Sweet Acre Farm: A Day in the Life of a Farmer
In partnership with: Connecticut Department of Agriculture
5 a.m.
Ring, ring. The alarm clock goes off and the coffeepot turns on at Sweet Acre Farm, owned by Jonathan and Chrolotte Ross. Over breakfast, they plan the workday, including harvest lists, farm-crew field tasks and more.
6 a.m.
The crew arrives and begins harvesting greens before the heat of the day. Today’s harvest includes kale, lettuce, chard, radish, turnip, herbs and flowers.
7 a.m.
Charlotte feeds and waters the chickens, collects eggs and milks the goats. Next, it’s time to water the seedlings in the propagation greenhouse.
8 a.m.
Tomorrow is a CSA pickup day, so it’s time to start washing greens and packing boxes. Crew members transition to harvesting roots and fruits, starting with beets, carrots and onions.
12 p.m.
Charlotte sits down at her desk to call wholesale accounts and place orders, and puts the finishing touches on the CSA e-newsletter.
12:30 p.m.
Everyone enjoys a brief reprieve from the hot July sun as they sit down for lunch together, crew included.
1:30 p.m.
The crew heads back out to weed carrots, prep new beds for arugula seeding, prune tomatoes, transplant lettuces and irrigate the greenhouse tomatoes.
2 p.m.
Charlotte packs the van that will head out for the West End Farmers’ Market. Along the way, they’ll stop to make two wholesale deliveries.
3 p.m.
The West End Farmers’ Market brings a flurry of activity for the next five hours.
9 p.m.
Back home, it’s time to eat supper before heading to bed.
Sweet Acre Farm
Sweet Acre Farm is a small family farm owned by Jonathan and Charlotte Ross, producing certified organic vegetables and flowers on 2 acres in Lebanon, Connecticut.