Scatter Good Farm and Growing to Give: A Field Trip in Brunswick
While the day began under clouds, with puddles left from rain the evening before, several adventurous garden club members explored a farm that grows to give.
The Growing To Give project at Scatter Good Farm began about five years ago. The produce from the farm is all donated to food kitchens and programs along the Mid-Coast to help provide fresh fruits and vegetables to those in need. Theda Lyden is the farm director and served
Farm Director Theda Lyden
as our tour guide for the visit.
Situated amid fields and woods northeast of the town, Scatter Good Farm relies on volunteers to sow the crops, weed the fields and harvest the produce when it is ready. They are growing tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash with elderberries and blueberries waiting to be picked. Many crops have already come and gone, such as the early-season lettuces, while others were just getting started, including some late-season carrots being sown by two young volunteers. Winter squashes are just beginning to blossom, while row covers keep cabbages safe from cabbage worms and tomatoes protected from the “bad” crows. Battery-powered tools help maintain the farm, including the battery-powered riding mower! An electric fence on the perimeter adds some protection from the groundhogs and deer.
At the conclusion of our walk through the fields, we were treated to a surprise: Theda had a houseguest who provided us with a demonstration on floral design. She recommends chicken wire over foam oasis as a more environmentally-friendly way to secure the stems in an arrangement. Her arrangements held together while the breeze provided some air to move the tendrils of clematis in the arrangements.
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