What do we do on the farm in the late fall and winter? Take a quick photo tour and see what we’ve been up to. The days are darker and temperatures are dropping, but the Red Wiggler team is still harvesting some late arrivals before the snow covers the fields this winter. Our crew delivers Read More …
Year: 2018
#GivingTuesday 2018
Make an impact in Montgomery County with Red Wiggler Community Farm today!Today we begin our End-of-Year Campaign with #GivingTuesday, and we need your help to raise $6k for our programs.#GivingTuesday is a global giving movement that has been built by individuals, families, organizations, businesses, and communities in countries around the world. Millions of people have come Read More …
Grower Spotlight: Welcome Reed Kronen!
As we near the end of our growing season, we begin to reflect on the successes and challenges of 2018. One success of the year was having Reed Kronen join the team as a grower. Reed’s time at Red Wiggler actually started a few years ago. She first began coming to the farm Read More …
Mid-Atlantic Care Farming Summit
On October 16th, 2018 Red Wiggler Community Farm, in partnership with Future Harvest: Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture produced the first-ever Mid-Atlantic Care Farming Summit, on Red Wiggler’s campus in Germantown, Maryland. Red Wiggler identified 19 farms from 6 different states in America and Italy that work specifically with adults with developmental disabilities. Until recently, space Read More …
Sweet Potato Harvest 2018
After many weeks patiently waiting for dry weather, we have finally finished our sweet potato harvest. The potatoes were planted from slips on June 15. Slips are green leafy shoots that grow out of an already harvested sweet potato. The slips are planted into hills about a foot apart, then turn into vines that spread Read More …
Grower Spotlight: Jerry Dillon
Not many people can claim “watermelon grower” on their business card. But then, not many people are like Jerry Dillon. Having worked at Red Wiggler for 23 years, Jerry has seen a lot of changes: a shift in cultivating a small variety of fruits to soley veggies, to the farm’s move from Wildcat Springs Farm Read More …
Volunteer Spotlight: Gleaning for a Good Cause
On August 20th, 2018 we invited a group of volunteers to our site at Ovid Hazen Wells Park to glean sweet potato greens. This project was a partnership between Community Food Rescue, University of Maryland Extension, School of Supplementary Nutrition Education, the Montgomery Council Master Gardeners and The Montgomery County Food Council. We welcomed the Read More …
Preserving the Harvest- Pickling!
Rachel Armistead from The Sweet Farm is back for another workshop at Red Wiggler Community Farm. DIY Pickling: Beyond Cucumbers will focus on how to preserve farm fresh produce in the traditional way. Rachel is going to share her expertise and enthusiasm for pickling and fermentation with the Red Wiggler workshop attendees. Participants will be walked Read More …
Program Spotlight: Leisure World
The Red Wiggler team completed our first Leisure World Market of the season on Thursday, August 2nd. This visit has become a beloved tradition for Leisure World residents and our team of Staff & Growers. Red Wiggler Community Farm’s partnership with Leisure World was born in 1999, after resident Ben Margolin, discovered a Washington Post Read More …
Remembering Hallie Wells Birthday Today
Red Wiggler Community Farm remembers Hallie Ausmus Wells birthday today August 1, 1893- she would be 125. Below is a re-posting of an archived blog entry describing how she came to donate her 290-acre farm to the Park system in 1981- we are very grateful for this special woman and her contribution to our community. Read More …
July on the farm!
2018 Crew Leader & Intern Bios
Time to get to know our fantastic 2018 crew! Ashley Jordan, Crew Leader Hi, My name is Ashley! I am a recent graduate of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. I studied Biology, and focused my classes on ecology and the environment. I am very passionate about respecting the environment and respecting each other; this Read More …
Grower Spotlight: David Ruch
When you talk with David Ruch, it’s clear to see why he’s worked as a Red Wiggler Grower for 11 years. He’s “proud of everything” he does at Red Wiggler, he’s “learned just about everything” here, he likes harvesting “everything,” and he’s tasted “everything on the farm.”In short, he likes “mainly everything” about his job. Read More …
Grower Spotlight: Welcome Chris!
Chris Applegate is one of the new growers at Red Wiggler this season, but he is not new to the farm. In fact, Chris volunteered once a week for the entire 2017 season. It was after learning about the farm from his parents that he decided to volunteer. He hoped it would be a Read More …
How Red Wiggler Gets Tomatoes by the 4th of July
by Darlene Richardson, Education and Farm Intern Tomatoes are one of summer’s favorite fruit (or vegetable depending on your perspective). They enjoy long warm days and mild nights. However in a region that can see it’s last frost in May, tomatoes may be more appropriate for your back to school lunch box than a 4th Read More …