Harvest Green - Year-end Farm Report

Happy New Year! Are you as excited as we are to see what’s in store for the Village Farm ? We sure are, but first, let’s look back at 2023.

We Had a Great Harvest

We harvested a lot of vegetables in 2023 — 30,282 pounds to be exact. That’s an increase of 15 percent over 2022 and they did it even though Texas experienced record-breaking heat! Those veggies found their way to our weekly farmers market, farm share boxes, local restaurants and the many food pantries we support.

What Did We Grow?

What did we grow? Favorites like tomatoes, carrots, scallions, cauliflower, peppers and spinach. We also experimented with unique veggies including Tatsoi, Tokyo bekana and komatsuna. We love introducing new veggies to residents and farmers market customers. Our farmers can even tell you how best to prepare them. Need to stock up on your favorites or try something new? Visit the market 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, rain or shine.

We Did Some Sharing

One thing we love to do is share the fruits of our labor. That’s why we offer a Vegetable Share program. Each month, you get a box of delicious seasonal produce to enjoy. The program is open to the public (although if you are a resident, the farm-fresh veggies will be delivered to your door). In 2023 we had 43 share members. Why not help us make it 44?

We Joined the Farm Club

Residents of Harvest Green have an opportunity to grow their own produce when they join our Farm Club. Last year 22 residents rented their own growing plots. Membership includes access to four 15-foot-long raised beds, seeds, transplants and fertilizers (it’s all organic!), farming and gardening lectures, exclusive club events and expert help under the direction of our fantastic Farm Educators.

We Planted Trees

We love trees, especially the ones that bear fruit. In November we planted 60 fig trees with the help of volunteers. All the varieties we planted will produce purple figs, including Celeste, Improved Celeste, LSU Purple and O’Rourke. As the trees are young; we won’t be harvesting for another three to five years. We’ll be planting more later this year, so be sure to check out the Farm Blog to find out what’s “growing” on.

We Constructed Tunnels

We constructed three caterpillar tunnels at the farm. What are those? They are protected greenhouse growing spaces that allow us to grow crops that are cold- and frost-sensitive. We have sugar snap peas growing in one. The first harvest should be available at the market on Jan. 6. Another of the tunnels will be planted with a quick-growing cool season crop. The final tunnel will stay vacant until tomato season!

Looking Forward to Seeing You!

We’re sure 2024 is going to be a great year. We look forward to seeing you at our farmers market, farm tours and public events. Want more? Become a resident. Our builders offer beautiful homes — some of them available now. You’ll also have access to The Farmhouse amenity complex and resident-only events planned by our dedicated lifestyle director. Visit us today.

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