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From Wedding Bells to Bell Peppers: Success of Priscilla’s Farm
Have you been to the Trust’s Agricultural Center at Charnews Farm in Southold? If you visited over the summer, you were greeted with rows of colorful flowers behind the big white barn. Those flowers and surrounding crops belong to Priscilla’s Farm.
Priscilla and Leslie Howard joined the Trust’s Farms for the Future Initiative in 2018. The program provides assistance and access to affordable farmland. “Our farm wouldn’t exist without this program. We wouldn’t have land to farm and the sense of security that we have here. The Trust wants us to succeed,” said Leslie.
And Priscilla and Leslie have succeeded. Starting with a one-acre lease and monetary gifts from their wedding registry, they now farm 3.5 acres and grow everything from marigolds to radishes to tomatoes. They run a weekly CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) membership and sell produce at two local farmer’s markets.
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Emphasizing certified organic practices is a point of pride for the couple. The farm is USDA certified organic through the Northeast Organic Farming Association. Priscilla notes that their crops grow well in the local soil without any need for fertilizers. Their carrots fared especially well this year. At night the farm fields come alive with beneficial insects. To mitigate crop damage, they plant in different areas of the farm field. This way if one section of potatoes declines the others are not affected. This ensures they always have inventory to sell at market.
Within their farm fields, you’ll notice a collection of small greenhouses. They were hand built and designed to be portable. They provide warmth and shelter to delicate developing seedlings that are transplanted directly into the fields once they are deemed ready. By also changing the location of the small greenhouses, any pests who found a cozy home are left behind for the new year.
You can find Priscilla, Leslie, and all their organic and delicious produce in season at the Sayville Farmers Market on Saturdays and the Port Jefferson Farmers Market on Sundays.
Interested in joining Priscilla’s Farm CSA? Email Priscillaantoinette@me.com to be added to the waiting list for the Southold pick up location which is conveniently located at the Trust’s Agricultural Center at Charnews Farm in Southold.
To learn more about the Trust’s Farms for the Future Initiative contact Dan Heston, Director of Agricultural Programs at DHeston@PeconicLandTrust.org or call 631.734.5630.
