Explore: Farm Update

Photography on the Farm is Open!

We are excited to open our free outdoor photo exhibit, Photography on the Farm. This year it features the works of 27 talented photographers who have captured the essence of nature, farming, and hunger relief. As you explore the exhibit, you’ll encounter beautiful images that showcase diverse perspectives on the land and its bounty, reflecting […]

An Eagle Eye for Pest Control

We’re thrilled that two aspiring local Eagle Scouts, Nathaniel Ely (Troop 132) and Charles Mastromarino (Troop 135), chose to complete their capstone service projects on Virginia Road, installing a combined 1,000 feet of hardware cloth around the farm’s perimeter to keep cottontails out and reduce pest pressure from bunnies that can damage up to 10 percent of our annual crop. 

Growing Our Impact, Healing the Land 

Happy Spring! It’s the most wonderful time to celebrate all the tremendous work that’s been happening at Gaining Ground over the many years! Our mission to grow nutritious food in support of hunger relief is both admirable and humbling. As the new Director of Agriculture, I am honored to join these efforts with our passionate […]

Rooted in Change: Seasonal Transitions and Sustainable Solutions on Virginia Road 

The season is kicking into gear, and at the farm on Virginia Road our team is busy with all of the tasks that mark the coming of spring.  We farmers kept busy through winter harvesting from high tunnels, repairing tools, crop planning, building out farm infrastructure, and much more. Now we’re thrilled to welcome back […]

Where Are They Now? Catching Up with Gaining Ground Alumni

Our mission doesn’t end at the edge of the farm. Instead, we aim to cultivate our values within each person who visits Gaining Ground—including the growers who strengthen their incredible talents on our crew. When farmers leave the organization, they take those values with them, working to create the future we envision collectively, in which […]

Visit Gaining Ground and Enjoy Poetry on the Farm

The arrival of spring signals many important events on the farm—including our annual Poetry on the Farm exhibit!  In its fourth year, this special celebration of language, food, nature, and agriculture will again take the form of a self-guided farm tour, featuring poems from community members of all ages. Thank you to everyone who submitted […]

Celebrating YOUR Impact!

Winter months on the farm are prime time for reflection, and when we look back on the 2023 season—from sowing seeds to reaping abundance—we see YOU, our amazing community of supporters, at every step. Thank you! Without your generous contributions of time, talent, and treasure, Gaining Ground simply could not farm as we do, exclusively […]

Farmer Spotlight: New Growth with Farm Co-Managers Kari Bender and Chrissie Edgeworth

If you’ve spent time at Gaining Ground in the last few years—or attended one of our free no-till training sessions—you’ve likely had the pleasure of working with and learning from Kari Bender and Chrissie Edgeworth. Combined, Kari and Chrissie have almost a decade of farm experience, including their leadership last season as Co-Assistant Farm Managers.  […]

Farmer Spotlight: Welcoming Director of Agriculture Mark Congdon

Last year we announced that Gaining Ground had embarked on a milestone farm expansion, to bring another 5.1 acres of historically-significant Concord land into cultivation so we may grow and donate more fresh, healthy food for our neighbors in need! To ensure our success as we more than double our footprint, we created the new […]

Cultivating a Legacy

Since 2021, Gaining Ground has thrived under the leadership of Farm Manager Anna Kelchlin, a skilled grower with more than 12 years of experience who also brings a strong philosophy of mindfulness, care, and gratitude to her work.  Season after season, Anna has led the dynamic Gaining Ground crew to produce hundreds of thousands of […]

A Year of Plenty: Looking Back on the 2023 Season

As the farm settles in for its winter rest, we reflect with gratitude on the year’s successes and challenges. The fields are quiet now, blanketed beneath cover crop, mulch, or salt marsh hay. Gone are the spirited laughter and chatter of volunteers. The barn and pavilion are packed tightly with distribution tables, banana boxes, tools, […]

Cover Cropping for Healthy Soil and a Harmonious Ecosystem

The key to building soil health is photosynthesis, hands down. All life depends on this beautiful synergy between sunlight, water, plants and microorganisms. Our mission as farmers, as land stewards, is to constantly promote and encourage diverse growth in order to continue this cycle of life. I am excited to tell you about the importance […]

Digging Into Summer Break with the High School Farm Team

We welcome thousands of volunteers to the farm each year, and almost half are youth.  Typically classrooms and families visit once or twice during the season. Yet one particular group, the High School Farm Team (HSFT), spends all summer helping our crew in the fields.  Since the program began in 2016, the HSFT—comprising students from […]

Stronger Together: La Colaborativa

Up-tempo music and conversations among neighbors were the soundtrack on a recent afternoon for the open-air food pantry that convenes twice a week in Chelsea, at a Route 1 underpass, coordinated by the Latina-led nonprofit La Colaborativa.  In the shade, community members chose from vegetables, fruits, grains, flours, dairy, eggs, proteins, and canned goods.  “All […]

On Servings & Pounds: Measuring Impact on the Farm

What’s 115,000 pounds, but just a tiny piece of the big picture? The weight of our annual harvest! Numbers command attention. They tell a story. And poundage in particular is a prominent metric on the farm.  Accurately recording the weight of each harvest helps us understand production rates; track patterns in crop performance; gauge the […]

The Power of Flowers at Gaining Ground

Summer is in bloom, and the flowers at Gaining Ground are alive with colors, aromas, and even sounds, like the hum of wasps in the celosia. Each year, in addition to powerhouse veggies and herbs, we are proud to grow and donate a wide variety of cut flowers through Food for Families, a program we […]

Photography on the Farm: Call for Submissions

Calling all photographers! Submissions are now open for Photography on the Farm, a special exhibit at Gaining Ground that will showcase the creative talents and perspectives of community artists. If you love making pictures of farms, gardens, and the natural world, we encourage you to submit your work. The deadline is August 11, 2023. All […]

Gaining Ground Expands to Minute Man National Historical Park

We are thrilled to share the news that Gaining Ground plans to expand our farming operations to five acres of land within Minute Man National Historical Park. The new land will help us meet growing demand for fresh, nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables at emergency food programs in Greater Boston and the MetroWest. “Food insecurity continues […]

Farmer Spotlight: Rachael Walton

June is not only a turning point in our harvests, it is also the first full month of the season when our farming staff is at maximum capacity. New to the team this year is Field Crew Member Rachael Walton, a former Gaining Ground student volunteer who now brings her passion for sustainable agriculture and […]

Adding Winter Microgreens to the Mix

This past February, even as fresh snow blanketed the farm, it was warm inside Gaining Ground’s greenhouse. It might have been the middle of winter, but the farmers were filling trays with potting mix and weighing out seeds before dusting them onto the soil.  Led by Co-Assistant Farm Manager Kari Bender, Gaining Ground undertook an […]
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