This fall semester at the University of Guelph has by far been one of the greatest as I was given the opportunity to work at Guelph’s organic farm located right on campus. The farm itself is run by Martha, an amazing farmer and kind hearted lady, who takes pride in the nature of the farm as it is all run organically and primarily by her. The farm is supported by volunteers from the university and from around the city of Guelph. Martha enjoys hosting markets every so often to sell her crops to the people of the city and to collect donations to keep her farm running. In addition, Martha makes round trips down to the women’s shelter in Guelph to donate multitudes of fresh vegetables and other crops to the many women living there.
At first glance the task of completing 10 hours at the farm seemed daunting as I have never worked in a garden or such before. Yet, even after the first hour of work with the rest of my classmates by my side it appeared to be much more fun and exciting than I had planned. At the time I had no clue how the work ahead of me would allow me to build an appreciation for the dedication and hard labour that goes into harvesting these crops for people to enjoy.
The first time I went to Martha’s farm I showed up alone and ready to work on a beautiful sunny day. The first tasked that was asked of me was to pick all of the red peppers from the garden and the greenhouse. Martha took me out to the fields and explained to me the decision process that takes place in deciding whether a pepper should or shouldn’t be picked. Martha takes pride in selling only the best quality vegetables as it keeps satisfied customers coming back for more. She showed me how some peppers will have a translucent colour and look shriveled which is indicative of a pepper hit by frost. Due to the recent cold weather many of her vegetables were hit with frost and could no longer be sold.
The peppers in the garden were almost all hit by frost wiping out entire plants although many of the peppers in the greenhouses were still good to harvest. I harvested many crates full of peppers that were smooth in texture and full of colour. After a few long hours of harvesting peppers my next task was to pick the tomatillos from inside the greenhouse. Martha showed me how to pick the tomatillos saying she wanted “very full” ones not the ones that were tiny and rotten. Alongside my classmate Emily we picked the tomatillos for a few hours while often watering the rest of the plants. After a long day of work on the farm I went home only to return the next week searching for more work.
The next time I attended the farm I helped Martha run one of her last markets as I was responsible for organizing the baby tomatoes and cutting the leaks to be sold. The market provided me with an amazing opportunity to meet some of the locals in Guelph and bond over our love for food. Many people came out to the market and took home numerous fresh peppers I have previously picked along with the leaks I had just cut. It was pleasing to know how my contribution had led to the smiles on these people’s faces.
One of my last days at the farm was spent pulling weeds with many other classmates. A lot of my classmates came to the farm that day eager to help and of course Martha put us to work. We spent hours digging out an entire field of weeds which at first appeared impossible but as we began working together the task became much easier than we had thought. We used a pitchfork to ensure we would be able to reach even the deepest roots but we had to be extremely careful around the greenhouses as the pitchfork could deflate the entire thing if punctured. Martha supplied us all with gloves as the weeds were very prickly and we managed to fill many wheelbarrows full of weeds within hours. We were taught many interesting facts while picking these weeds such as how spiders are a critical part of the garden killing and consuming many smaller bugs and insects that prove harmful to the gardens. After hours of pulling weeds the field was completely cleared leaving us feeling accomplished and proud of what we had done for Martha.
Overall, working at Martha’s farm allowed me to appreciate the hard work and dedication that goes into harvesting these organic crops. I enjoyed the entire experience as it was an eye opener for me in seeing how hard Martha works and how knowledgeable she is in the field. From harvesting peppers to pulling weeds I gained a new experience that I will never forget. I would like to go back and volunteer with Martha next year as she clearly has a lot of work on her hands and could definitely use the extra help. I look forward to contributing next year and am thankful for the opportunity.
Written by: Clara Leska