Thistle Downs Farm 2021 Update
After a long winter and extended hiatus, I’m proud to announce, THE THISTLE DOWNS FARM BLOG IS BACK!
Apologies for the hiatus, but even though the content has been rather sparse these past few months, the farm work definitely hasn’t. We’ve been working like crazy behind the scenes to get the farm ready for this fall, so here’s an update on all the exciting things happening on Thistle Downs Farm in 2021.
Field Cleanup & Landscaping
One of the first things we did in preparation for this year, even before the winter snow hit the ground, was landscaping and cleaning up the fields. We spent a considerable amount of time chopping sumac, clearing dead trees, mowing, and opening up the field views for the world to enjoy.
Nothing is without incident though…take a look at the video below and watch me get whipped (dangerously close to my boys) by a CHAINSAW BLADE! Yikes! Luckily, I was wearing thick jeans and protective gear so crisis averted!
Planting the Corn Maze
New to Thistle Downs Farm for 2021, are plans for a 5 acre corn maze! This will be a first for us and I’m sure there will be a lot of kinks to work out, but so far so good.
With a little initiative, the corn field was prepped and planted just in time. Once it gets about 6 inches high, we’ll grid out the maze and then keep it mowed until it’s ready for you this fall!
Planting Pick-Your-Own Pumpkins
Another new farm venture this year, based on many requests, is a Pick-Your-Own Pumpkin Patch! For those of you who want to get out in the field and have that real farm experience, we’ve planted a whole acre of pumpkins for you to harvest yourself.
We’ve also focused on increasing the efficiency of our pumpkin patch by planting them in rows with the help of a row molder instead of the hills we’ve traditionally used. The plastic covered rows will help in several ways including reducing weed pressure and conserving water.
Don’t want to pick your own? No problem! If you’d rather choose from the display pumpkins in the storefront, we’ll still have plenty of pre-picked for you to choose from!
Planting Specialty Pumpkins
We also had a surprisingly big demand for our specialty pumpkins last autumn, especially the blues and pinks. Well, we heard your requests and we took action. This year, we increased the number of specialties we planted to meet the demand. The specialties won’t be pick-you-own, but they’ll be readily available at the Thistle Downs Farm store front.
Planting Sunflowers
If all goes according to plan, we also hope to have an acre of sunflowers for you to enjoy. We intend to use the sunflowers for photo ops and pick your own bouquets. We’d also love to get some pre-picked bouquets right out in the store front. We’re planning to have sunflowers ready by late summer, so this will be an opportunity to get more people onto the farm earlier, and also provide a sunflower experience that can be hard to come by. And let’s not forget the incredible opportunity this creates for our pollinators!
Getting the Animal Pens Built
With the planting nearly finished, we’ve now turned our focus to the infrastructure on Thistle Downs Farm, starting with our animal pens. If all goes according to plan, you can expect to visit chickens, pigs, goats, and maybe even some cows this autumn when you visit us. We’re also happy to introduce the newest addition to the crew. She’s a sweet little micro-pig named Buffy, and she can’t wait to meet you!
Getting the Farm Store Open
One of the final goals we have for this year, is to get some semblance of the farm store open. In the past, the “store” has been limited to the storefront pumpkin display. With a little elbow-grease though, we’re hoping to get the doors open. Hopefully we can get it done between tending the crops, building the corn maze, and working our other full time jobs, but we have high hopes that this year, you’ll be able to exit through the gift shop.
Final Word
Though a lot of work is done, there’s still a lot left to do on Thistle Downs Farm. We want to create the best experience possible for everyone who stops by this autumn. That means putting in the work now to leave you with a memorable experience and something to look forward to in the years to come.
Hope to see you this fall!
Cody
Thistle Downs Farm