Community Garden members use their skills and time to help Mustard Seed Farms grow the produce; our farm is just like your own garden. Members can pick all the produce they need for their families. There is always lots of work to do - a variety of skills are needed to help your garden grow! (This web page is maintained with Community Garden labor)

You can only sign up when the current year's forms are on the site. Generally the forms for the summer program are updated by sometime in April of each year. You can join up through July 1 of each year. You must sign up for the winter program by September 1st and the work needs to be done by October 31st, because it is too wet and cold to work in the winter.

What is it?

Members work on the farm on their own schedule, mostly hoeing on whatever crops need attention at that time. In exchange, they get all the organic produce that they need for their immediate family, whether everyone works or not, throughout the season.

Where is it located?

The farm is located on McKay Road in the Saint Paul area, 5 miles from I-5 and 6 miles from Newberg.

When is it offered?

There are 2 seasons, a summer one that runs from May 1 to October 31, and a winter one that runs from November 1 to May 1. Work starts in June for weeding, maybe earlier for pruning, etc.

Why do we offer this?

To provide a place for gardeners to have a place to garden. They may live in an apartment, just have a small yard, or just want more produce than they can grow at home. We enjoy working with people, so if others can help us grow our produce and help with other tasks on the farm, then we can share our organic produce with you.

How does it work?

It is a self directed program with guidelines given by Farmer Brown & his Mrs. We may send an occasional email about what is available, but the members need to plan time to work and come regularly for your produce. Most produce will be picked and in the cooler. Green beans are u-pick, along with preserving quantities of corn and some other items. Check the blackboards regularly for what is available.

In order to receive produce, you are asked to pay a negligible seasonal fee and work a fixed amount of hours. Work requirement and costs for 2009-10 are as listed:

	SUMMER (May 1 - Oct 31)	WINTER (Nov 1 - Apr 31)
ADULT	$10 and 12 hrs. work	$4 and 3 hrs. work
CHILD	$5 and 6 hrs. work	$2 and 1.5 hrs. work

What produce will I receive?

Here is a list of the produce that we offer and the approximate months that it is available. Let us know about any veggies you want to can or freeze so we can let you know when quantities are available.

SUMMER SHARE

July
Green beans, broccoli (green, purple), cucumbers, lettuce (green & red butter, green leaf, red leaf, romaine), summer squash (yellow, zucchini).

August
Green beans, broccoli (green, purple), cabbage (green, red, savoy), cantaloupes, cauliflower (orange, purple, white), cucumbers (lemon, pickling, slicing), eggplant, lettuce (green & red butter, green leaf, red leaf, romaine), summer squash (yellow, zucchini), tomatoes (cherry, roma, slicing).

September
Green beans, beets (chiogga, gold, red), broccoli (green, purple), cabbage (green, red, savoy), cantaloupes, cauliflower (orange, purple, white), yellow corn, cucumbers (lemon, pickling, slicing), eggplant, lettuce (green & red butter, green leaf, red leaf, romaine), onions (white, yellow), peppers (green, orange, red, yellow, Anaheim, jalapeno), summer squash (yellow, zucchini), tomatoes (cherry, roma, slicing), winter squash begins.

October
Green beans, beets (chiogga, gold, red), broccoli (green, purple), cabbage (green, red, savoy), cantaloupes, cauliflower (orange, purple, white), yellow corn, eggplant, gourds, lettuce (green & red butter, green leaf, red leaf, romaine), onions (white, red, yellow), peppers (green, orange, red, yellow, Anaheim, jalapeno), pie pumpkins, potatoes (red, russet, Yukon gold), summer squash (zucchini), tomatoes (cherry, roma, slicing), winter squash (acorn, ambercup, blue ballet, buttercup, butternut, carnival, delicata, gold nugget, kabocha, red kuri, spaghetti, sugar loaf, sweet dumpling, sweet meat), decorative squash (Cinderella, Jarrahdale, Long Island Cheese, Queensland Blue, Turban).

WINTER SHARE

November
Beets (chiogga, gold, red), cabbage (green, red, savoy), cauliflower (orange, purple, white), gourds, greens (collards, kale - green, Italian, purple, red; swiss chard), onions (white, red, yellow), pie pumpkins, potatoes (red, russet, Yukon gold), winter squash (acorn, ambercup, blue ballet, buttercup, butternut, carnival, delicata, gold nugget, kabocha, red kuri, spaghetti, sugar loaf, sweet dumpling, sweet meat), decorative squash (Cinderella, Jarrahdale, Long Island Cheese, Queensland Blue, Turban).

December
Beets (chiogga, gold, red), cabbage (green, red, savoy), gourds, greens (collards, kale - green, Italian, purple, red; swiss chard), onions (white, red, yellow), pie pumpkins, potatoes (red, russet, Yukon gold), winter squash (acorn, ambercup, blue ballet, buttercup, butternut, carnival, delicata, gold nugget, kabocha, red kuri, spaghetti, sugar loaf, sweet dumpling, sweet meat), decorative squash (Cinderella, Jarrahdale, Long Island Cheese, Queensland Blue, Turban).

January
Beets (chiogga, gold, red), cabbage (green, red, savoy), greens (collards, kale - green, Italian, purple, red), onions (white, red, yellow), pie pumpkins, potatoes (red, russet, Yukon gold), winter squash (ambercup, blue ballet, buttercup, carnival, gold nugget, kabocha, red kuri, spaghetti, sugar loaf, sweet dumpling, sweet meat), decorative squash (Jarrahdale, Long Island Cheese, Queensland Blue).

February
Beets (chiogga, gold, red), cabbage (green, red, savoy), greens (collards, kale - green, red), onions (red, yellow), potatoes (red, russet, Yukon gold), winter squash (ambercup, blue ballet, gold nugget, red kuri, sweet meat), decorative squash (Jarrahdale, Long Island Cheese, Queensland Blue).

March
Beets, cabbage, cauliflower (purple, white), collards, red kale, onions, potatoes, winter squash.

April
Cauliflower, collards?, kale?, onions, potatoes?, winter squash?

Cautionary Observations

We love to work with people but we want you to have an enjoyable experience here on your farm. Think long and hard about your interests and other commitments. Ask yourself: Can I schedule regular farm visits for work with everything else that is on my plate? Can one spouse put in all of our family's time?

Probation: If you do not get your time in 1 year, then you will be probationary the 2nd year. If time is not completed 2 years in a row, then we ask you to not sign up again until your situation changes, or not at all.
Type of Work: The farm's crew plants most of the crops, but the weeding needs to be done by tractor or by hand. Most of the work Community Gardeners do is hoeing weeds, so one should be physically fit for that task. Special projects are scheduled individually.
Time: It is best to plan to work 2 or more hours at a time. Members call the farm a day ahead to let us know when you want to work so we can plan the tasks. You record your time on your 3x5 card in the file on our back porch. Winter hours must be done before Oct. 31.

Come join us for tasty veggies throughout this coming year. We will work hard to grow you the finest organic crops available anywhere. Thanks for helping your local farm!

JOIN THE GARDEN
CLICK HERE!