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2026 Farmette ongoing meeting minutes

3/22/2026

Present: Cheryl, Emily, Abby, Alex, Christy, Kerry


Discussion about challenges, potential solutions, and decisions about model of farmette based on community feedback (to be revisited at the end of the season)


1. Refrigeration 

Potential solutions

    extra fridge –  no room inside CH, not safe outside, requires electricity, not needed year round.  Decided against this option

    Coolers for farmette produce – no room in CH, not safe outside, not needed year round. Decided against this option

    Use CH fridge during growing season – space to be used regularly before distribution, but otherwise can still be used for other functions.functions

     

      Decision -- Use CH fridge during growing season -- During the growing season Community should contact Kerry if you have a personal event and need short-term fridge storage


      2. Distribution - how to make the distribution fair but keep the work reasonable for the community?  

      Potential solutions

        Google order form –  allows people to choose, and we harvest the right amount - need someone to wrangle this

        Farmer’s market style - table has to be managed, not equitable since not everyone is available at same time

        Left in CH for pickup – Produce can go bad, not equitable since folks don’t get there at same time

         

          Decision -- Use Google form with clear procedure for harvest/community

           

          Procedure 

          1. ListSurvey crops to create list of produce isand make available to community on Wednesdays

          2. Complete Google form by Friday at 9pm

          3. Sunday – Pick up at CH or leave cooler outside of your unit or ask a neighbor to pick up

          4. Any remaining produce in CH on Monday evening becomes community property


          3. Community access to garden

          Potential solutions

          • More people joining weeding and harvesting teams – Yes please!

          • Public pick beds

            • make one bed interplanted with cherry tomatoes, carrots, annual herbs that folks can access as they please, no harvest weights taken

            • plant perennial herbs in some hard to grow beds – along the chicken coop both to reduce labor and as public pick – consider adding to budget for upcoming year


          Requests to community

          1. Planting and harvesting teams - Alex, Emily Christy can lead, would love more folks to join, no experience needed, tasks for all skills and abilities

          2. Processing team for extra produce to make and/or preserve harvest for the community - could be individual crop (i.e, garlic)  or a meal made from ingredients shared with the community - Person to lead this?

          3. Communications person or team? -  post messages on Discord about events and get folks excited about what’s growing, the tasks, etc, wrangle the Google form



          Replace hose in garden – ask Mary the brand of her hose and buy that?


          Need watering teams before irrigation is turned on, will put on calendar


          Early April drip irrigation installation


          Next meeting 3/29 – turn on irrigation, mow and silage tarp rows for summer crops, plant peas


          3/15/2026

          Present: Cheryl, Ben, Brian, Alex, Christy


          Question for discussion: What are ideas for the best model for the farmette that are good for the people growing the food and the people eating the food?


          Reviewed mission, discussed success, challenges, and brainstormed opportunities


          Farmette Mission: to strengthen the health and resilience of our community and care for the Earth by cultivating 1/12 acre of land we hold in common using biologically healthy methods to grow, share, and eat food.  We seek to enjoy a four-season harvest through organic practices, informed by our unique local environment and relying on the wisdom of other local and global growers. From 2023 Approved Proposal: Designate the Wacoho Farmette as a Committee



          Our Core Values 

          Sustainability: As stewards or as strands in a web, we recognize our interdependence with the Earth and live in conscious gratitude.  We work to soften our impact on the Earth through various methods of conservation.  We remain mindful that our choices affect other beings and systems.


          Beauty: We are committed to the synergy of aesthetic elegance and environmental harmony, both in the ways we live and in how we arrange and care for our physical environment. 

          Cooperation: We recognize that working, playing, and celebrating together is essential to building relationships.  When appropriate, we place the interests of the community ahead of our own self-interests.


          Successes

          • Grew 1,310 lbs high quality produce using an intensive and diverse production oriented planting and farm maintenance system

          • Introduced 12 new crop varieties in 2025, including Cabbages, Beets, Dill, Onions, Fennel, Carrots and Tabasco peppers!

          • 19/26 units (73%) signed up for enjoying the harvest

          • Actively managed the land 

            • minimized fire hazards

            • suppressed weeds

            • enhanced soil fertility

            • increased biodiversity

            • created beauty and food in our community

          • Used community resources efficiently (less that $55/household in 2025, excluding water)

          • Saved community money, water and fossil fuels compared to lawn care


          Challenges

          • Labor intensive

          • Distributing food to community members in a timely and fair way

          • Limited space for cold storage of produce 

          • Food waste when produce is not eaten or is left in the CH

          • Hotter and drier summers mean crops that were traditionally successful are not always

          • Future planning requires record keeping of harvest, resource use, and close observance of crop successes and failures

          • Limited participation in farmette workdays/tasks

          • Communication: need for more consistent means of reaching out to neighbors in accessible ways

          • Sometime too much/too little of types of produce people want - many factors at play


          Opportunities

          • Farmette is a space for ongoing learning for folks in the community - growing, processing, eating

          • Farmette parties offer opportunities to gather as a community over shared tasks and for community merriment

          • Careful intensive planting methods in the community enhances produces more consistent harvest, and a richer diversity of produce options that can help offset rising prices at the grocery store

          • Extra fridge for storage in summer

          • Leveraging diverse skills within the community to help, not all tasks require field labor

          • Create a “Kitchen garden”row or area for herbs and crops that folks can take as they need them

          • Take advantage of city grants to help with financial costs of running the Farmette

          • Continued maintenance of Common Property in a cost-effective and sustainable way

          • Modeling a healthy co-housing community, especially for children.  Working in the garden has an opportunity to represent a mini urban gardening internship with valuable life lessons that piques one’s curiosity 

          • More community merriment and direct nourishment!


          Revisited question for discussion: What are ideas for the best model for the farmette that are good for the people growing the food and the people eating the food?


          Ideas brainstorm - by individuals via post-it note, then grouped

          Communication – messaging to help manage production, expectations, use by the community, minimize waste; Weekly or monthly announcements on what’s going on at the farmette or ACM announcement?

          Education – Farming education workshops; monthly learning opportunity to build skills, support, and fun!

          Growing and harvesting - team harvest days, team food distribution days; weekly community harvest/workday; “events’ for the community to enjoy the farmette & learn about growing food; small part of the farmette is free to pick (ex. herbs), well marked & explained

          Distribution - maximize distribution quickly & minimize storage (and waste); Cubbies for pickup with area/method for redistribution

          Cooking and eating - farmette extend to having a group of people take “low value” produce to prepare meals for community? Distribute in individual servings?; Weekly/monthly cooking and recipe sharing days; dish at potluck from farmette


          Next meeting: for planting 3/20 time TBD, regular farmette meeting 3/22, 1pm

          3/1/2026

          Present: Alex, Emily, Christy

          • Measured all beds to order drip irrigation
          • Looked through tool shed -- in fall might consider writing a proposal for a new tool shed, perhaps located in a cooler location, less conducive to growing
          • Collected soil samples for analysis

          To Do

          Alex will compile drip irrigation order and determine if we can afford to upgrade to 3/4" sub-main, or just purchase need emitter tubing

          Christy will compile list of potential varieties for our seed order by Wednesday

          Clean trays and pots

          Next meeting 3/8 after potluck

          2/22/26

          Present: Laura, Abby, Tobi, Alex, Emily, Christy

          Notes from last growing season

          • Favas were down by 80% - seed stock? bad soil? Fungal infection?
          • Beans 100 lbs down to 1 lbs
          • Tomatoes - too many cherry tomatoes
          • Heat was hard for people and plants
          • New last year were onions, beets, napa cabbage

          Thoughts about this season

          Laura - Loves tomatoes, shishitos, carrots, turnips, arugula, lettuce, leeks, herbs

          Soesn’t love kale, hard time with beets

          Cherry tomatoes are great for the little kids but maybe plant where the kids play?

          Emily - Always eager to learn

          What about more drought tolerant varieties?  Will the Community like them? Potatoes were nice to have

          Abby - Likes to eat most produce

          Excited to learn more about growing

          Has time in summer to work on farmette

          Loved the lettuce and herbs, likes kale

          Happy to try new things

          Interested in growing more heat tolerant varieties

          Mix of fresh v storage varieties?

          Tobi- Loved the onions, carrots and beets

          Suggests plant heavier on lower time intensive/sensitive crops 

          Should have more time this summer - yay!

          Asparagus in bed near the chicken coop?

          Christy - Loves all veg

          Has zinnia and other flower seeds to contribute to any spaces where veg might not grow well

          Can share list of drought tolerant varieties that might be useful

          Shade cloth for peppers and tomatoes or whole garden?


          Challenges 

          How to deal with water 

          Regular work days

          Making sure Alex does not bare the burden of all of the work

          Get more people involved

          Potential solutions for this year

          Task list for folks to work when they can

          Common work day - Sundays 1-2pm @ CH

          Future tasks

          Seed inventory - Alex has existing seeds inventory, will make sure the team has access to seed inventory and harvest spreadsheets

          Tool inventory

          Tray/pot cleaning

          Building soil blocks

          Plant leeks soon

          Replace drip lines

          Tool shed rebuild or move?

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