It is really cold in the greenhouse now, although Tim is magically keeping the plants and microgreens alive. This has been a year of challenges, overcoming hurdles and successes.
As an essential business, we worked right though the pandemic doing home deliveries, farmer's markets and opening up our farmstand in May. We had lots of mommies with baby carriages come and purchase fruits and veggies from us. We successfully aggregated produce from other farms and sold our own plants and microgreens.
Our high tunnels are finally finished after a two and a half month construction ban which meant hiring all new interns and losing some momentum with the excavator. Thank goodness for volunteer, Jonathan from the neighborhood and a Northeastern intern, Jackie, who helped us construct them.
Over the summer we had ten volunteers, interns and employees, and this fall we had five. They assisted with construction, landscaping, helping at farmer's markets, redesign of the website, marketing and deliveries.
We have succeeded in getting fifteen different Massachusetts Department of Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture and City and State grants. Most recently we received the Corona Virus Food Insecurity grant for a delivery van, wood for raised garden beds, shade curtain and water line.
Restaurants struggling has definitely created a challenge for us as they no longer are looking for microgreens and edible flowers. That said we qualified to be able to accept HIP, SNAP and WIC which are programs for food insecure individuals, and thus are revising the business model a bit.
Please check out our newly designed website by one of our interns. www.wegrowmicrogreens.com.
Here is a great article that just came out in the Bulletin that talks about an award Sheila Dillon, The Director of the Department of Neighborhood Development, and the Mayor gave to one of our volunteers, Jonathan Stutts.
Bulletin Newspaper Article
Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday season.
Cheers,
Lisa and Tim
