meadow is gone. It took 60 dumptruck loads, carrying on average 12 cubic yards per load, to make it go away. Our good friends I.D. Cronin & Sons brought in the necessary equipment and made the heap, that we called “Rotten Island" (borrowed from a picture book by William Steig), disappear. I have to admit that was a project I couldn’t imagine how to solve and, presto, it got solved.

A special project of mine was the transformation of the old corn crib into a quiet place to retreat and sit. We finished the interior, insulating the whole building, installing new floors, walls, and the ceiling. We also ripped off the old roof and replaced it, just finishing this last weekend. I no longer climb tall ladders but Andre, my beloved son-in-law, took that on and what a chore it was. And it too is done. Never has a corn crib received so much attention. We now call it the Taj Mahut!

We’ve been wanting to plant some pollinator gardens ever since we came to the farm and finally did. Based on the recommendations given by the UNH Cooperative Extension’s Wildflower Program we started prepping two 12’ x 24’ beds and a few weeks ago planted them. We’ll see how good a job we did in the spring, although it will take three years for the gardens to come into their own. We’ve got plenty of time and this is just the start of the project. We’ll also be establishing an apiary in the spring with the help of some local beekeepers. More on that when the project comes together, but we hope to offer classes and training for the Bakie Farm farmers and friends in 2021.

This season, in cooperation with Silver Lining Farm, we planted the far field with pumpkins. Jon and Jordan did an enormous amount of work, including planting over 10,000 seeds by hand, and grew a fantastic plot of pumpkins. If you drove by the farm anytime this fall you saw the amazing results. A few weeks before Halloween we had a pick-your-own event that was great fun. It was a glorious day in the pumpkin patch!

Finally, we painted the old farmhouse. It was desperately in need of attention and we couldn’t see putting it off for another year so we bit the bullet and got a fabulous crew in from Samarra Painting who did an extraordinary job of repairing, prepping, and finishing the exterior of the house. We were simply blown away by the quality of their work. And now the big white house sits there in pristine condition. In the spring we hope to bring the same crew back to restore the old Bakie Barn (the one with “Bakie Farm” painted on it) to its former glory!

If you’ve driven by the farm you’ve seen that we’re putting a lot of effort into the fields and they are now all tucked in under cover crops and ready for the winter. There will be four or five new incubator projects developing next season, and a mix of old and new Bakie Farm farmers. Wait until you see what we’ve got coming.

We hope you all stay safe and sound during these difficult times. Spring will come! Enjoy the holidays!

Stephen RoxburghDecember 16, 2020