It's a mid-September afternoon, warm under a bright late-summer sky, and Laura Xiao of By Hand Farm in Newfane is sharing her love for raising cut flowers - and sharing her know-how - with eager participants in a workshop offered by the Northeast Organic Farming Association-Vermont (NOFA-VT).
Coming from as far north as Burlington and as far east as Haverhill, Massachusetts, and Londonderry, New Hampshire, participants listen, ask questions, and take notes.The 29-year-old Xiao, who sells directly to customers and primarily through her community-supported agriculture (CSA) operation, byhandfarmvt.com, a part-time and seasonal enterprise, introduces her disciples to the sprawl of beds she has rotated on her fields.
"Do you deal with witch grass?" one asks."What about tilling?" another inquires.Xiao responds by offering nuts-and-bolts tips and facts: what tarps to use for what and when, irrigation, rotation of beds. There's talk of zones, perennials, soil, frost, and weeds.
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