Straight from the Farm

The Garden

Starting in 2008, I am working a 15′ wide x 50′ long garden plot of my very own.  A gorgeous flat sunny space with relatively good soil, I’m hoping to produce more than 20 varieties of cut flowers, 15 varieties of herbs for tea-making, and 30 different vegetable crops in it!  Ambitious?  Perhaps, but I’m looking forward to having full control over the vegetables I consume, even moreso than I did when working on the farm (see below).   Click here and here to get a better idea of what’s in store for this garden.

The Farm 

Weavers Way Farm is my “main squeeze” when it comes to local produce and the main reason I started this blog.  Here’s a little more info if you’re curious:

Weavers Way Farm, located in the Mt. Airy/Germantown section of Philadelphia, is a perfect example of urban farming hard at work providing fresh produce and neighborhood revitalization in America’s fifth largest city. An outgrowth of the beloved Mt. Airy institution, Weavers Way Co-op, the farm was established in 2000 by the late Norma Brooks and her friends from the Co-op as a memorial garden project after her husband Mort’s death in 1999.  With much foresight and dedication, this group of Co-op members worked the first few years to create a veritable Eden out of what was then the wild “northwest tract” of Awbury Arboretum.  With time, the garden became more organized and productive, eventually requiring the services of a part-time staff member.  Then in 2007, Weavers Way Co-op decided to commit to urban farming in a big way by hiring full-time farmer Dave Zelov, an experienced horticulturalist and organic farmer, and extending its many resources to ensure the now-official farm could put down deep roots and really grow.  To help develop educational programs for local school children, they also hired part-time staff member, David Siller, who has worked to cultivate the interest of local youngsters in the origins of their food.  Also in 2007, the farm added acreage by leasing more land from Awbury, almost tripling in size and providing the room to grow more than 75 unusual and/or heirloom varieties of vegetables, herbs and flowers. You can learn more about the farm’s history by visiting http://weaversway.coop/index.php?page=the_co_op_farm.

The farm is currently selling truly local fresh produce to Weavers Way members in the Co-op store and to eager customers at the historic Headhouse Farmers Market off South Street, the Fair Food Stand in the Reading Terminal Market, and several Mt. Airy restaurants.  While the full list of crops is too extensive to detail here, some customer favorites in the 2007 season were lemon cucumbers, several varieties of heirloom tomatoes, tomatillos, okra, squash blossoms, purple peppers, sorrel, and purple basil.  Fresh mixed bouquets of flowers have also been popular at the Headhouse Farmers Market.  Plans for the 2008 season are already well underway and include several new ventures into berry bushes and fig trees, expansion of cut flowers and herbs, and the likely addition of a hoop house to extend the growing season.

Weavers Way Farm welcomes volunteers and regularly hosts events to get folks playing with their food before it even hits the table! Please email farmer@weaversway.coop prior to visiting to ensure someone will be there to give you the tour.

The Farmers 

Meet Dave Zelov!  Weavers Way full-time farmer, he’s the one that orchestrates the sowing, weeding, and harvesting of all the scrumptious veggies I get to serve up in this blog.   From here on out, he’ll be referred to in the blog as Farmer Dave.  Dave got started in his love of farming at Rutgers University student run farm and hasn’t looked back since.  Prior to taking on the challenge at Weavers Way Farm in January 2007, he had worked on several agricultural projects, including coordinating a CSA program. 

 
Farmer Dave in the greenhouse and amid the okra plants.

Meet David Siller!  We like to make it confusing around the farm, hence the two Dave’s.   Starting this spring, David will be working full-time at the farm as its education coordinator working to bring more school children out to the farm to learn about the origins of their food.  Daivd split his time last year between Weavers Way Farm and another urban farm, Flat Rock Farm in Roxborough.  He also earns his livelihood as a certified yoga instructor.  And he makes a mean batch of pickles! 

  
The many faces of David

Contact the Farmers
farmer(at)weaversway(dot)coop