The tomato plants sat still as frost slowly covered their leaves. This year, a warm summer and a late first freeze stretched the season well past its usual length before the crops were put to bed. But you can only hold off the cold for so long.
The longer season helped production, along with some upgrades to the farm and, as always, a great group of dedicated people. It was a great year for Urban Ventures Farm.
Every year in late February and early March, the farm team starts planting seeds in greenhouses to prepare for the season ahead. The seedlings start out in trays, then move to larger pots. In early May, once they’re ready, they’re transplanted into the field or stay in the high tunnel. By summer, 35 different crops are blooming and being harvested, some at the 5-acre farm in Lakeville and others at the community garden on the Urban Ventures campus in South Minneapolis.
This year, we made changes at both locations to better serve our community. Heather Drake, Director of Farm & Nutrition Education, described it as a season of rebuilding and sustainability at both the farm and the community garden, mirroring Urban Ventures’ organizational goals.
Last season, a three-row high tunnel was installed on a small portion of the Lakeville farm. It set up a major tomato-growing season, with more than 400 tomato seedlings planted for a fall harvest.
A new harvest and packing station for washing and packaging produce also sped up the trip from the field to the farm stand in Minneapolis.
“We have gone from being a heavy producing farm to adapting and making sure we’re sustainable,” Heather said. “We are investing in being an even bigger, better, and healthier farm.”
While some additions, like the high tunnel and the packing station, paid off this season, many of the farm’s changes are aimed at long-term sustainability. Perennial crops such as fruit trees, berry bushes, and strawberries were planted this season to provide recurring harvests in years to come. Last season, half of the Lakeville fields were also planted with cover crops, which gave the farm healthier soil to grow in this year.
The work at the Lakeville farm runs from preparing and tilling the fields to planting, harvesting, and delivering food to the farm stand at Urban Ventures. Volunteers and community members carry out each of these steps throughout the season.
Farm interns were also major contributors to this season’s success. They worked alongside staff, built relationships with the team, and learned how to manage crops and every step in between.
“Volunteers are the lifeblood of what we do, and the most consistent partnership that we have. [They] make it possible to do the work that we do,” Heather said. “Without volunteers, we could really not pull off what we pull off at the size and scope that we do.”
This season, more than 100 volunteers gave nearly 1,000 hours of labor. They prepared the fields, tended the crops in the high tunnel, and cared for the chickens, at least until the mid-season “weasel incident” (we’re still sad about it). Our volunteers aren’t just hardworking. They’re joyful and passionate about the mission.
Community Impact
On the Urban Ventures campus in South Minneapolis, neighbors gather at the community garden, which is bustling every Tuesday for the farm stand. Over the 19 weeks the stand was open, more than 500 neighbors stopped by for produce, and most came back multiple times. The community garden also offers 30 plots where neighbors grow a variety of crops.
Julia Otten, Farm & Nutrition Education Assistant, leads the educational and community programming, with hands-on learning for kids of all ages. During the season, preschoolers from our Cornwell Early Learning Center visit the community garden every week. K-12 groups from Minneapolis Public Schools tour the garden, harvest a vegetable, make a recipe, and learn about and care for the chickens. During the summer, farm interns lead field trips for younger students, giving them a taste of farm work. This season, the farm hosted 33 field trips serving 748 students. Beyond field trips, the farm also hosts family events with crafts, harvesting, and cooking.
What makes the Urban Ventures farm community so special is how connected its programs and neighbors are.
“I recognize students when they come because several of their parents are community gardeners,” Julia said. “For our high school volunteer club, we recruit from kids who were in Hub Club (UV’s after-school program), and for our internship program, we recruit from students who were volunteers.”
Weaving the farm into other Urban Ventures programs has grown its popularity through word of mouth over the years. This year, about 25 participants joined a new chef class and cooked with ingredients harvested from the farm. At the stand, Urban Ventures staff prepared weekly samples featuring less familiar vegetables so visitors could see how to use them.
This season’s improvements make the farm more accessible for growing and for welcoming volunteers and community members.
This growing season may be over, but preparation for the next one begins in just a few months. Even as temperatures drop, the spring thaw is right around the corner, and with it, the tiny seedlings of another great year at the farm.