Explore: Summer

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 […]

Meet This Year’s Farm Team: Erin Espinosa

Our 2021 farm season is quieting down, which means it’s time to share our final farmer spotlight of the season. It’s a great moment to get to know Education Manager Erin Espinosa a little bit better—especially since she’ll be joining us again on the farm next season! Where is home? How did you find your […]

Meet This Year’s Farm Team: Rae Axner

Our 2021 farm crew is flush with knowledgeable, talented, and overall delightful human beings. At Gaining Ground, we believe good things are meant to be shared, so we want to take the opportunity to introduce you to this year’s team, one member at a time.  Let’s get to know Assistant Grower Rae Axner. How did […]

Swapping Homework for Farm Work and Helping to Feed a Community

Every year, the farm welcomes an amazing team of local high school students who devote themselves—during their precious summer vacation months—to volunteering with us in the fields.  They help our farmers—in the searing heat and the pounding rain—with soil preparation, planting, weeding, harvesting, and so much more. These weekly efforts of the high school farm […]

Meet This Year’s Farm Team: Kim Schmidt

Our 2021 farm crew is flush with knowledgeable, talented, and overall delightful human beings. At Gaining Ground, we believe good things are meant to be shared, so we want to take the opportunity to introduce you to this year’s team, one member at a time.  Let’s get to know Greenhouse Manager Kim Schmidt. Where are […]

Challenging Weather Can’t Dampen Gaining Ground’s Commitment to Hunger Relief

This story ran in the September 3 print edition of the Concord Journal. CONCORD, MASS. – This summer has been a season of extremes. It was the hottest June on record for Boston and July was the wettest in Massachusetts history. These conditions have brought unprecedented pressure from diseases and pests to the fields at […]

Join Us for This Year’s Ag Day Festivities!

The 16th Annual Concord Ag Day is coming up on Saturday, Sept. 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Ag Day is a once-a-year celebration of local agriculture organized by the Concord Agriculture Committee. The event showcases the bounty of Concord’s many farms right at the end of the summer, when harvests are as diverse, […]

Meet This Year’s Farm Team: Chrissie Edgeworth

Our 2021 farm crew is flush with knowledgeable, talented, and overall delightful human beings. At Gaining Ground, we believe good things are meant to be shared, so we want to take the opportunity to introduce you to this year’s team, one member at a time.  Let’s get to know Assistant Grower Chrissie Edgeworth. Where is […]

When It Rains, It Pours: A Look at the Growing Season so Far

It’s nearly September, and we’re well past the official midway point of the summer, which was August 7.  During the second half of summer, the effects of the southward shift of the sun quickly become apparent on the farm. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, when autumn officially arrives in September, the sun will set in […]

Meet This Year’s Farm Team: Avery Indermaur

Our 2021 farm crew is flush with knowledgeable, talented, and overall delightful human beings. At Gaining Ground, we believe good things are meant to be shared, so we want to take the opportunity to introduce you to this year’s team, one member at a time.  Let’s get started with Field Crew Member Avery Indermaur. Avery, […]

Meet This Year’s Farm Team: Ava Lublin

Our 2021 farm crew is flush with knowledgeable, talented, and overall delightful human beings. At Gaining Ground, we believe good things are meant to be shared, so we want to take the opportunity to introduce you to this year’s team, one member at a time.  Let’s get to know Field Crew Member Ava Lublin. Ava, […]

Through the Eyes of a Young Farmer

Growing up in Chicago, summer was always my favorite season. It meant wiffle ball in the streets, ice cream cones larger than my face, lightning bugs, movies in the park, running through sprinklers, and annual camping trips. But as I’ve gotten older and travelled around more, spring is something I look forward to most. It’s […]

Summer Markets Update

Market season is upon us. Tomatoes are ripening up and our fall plants are going in the ground this week. Here are a few highlights from our markets where we directly distribute our produce. Head Start Markets in Lowell We are off to a great start at our two markets for Head Start families in […]

Partners Receiving More Produce Sooner

Thanks to improved farming practices and expanded infrastructure, for the first time ever Gaining Ground has donated produce each month this year and started full-season distribution earlier in June than previous years. Through May 2017, Open Table (Concord/Maynard) and Mill City Grows (Lowell) received 2,500 pounds of hardy winter/early spring vegetables, three times more than […]

Longest Day

I am writing this after the sun has gone down on the longest day of the year. Looking back on the day, it seems like a lot can be done with fifteen hours of light fueling you. All of us farmers started the morning with our regular Tuesday walk around, observing how the fields have […]

Rolling Out Produce to our Partners

Although it was just the seed of an idea in March, June’s rollout of produce to our partner organizations is now transitioning into a steady weekly rhythm of harvesting, washing, boxing, weighing and loading. Our partners include: Tuesdays: Head Start, House of Hope, Loaves & Fishes, Pine Street Inn, Sudbury Food Pantry Thursdays: Bedford Food […]