Growing Native Plants for Restoration
Severn Chapel Farm began as a vision to provide a safe space for native plants to be protected, reproduce, and flourish. From the mighty Atlantic white cedar, to the fiery red blooms of cardinal flowers, to the unsuspecting prickly pear cactus, we provide a place for local, native plants to thrive. Some of our most popular, well-known native plants include mountain laurel, Virginia sweetspire, highbush blueberry, northern bayberry, and sweetbay magnolia.
Helping the hungry with farm-fresh, local produce
This year we added a community garden to Severn Chapel Farm. Here we grow farm fresh, local produce such as beans, cucumbers, basil, squash, corn, and zucchini. We started the garden to encourage our staff, neighbors, customers, and community to eat more locally. The average fruit or vegetable on an American’s plate traveled 1,500 miles. Consider the fossil fuels used to grow and transport that fruit or vegetable. The more we can eat food grown closer to home, the better off our planet will be.
It’s all connected. Growing native plants and growing local food take advantage of what’s available right in our backyard. Nature has given us so much in this bountiful area of Anne Arundel County. Now it’s time to give back.
Here’s How You Can Help
Home Harvest
The wonderful thing about our Farm Fresh program is that it can be replicated throughout Anne Arundel County. You don’t need a large farm or heavy equipment to grow a garden. Chances are, there is a place in your yard or your community that is a prime location for a veggie garden. If you are interested in joining the Farm Fresh AACo movement and are starting from scratch, begin by following these steps:
Start by picking out your location
Is there a plot of grass in your yard that is not in use? Side yards and front yards are typically underutilized. Maybe the kids are grown and you don’t need all that empty lawn for soccer games anymore. Is there a vacant lot in your neighborhood that is community property? Consider all your options and think outside the box.
Make or purchase raised beds
You can make or purchase raised beds to keep vegetables neatly contained, or plant directly on your lawn. You’ll want to outline where your garden will be and then dig up any grass inside that border so you have a fresh canvas to work from. Be sure to remove all of the root system so you don’t have to deal with grass popping up and competing for space in your garden later! When deciding where to put your garden, consider things like sun, shade, slope, access to water/hoses, and soil health. You can find more information about planning your garden here.
Pick the best time to plant
Although spring is the most common time to plant a vegetable garden, late summer is not too late to begin an autumn garden. Check out the University of Maryland Extension’s planting dates and calendar for vegetable crops in Maryland here and here for guidance on when to plant your vegetables. Many cold, hardy crops, such as radishes, spinach, lettuce, and kale, can be planted through the end of August.
include your neighbors or community in your home harvest
Once your vegetables are ready to be harvested, consider including your neighbors or community in this home harvest. You can also reach out to the Capital Gazette or your local newspaper and see if they are interested in doing a story on your home harvest. They are usually excited to report on local events such as this. Invite your local elected officials, since they are always looking for ways to connect with their constituents. Keep in mind that we are still in the midst of a pandemic. Everyone should be wearing a mask and abiding by the 6-foot distancing protocol. It’s a good idea to provide extra masks, hand sanitizer, and disinfectant spray. You can ask your local grocery store to provide empty boxes for vegetables you will be donating. Document the day with photos and videos and share with Severn Chapel Farm. [email protected]
Take items to your local homeless shelter or food bank
Once your vehicle is loaded up with boxes of fresh, local veggies, drive them to your local homeless shelter or food bank. Severn Chapel Farm donated to Light House Shelter and Anne Arundel County Food Bank. Be sure to call and schedule your drop off ahead of time. That way you can coordinate what day and time works best for everyone involved.
1. http://www.annapolislighthouse.org/needs Annapolis Light House Shelter’s needs list*note that fresh fruits and vegetables are on their urgent needs list
2. https://mdfoodbank.org/news/partner_locations/anne-arundel-county-food-bank/ MD food bank Anne Arundel County page. This page has hours and a contact number to call, but not any other information. We could just link the MD Food Bank since it reaches a broader audience and has more info.
3. https://aafoodbank.org/make-a-difference Anne Arundel County Food Bank.
4.https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5733840f37013b24b7f67db7/t/5818c0f4579fb366ced1a5b9/1478017268885/Food+resource+list+for+AA+County.pdfI found this list of local food pantries (mainly churches). We suggest people who want to donate could find a food pantry in their area close to their garden and reach out to them to find out what day fresh fruit and vegetable donations could best be received.
Use the resources that are available to help
Tending to your crops can be a meditative, fulfilling experience as you witness a seed become a vegetable that nourishes our bodies and our communities. The University of Maryland Extension has many wonderful tips on how to grow vegetables in Maryland. Find them here or go to your local library, master gardener club, or the internet for more assistance. There are ample resources out there!
University of MD Extension has many wonderful resources on how to grow your own food in MD. This link will take you to a page that has many additional links with information about how to start a garden, when to plant, etc.
Thank you for nourishing the environment, your community, and those in need by growing and donating local produce
- Helping the hungry with farm-fresh, local produce
Farm Fresh
Severn Chapel Farm
Severn Chapel Farm began as a vision to provide a safe space for native plants to be protected, reproduce, and flourish. From the mighty Atlantic white cedar, to the fiery red blooms of cardinal flowers, to the unsuspecting prickly pear cactus, we provide a place for local, native plants to thrive. Some of our most popular, well-known native plants include mountain laurel, Virginia sweetspire, highbush blueberry, northern bayberry, and sweetbay magnolia.
This year we added a community garden to Severn Chapel Farm. Here we grow farm fresh, local produce such as beans, cucumbers, basil, squash, corn, and zucchini. We started the garden to encourage our staff, neighbors, customers, and community to eat more locally. The average fruit or vegetable on an American’s plate traveled 1,500 miles. Consider the fossil fuels used to grow and transport that fruit or vegetable. The more we can eat food grown closer to home, the better off our planet will be.
It’s all connected. Growing native plants and growing local food take advantage of what’s available right in our backyard. Nature has given us so much in this bountiful area of Anne Arundel County. Now it’s time to give back.
Helping the hungry with farm fresh, local produce
Seven Chapel Farm hosted an event called Operation Farm Fresh in early August 2020. The mission of this event was to unite members of the community at our farm to pick fresh produce from our garden to be donated to Light House Shelter and Anne Arundel County Food Bank. Severn Chapel Farm specializes in growing native plants, but his year we added a garden to an empty plot of grass on our farm. This plot of land is about the size of a large suburban backyard. We saw this vacant area that was a monoculture of grass and knew we could find a better use for it. The garden sprouted as an idea to build community and provide fresh and local produce for our employees and neighbors.
As August settled in hot and balmy over the farm, our garden had become a wild, green, vegetable-producing machine. Squash blossoms burned bright orange beneath leafy canopies and corn stalks swayed confidently far above our heads. Beans climbed daringly up our bamboo stakes. Our basil was like Medusa, the more we tried to cut it back, the more heads it grew. Our quaint garden had become an organized jungle of overflowing produce. We knew there was no way we could consume all of this bounty, so we decided to gather and give back to our community.
COVID-19 has been a unique and trying time for all of us, yet it has affected some families much more than others. As the pandemic continues to rage on, Anne Arundel County is in need of steady food donations. When most people think of donating food, they think of cans and jars of preserved food. They don’t think of fresh, locally grown produce- but we did. Through our Farm Fresh program we are giving back to our community and those who are going through challenging times and struggling to put food on the table. Providing those in need with local, healthy, nourishing, fresh vegetables right now is just one small way we can say, “We see you, we’re here for you”. That’s what it’s all about, lending a helping hand to a neighbor and the environment at the same time. We are proud to be able to supply the Light House Shelter and Anne Arundel County Food Bank some of the abundance our soils have created.
We coordinated our Farm Fresh event with the boys and girls club of Sherwood Forest and invited County Executive Steuart Pittman and County Council Members Lisa Rodvien and Andrew Pruski. County Executive Pittman has made food security in Anne Arundel County one of his missions while in office. We gathered together on a humid August afternoon and after hearing a few inspiring speeches by Severn Chapel Farm owner Mary Underwood and County Executive Pittman, we began plucking and piling vegetables into cardboard boxes. We could not believe how quickly our boxes filled with squash, cucumbers, peppers, corn, beans, and basil. Within the hour we had an entire truck load of vegetables. These were driven directly to the homeless shelter to be prepared into healthy, fresh meals and taken to the food bank to be picked up by needy families.