The Land
In 2018 we purchased a beautiful homestead on 10 acres of mostly hay fields near the height of land on Old Stage Road. We fell in love with this land in the spring, when its hedgerows were full of flowering shadbush and exuberant boblinks nested among the buttercups and orchard grass. Since then we have learned how fiercely the wind whips around the house in winter and how high the water table is over much of the property. Still, we feel grateful for the opportunity to steward this land and make it more hospitable for us and for the plants and animals that call it home. With Cat’s Meow Farm we plan to build topsoil and sequester carbon with no-till and other regenerative farming techniques. We will also strive to increase the biodiversity of this land, and we have already started to plant native flowers, shrubs, and trees which will provide food and shelter for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. We are excited to share what we learn through this process and also hope to learn from those of you who have been tending land much longer than we have.
The Farm
Our farm started as a large backyard garden plot on the site of a prior garden that had grown up to goldenrod. We dug raised beds and planted garlic in the fall of 2018 and grew a wide variety of vegetables for ourselves, friends, and neighbors in 2019. We also began converting a small area of hay field into another garden plot and an orchard. Moving forward we hope to transition more area, especially lawns, into vegetable beds, perennials, and fruit/nut groves. We are excited to experiment with no-till methods and learn from other homesteaders and farmers. For inspiration we especially look to the work of Elliot Coleman, Jean-Martin Fortier, Daniel Mays, Jesse Frost, and Leah Penniman.
The Stewards
We are Peter Jenkins, Amanda Spector, and our two cats, Myron and Lester. Peter runs the farm and works part time as the Healthy Roots Collaborative Gleaning Coordinator. Amanda is a veterinarian whose favorite farm activities are picking peas, beans, and cherry tomatoes. Myron and Lester like to eat, sleep, meow, and look cute all the time. They enjoy eating grass and hunting for voles when brought out to the garden.
