Recap of greater Boston Open Day with Gardens at Clock Barn Farm

Sunday, September 18th threatened rain in the greater Boston area, but an adventure-filled day for gardeners of all ages was had at the extraordinary Gardens at Clock Barn, home of Maureen and Mike Ruettgers in Carlisle, MA. Welcoming more than 300 visitors, the garden offered delights for everyone from a stylish design full of choice plants to an inviting and inventive children’s garden with hands-on activities.

Afternoon special guest, innovative urban farmer and educator, Annie Novak, creator of Growing Chefs, a field-to-fork education nonprofit, and manager of the Edible Academy at the New York Botanical Garden, hosted an informal Digging Deeper event. Annie Novak co-founded Eagle Street Rooftop Farm—the nation’s first commercial organic green roof farm—in Brooklyn, NY. Annie was happy to share her knowledge, answer questions and also spoke about her recent book, The Rooftop Growing Guide: How to Transform Your Roof into a Garden or Farm. She also offered family activities celebrating a favorite fall pollinator—the monarch butterfly! Visitors were able to learn about the fascinating insects and their incredible journey down the East Coast towards Mexico’s forested mountains by writing pollinator postcards, decorating milkweed maps, learning how to tag a monarch, and sampling monarch snacks.

The days offerings didn’t stop there, two doors down Clark Farm Stand was open and too offered free family programs including a visit with the herd of glorious goats, a how to card and hand spin of wondrous sheep’s wool to make a twisty bracelet. They also gave guests a chance to explore the thirteen-plus-acre property’s fields, working greenhouses and bee hives. A big hit  available throughout the day was the organic pick-your-own options, as well as Clark Farm’s organic vegetables, pasture-raised eggs, meat, and locally grown fruit.