Expanding our Irrigation Capacity

 When we first began our farm we needed water for irrigation. We reached out to Matt with Christian & Pugh here in Smithfield, who dug us a deep well in 2014 (pictured). Over the years, this well has done a wonderful job of irrigating multiple acres. Although we use drip tape on 100% of our operation, a trickle of water spread over so much drip tape still equates to tens of thousands of gallons of water used - especially on this light sandy land. Now that we're expanding our specialty crop production, we recently decided to put in a second bladder tank (blue, pictured). Matt and his crew came out and took care of everything. We really want to say thank you to Matt with Christian & Pugh for providing an excellent product and service. We highly recommend them for anyone who needs a new well or well repairs! 

 

Deer Fence for our Blueberries!

 

We installed a deer fence around our new blueberries! Once we drove the posts & corner braces into the ground, we attached a metal wire, similar to a clothesline, to the top and bottom of the posts. Then we rolled out the fence and used this orange hog ringer tool to attach the line to the fence. Lastly, we drove in the ground stakes and zip-tied the fence to the posts. Next step? Installing a gate because deer aren't the only ones who can't get in right now

PS - Check out this shell that we found in the ravine in the woods behind the blueberry patch!

 

 

Picnic Tables

 

Off season farm improvement project of the weekend: putting together picnic tables! These will come in handy when students are here for field trips as well as for families to enjoy a picnic together under the pecan tree. 😊 Like any construction project, that 5th table took us waaayyy less time than the first one. 😆

We have a few dates left for strawberry picking field trips: April 24, 29, 30 & May 1, 6, 7, 14, 15. E-mail us to book your field trip today: browdersfreshpickins@gmail.com 🍓

All the Blueberries are Planted!

After the soil is prepped, it's time to lay the weed fabric and plant 300 blueberries! Thankfully, we were able to get it all planted ahead of the snow that's headed our way! 💙

 

 

 

 

 

Blueberry Planting Time!

After measuring out our rows, we tilled the soil and added peat moss to decrease the pH of the soil and increase the organic matter. Shout out to Tim Miller of Chili Hill Foods & Farm for allowing us to borrow his tiller!

 

 

 

 Peat and Repeat were in a boat. Peat fell off. Who was left?

Happy Valentine's Day!

 Love is in the air and will soon be planted in the ground! 💕

Blueberry Plants

The blueberry plants are here! We're planting four different varieties, carefully selected for their flavor and the time of ripening in the summer - though it'll likely be next summer ('26) by the time we're really pickin'.

Over a decade ago, we planted several hundred blueberry plants. But, they were about the size of a pencil, and they never made it to maturity. We have learned our lesson, and this time around, we invested in larger plants. Here's to round 2 of the blueberries at Browder's Fresh Pickins!

 

 

Plan Your Field Trip Today!

 

Seed Cataloging

 Farming in the winter: where dreams are planted before the seeds!

 

Greenhouse Facelift

Shout out to Pineview Greenhouse for putting fresh covers and doors on our greenhouses! We're very pleased with the results and are looking forward to having these things filled up with bedding plants & produce in the coming months! 

Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference in Savannah, Georgia

If you've never been to the Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference in Savannah, Georgia, I highly recommend it! First, I'd like to thank Roy Flanagan with Virginia Cooperative Extension for letting me hitch a ride with his crew to GA. This conference and trade show brought together the most recent research updates from universities such as Clemson, University of Georgia, NC State, and more. There was a wide variety of grower sessions to choose from. The majority of my time was focused on learning about strawberries, vegetables, roadside markets, watermelon, and business operations. The trade show was humongous and very cool. I enjoyed networking with other farmers and industry leaders from all over the southeast. Downtown Savannah is a wonderful spot for a conference! 

 

 

 

 

Brrrrr, it's cold!

It’s pretty chilly outside, but thankfully our berries aren’t really bothered by it. This time of year, the plants tolerate temperatures in the low teens with ease. Plants know how to bundle up like this one we just saw in the patch. Then in March, when the temperatures warm and the days get longer, the berries will be triggered to start blooming. That’s when we bring out the frost blankets to protect the tender flowers that will develop into strawberries in April. Stay warm! 🥰

 

Crop Growing Expo in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Here at Browder's Fresh Pickins, we love learning and trying new things. One way that we do that is by traveling to other regions to see what and how they grow and sell. I (Jake) recently returned from the Crop Growing Expo in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania with 1,000+ Amish & Mennonite farmers. Now that's a group you can learn from! Their scale, quality, diversity, and efficiency in agriculture is something to marvel. They start teaching their kids farming young, as I've never seen so many infants at a farming conference. In addition to valuable content knowledge learned in sessions on strawberries, blueberries, pumpkins, and cut flowers, I had the opportunity to network with many experts in the industry. I was able to connect with a cut flower grower and ordered a truckload of cut flower plugs for our upcoming pick-your-own flower bouquet field and will plant those this spring. If you haven't visited Amish country, I highly recommend it!

 

 

Survey Results

Recently, we posted a survey, and we want you to know how appreciative we are for each of your important responses. We value your feedback and strongly believe that running a successful small farm requires two way communication between the community and the farmer. Your input helps us to make decisions that are win/win for both parties. To see the results of our recent survey and plans for the future, click on the pictures. We're both fascinated with data, numbers, and patterns. Which results are most interesting or surprising to you? Thank you for allowing us to grow!

 

 

 

A New Beginning

Over the past two decades I worked for organizations such as the USDA, the Peace Corps, and Virginia Tech to learn and earn with a singular focus on one goal, having my own successful family farm. I want you all to know that your unwavering support has turned my dream into a reality! I left the USDA last month and Browder's Fresh Pickins is gonna GROW...an unprecedented bounty where we share in the joy of God's blessings of fresh food, family, fruit, flowers, friends, and most of all, fun. I'd like to say THANK YOU to the entire community! You're the best customers in the world and your investment in Browder's Fresh Pickins is making dreams come true. I can't wait to see what 2025 holds! -Jake Browder