Author Archives: r

Help us save the Loudoun Valley, the agricultural jewel of Northern Virginia Home to Potomac Vegetable Farms, Wheatland Vegetable Farms, Tree and Leaf Farm, Moutoux Orchard, Greenstone Fields Farm, Corcoran Vineyards. Demonstration on Monday May 4th, 2009 6:00pm Loudoun County Government Center: 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, VA 20177-7000 We will present our 900 petitions,Continue reading “Help us save the Loudoun Valley”

In two days this week, an energetic crew of 5 men from Pennsylvania put up 3000 feet of deer fence. We have been taking down the less than ideal black plastic net fence to prepare for their arrival. They arrived in two trucks, one monster pick up and a semi carrying three loaders/tractors and allContinue reading “New Fence”

We are deep in a long standing battle with our neighbors the deer. Due to many factors mostly surrounding suburbanization the deer population has exploded, especially in Loudoun County. I liken the battle to the nuclear arms race. My first volley came in 1992 when I planted one crop on this 180 acres, 1000 tomatoContinue reading “One Upmanship with the Deer”

Spotting is the word we use to describe the act of taking a tiny seedling that’s in tight quarters and moving it into a more spacious environment. Today I spotted the cabbage you’ve been watching develop. I took hunks of seedlings out of the seedling flat and separated them into individual plants and put themContinue reading “Spotting”

We grow bedding plants as a way to get the season started at our early markets. Bedding plants are flowering annuals that folks grow for pleasure in pots and flower beds. We buy “plugs” of tiny plants from expert growers from around the country who take cuttings of special plants and root them. They arriveContinue reading “Bedding Plants”

I decided that maybe I should introduce you to the greenhouse. Every so often I remember that the term greenhouse is not universally understood, especially when I give directions to someone and they think I’m saying green house (a single family unit painted green). My greenhouse is 24×96 feet and is made of galvanized steelContinue reading “What is a Greenhouse anyway?”

We’re warming up our engines and getting ready to welcome new members into the CSA. We’ve given our last years members a head start at sign up, and so far we have about a 30% return rate.  We’re trying something new and modern this year to assist with the massive information crush that CSA signContinue reading “It’s Almost Time…”

by Ellen Polishuk I am enjoying this beautiful cold weather by staying inside and warm. New ideas for our farm and especially for the CSA are bubbling furiously. Now is the time of year for conferences, farm visits and long lunches. We have time to consider new crops (rhubarb, shallots?) and new practices (manure freeContinue reading “Happy New Year”

By Mariette Hiu Newcomb In the early 1980’s some local activists got together with Fairfax County planners to see what could be done to save farmland that was rapidly being converted into subdivisions, shopping malls, and office parks. They came up with the Agricultural and Forestal District ordinance that would make qualifying lands eligible forContinue reading “The Spirit of the Law: How can we get a County ordinance to do what its authors intended?”

As the official bean planter at PVF-East, I diligently plant a new bean patch every two weeks starting the first week of May.  On August 7 I planted the last beans of the season, which means that we are officially on the downward slope of 2008.  We planted the last squash too, but that doesn’tContinue reading “Just passed the halfway mark of summer”