Explore: Farm Update

Taking a Closer Look: Crop Pest and Disease Surveillance with Manan Arora

There was an extra set of eyes looking over the crops at Gaining Ground this season. Moving meticulously down the pathways and through the beds, Manan Arora crouched with his clipboard in hand, peeking under eggplants, turning over cabbage leaves, and inspecting cucumber plants. This summer, Manan worked as a crop disease and pest scout […]

Team Spotlight: Geoff Nelson

If you’ve visited the farm this season, you’ve likely noticed that the structures look fastidiously cared for and the areas of lawn are immaculate. We have Groundskeeper Geoff Nelson to thank for this. Since starting on the farm in the spring, Geoff has worked diligently to keep the farm looking beautiful and functioning smoothly so […]

The 2022 High School Farm Team: Growing More Than Food in Our Fields

Every year, Gaining Ground welcomes a team of local high school students who volunteer in the fields during their summer vacation. They learn and work alongside our farmers under the scorching sun and the pummeling rain, preparing the soil, transplanting seedlings, hand-weeding vegetable beds, and harvesting nutrient-dense produce for hunger relief. Throughout the 2022 season, […]

Fall Educational Farm Tour: Growing for Hunger Relief as Winter Approaches

The details: What: A new fall educational farm tour Where: Gaining Ground, 341 Virginia Road in Concord When: Thursday, October 6, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. How: RSVP to rsvp@gainingground.org As the cold season approaches, the farm begins the process of winterizing our fields and following practices to extend the growing season in order […]

Persistence, Planning, and Teamwork Pay Off in a Season of Drought

Last August we wished desperately for dry, sunny days to soak up the standing rainwater in the fields, help our heat-loving summer crops grow, and alleviate the disease and pest pressure caused by days of unending rain. This year, our hopes shift instead to more rain (please, more rain!) as all of Massachusetts weathers an […]

Farmer Spotlight: Catching up with Ava Lublin

After two years on our high school Farm Team and another season with us as a farmer, Field Crew Member Ava Lublin returned to Gaining Ground again this season. And we’re so thankful she did. Ava, what did you get up to in the farming off-season from Sept. through May? I attended my first year […]

Farmer Spotlight: Catching up with Avery Indermaur

For the second year in a row, we’ve had the good fortune to welcome Field Crew Member Avery Indermaur back to the farm. We are grateful to have Avery’s thoughtfulness, enthusiasm, and warmth on the crew again, and are thrilled to catch up with her this August. What did you get up to in the […]

August New Board Member Spotlights

We are thrilled to welcome several new members to our board of directors this year who bring with them a wealth of creativity, passion, and meaningful insight. This August, we’re going to take the opportunity to learn a bit more about two of these new members of the Gaining Ground team, Yvette Philip and Sigmund […]

Join Us to Celebrate Art and Inspiration on the Farm!

We are installing a self-guided farm tour featuring artwork created by Gaining Ground friends, partner organizations, and artists throughout our community. Art on the Farm kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 10, and will continue through Friday, Oct. 14.  Please pay us a visit anytime during the month-long installation and celebrate art and nature while engaging […]

Women’s Lunch Place: Growing Community Wellness Through Food, Fun, and Education

Having a conversation with a talented chef about meals cooked from scratch with farm-fresh ingredients is a surefire way to jumpstart your appetite. “Yesterday I had garlic scapes, we also got pea shoots, and then some spinach. I blended it all together—then I added a couple of magical ingredients—and it’s just this really beautiful herby […]

Farmer Spotlight: Sarah Lichtman

Our July newsletter offers us a great opportunity to check in with Field Crew Member Sarah Lichtman, who now has a couple months with us under her belt this summer. We’re grateful to have Sarah with us for the 2022 season, and to introduce her to the whole Gaining Ground community. Where is home? How […]

Farmer Spotlight: Catching up with Rae Axner

This year, we are grateful to welcome back Assistant Grower Rae Axner for a second season on the farm with us. We are thrilled to have Rae’s insight, dedication, and humor on the crew again, and are excited for the chance to catch up with her this busy July. What did you get up to […]

From the Lab to the Farm

MIT Brings a Drip Irrigation Prototype to Gaining Ground’s Fields “What’s that?” has been a particularly frequent question from our volunteers this year, and they’re not just talking about equipment, plants, insects, or other common farm-related mysteries.  This year, the source of curiosity has tended to be a massive black drum, orange metal box, and […]

July New Board Member Spotlights

At Gaining Ground, we are grateful for the thoughtful, compassionate, and diverse voices and perspectives that support and guide the farm. This year, we are thrilled to welcome several new members to our board of directors who bring with them a wealth of creativity, passion, and meaningful insight: Sigmund Correa, Shilpi Desai, Sam Hiersteiner, and […]

Where Sustainable Farming and Food Access Meet

Are you interested in learning about how sustainable, no-till farming practices intersect with issues of food access, food insecurity, and the environment? Join us at Gaining Ground on Thursday, July 21, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., for a new educational farm tour with Assistant Farm Manager Erin Espinosa where we’ll learn about these very […]

Farmer Spotlight: Catching up with Chrissie Edgeworth

This year, we have the great fortune of retaining most of the farmers from our 2021 crew for a new season of growing at Gaining Ground. One such returning farmer is Assistant Grower Chrissie Edgeworth. We are thrilled to have Chrissie back with us in the fields, and wanted to take the opportunity to catch […]

A Farm and a Classroom: Minuteman High School Students Learn on the Land

This June, it wasn’t unusual to spot a group of high school students decked out with hats, work gloves, rakes, and secateurs, scattered throughout the perennial beds at the farm. Once or twice a week, hard-working horticulture students from Minuteman High School pulled up weeds, trimmed overgrown fruit trees, hauled wheelbarrows to the compost pile, […]

Art on the Farm: Call for Submissions

Calling all artists! If you love to paint, draw, collage, or take photos, we want to showcase your creativity on the farm. Gaining Ground is hosting Art on the Farm—an outdoor installation of artwork along a walking route through our fields and beds—beginning September 10, 2022, and ending October 31, 2022.  Pieces will be displayed […]

Young Readers Help Seed a Year of Hunger Relief 

This spring, eager readers at Belmont Day School, Thoreau Elementary School, and Tenacre Country Day School helped to raise over $14,000 in support of our work to get fresh produce to folks experiencing food insecurity. Gaining Ground’s annual Read for Seeds read-a-thon provides funding for up to 70 percent of our total seed costs each […]

Volunteer Chris Lundblad Brings Heart and Know-How to the Fields and Behind the Scenes

Having lived in Concord for 19 years before moving to Lincoln in 2012, Chris Lundblad has known about Gaining Ground for years. But she didn’t become involved until 2020, when she started helping her friend, Polly Vanasse—now Gaining Ground board president—deliver produce to one of the farm’s partner organizations in Sudbury. By 2021, Chris was […]
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