Marshfield Farmers' Market

My visit to River Street Gardens, an organic-exempt grower, was absolutely delightful. Three generations were working together in the darling gardens, with intertwined paths and bee covered flowers. The family has been gardening here since the 1970s, growing for fresh eating, canning and freezing some, sharing with family and neighbors, and then any extras go to market. The gardens cover about 1 acre and the remainder of the parcel is a certified Wildlife Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation. Susannah Warren and her parents, Rita and Richard Warren, taught me much about their gardening methods, trials and tribulations. As we walked the grounds Warren’s niece, Isabelle, picked handfuls of tender red and blonde jewels from the bountiful raspberry bushes, insisting that I eat them. I was easily and most happily persuaded! Dahlias, not yet in bloom, were prevalent and I could envision the dramatic beauty the long rows in front of the house would soon share with the neighborhood. Combined with the bee balm, Echinacea, Hydrangea, and other flowers the bouquets will surely be striking at the market. Walking through the many small plots packed with vegetables and carefully mulched with grass clippings felt like stepping into a movie set of grandma’s perfect yard as seen by a child; a most wondrous place full of imagination, secret paths, and tasty goodies. The love that tends these gardens oozes from every plant. Yes, there are some weeds, but those help balance the soil, bring up the nutrients, and feed the vegetables. Around every corner I found another jewel, like the collards and brightly colored chard, the sweet potato rows, the beehives, the wild onion patch, the sunflowers, the strawberry garden, and the grape arbor hanging heavy with fruit. The squash, planted a bit too close together, already pose a challenge to harvest and provide a good chuckle upon each attempt. The 130 tomato plants tucked in and around every bend of the gardens will become a near full time job with the tying-up, pruning and picking through August. This year’s tomato starts are far beyond their normal numbers, they just couldn’t bear to put the extra seedlings in the compost pile! The 17 varieties of tomatoes planted include the popular Pruden’s Purple and Green Zebra slicers, an Orange Banana paste tomato and the three cherry tomatoes that just beckon to be tasted are Gardener’s Sweetheart, Green Doctor’s, and Be My Baby. During my visit the garlic was being harvested. Warren’s father provided a full demonstration of how to properly use this funny hook tool to get under and pull up the garlic bulbs. Each stem produced large, well-formed bulbs, nearly perfect, very aromatic. The select varieties of other vegetables in these little gardens amazed me nearly as much as the careful attention to organic practices. Killing bugs by hand, and using compost instead of chemical pesticides and fertilizers are examples. The Warrens are also using certified organic seed and provide lots of beneficial insect refuge and food sources. The quality of the soil was reflected in the vegetables; vibrant and healthy. The gardens are reflective too, the Warrens clearly care deeply for the environment, their food, and their family.