Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/1160213
Page 14 | Abby's Magazine - www.AbbysMag.com What makes us different from other farms, we think.......community, collabora on and coaching .....that's the difference! To be sure, we love the other community farms in our area that promote what we believe..... organic, sustainability and a sense of belonging. We absolutely wish them well and hope for their con nued success. We love that we are a qualified non-profit that exists solely on the support of individuals and companies that share our vision. Abby and Victor were very specific and inten onal about the vision and mission for our lovely community farm. So let's look at three of our important core values: Our community of volunteers is one of the most interesting and diverse group of individuals that you can imagine. In a recent post on Facebook we described our volunteers as represen ng every socio- economic group and very ethnically diverse. We have volunteers from several con nents, represen ng a bevy of different countries and cultures, including folks from all over the United States. That dynamic, the experience and knowledge of farming and gardening in different locales, adds a richness to our farm community that is invaluable. The "community" aspect of our farm, learning together, is always at the top of the list of why people say they love our farm. The collabora on that takes place is always exciting to watch. You see, virtually 90% of our volunteers have said when they signed up........."I've never grown food successfully.....ever!!!". (Par cularly in Florida). They learn the nuances of Florida gardening, par cularly soil improvement and plan ng according to our seasons. One of our first steps is to assign them to a group. While the farm today has close to 60 volunteers, we are divided into four groups with 12-15 in each group. The groups are assigned farm responsibili es and work together to accomplish plan ng, watering, weeding, fer lizing, etc. for their own raised bed, as well as community beds. Group communica on takes place on a free app, GroupMe, and I love watching the dialogue about what they are working on and discussing their gardening strategies. We also have a group "the coopsters", that are responsible for the care, health and wellbeing of our beau ful chickens. It's wonderful to watch families (par cularly the kids) learn about husbandry for farm animals, realizing many of our volunteers live in deed-restricted communi es and would never have this opportunity were it not for Abbys Farm. Coaching takes on a lot of different forms at our farm. First and foremost is the diversity of experience of individuals within each group that adds tremendous value to the learning experience. We regularly schedule workshops at the farm and discuss every aspect of successfully growing healthy, organic food and living a more sustainable lifestyle including: starting seeds; planting; building beds; soil improvement; watering (tricky in Florida); fertilizing; spraying (organic); harvesting; planting according to seasons; Moringa; fruit trees; hydroponics; tower gardens; solarizing and compos ng. This may be simply researching and discussing best- prac ces for a specific topic or bringing in expert advice to get another view point. The payoff......is watching the "90% unsuccessful gardeners" actually begin to grow their own healthy, organic food and work with others to successfully grow food in our community gardens. Addi onally, the farm Educa on Director, Nancy Niemann, regularly conducts health and nutri on classes at Abby's store in Carrollwood for kids of all ages with a curriculum that is age-specific. This month as we celebrate the one-year passing of our founder, Abby Sayler, it's with Page 14 | Abby's Magazine - www.AbbysMag.com