January 19th, 2024:

2024 Tulip Bouquet Subscriptions 

We are in the process of growing our specialty tulip bulbs for Spring, including many gorgeous parrot, double and fringed varieties. All the tulip varieties were hand picked by head grower and designer, Kristina, and are planted, maintained and harvested by her and her children at their small farm in Mendon, MA. These lush specialty blooms will add color and beauty to your home and get you in the mood for warmer days ahead!

CSA members will pick up their shares at the Three Little Wrens Farm store every week and bring home a fresh bouquet of local grown tulips.

**Please note, pick up begins in late March/April 2024, you will be notified via the email address you signed up with.

Terms of Service:

Tulip Bouquet Subscriptions begin in late March/April 2024, they consist of a weekly bouquet for 3 weeks. Each bouquet will include at least 12 stems of freshly cut tulips, wrapped in our recyclable paper flower sleeve. 

We are offering weekly pickup days on Thursdays and Fridays from 9am-6 pm.

Pick up will be at the Three Little Wrens Farm stand located at 13 Leonard Road in Mendon, MA.

Bouquet shares are pick-up only (sorry, we don't ship at this time).

Given the busy nature of our business, and to keep communication and administration clear and manageable, we are unable to offer alternative pickup times. If for some reason you are unable to pick up your Tulip Bouquet CSA, you are welcome to send a friend or family member on your behalf to pick up your bouquet. We are unable to credit missed or forgotten bouquets.

When you purchase a Tulip CSA share, you are making a commitment to pick up during the time stated. If you are giving a Tulip Bouquet CSA share as a gift, please make sure the recipient has read and agreed to our terms of service and is willing to pick them up on a weekly basis.

Our Spring Tulip Bouquet CSA Shares are $110.00 and can be purchased by sending payment through the farms Venmo, @threelittlewrensfarm or https://www.venmo.com/u/Threelittlewrensfarm, please put Tulip CSA in the description. Shares are extremely limited. Participating in our Tulip Bouquet CSA ensures that you, or the recipient of a gifted share, will have a fresh bouquet of locally grown blooms each week. ​If it seems like it will be difficult for you to meet the terms of the CSA, you can always find our blooms at our roadside stand. 

Thanks so much for your support!

Your Local Flower Farmer,

Kristina & Family

March 30th, 2022:

Attention all of you first time tomato growers!  If you end up with tall plants when you are ready to transplant outside, you should strip all but the top 4 leaves off of your tall lanky tomato plants and plant them like this diagram for large root systems and giant, productive plants! (remember to harden off your plants first before planting outside)

About The Process:

When winter starts to loosen its grip, the days are warmer and the nights below freezing, these are the days we can't wait for. Living in New England, tapping maple trees for syrup is a winter tradition. However, the season can be so unpredictable. Luckily, theres other options.

Shagbark hickories are a bit different in that the syrup isn't made from tapping the trees like maple, birch, or walnut trees, it is actually made from the trees bark. 

Shagbark hickories are a tree native to the Eastern United States. They are in the same family as the pecan. These are slow growing giants got their name from their trunks which have long peeling strips of bark. They naturally shed their bark.

When harvesting bark from these trees one must be careful not to damage the tree trunk, as these trees are slow growers. Harvest the bark that is already detached from the tree by breaking off the hanging pieces. Make sure not to disturb anything near the attachment point. 

Once you have harvested some of the hanging bark pieces it is time to wash, toast, and simmer the bark. Once you have simmered the bark to make a tea and added the cane sugar, it's time to start making the syrup. Just like maple syrup, it must be boiled to a finish temperature of 219 degrees.

Sunday, March 6, 2022
Spring is only two weeks away! That means that the bees will be preparing to swarm soon.

Swarming is the way that hives naturally reproduce. When a hive is strong enough and has a good population of bees, they will produce a new Queen, then the old queen will leave the hive and take half of the bees with her, leaving the new queen and the remaining bees behind.

If you happen to see a swarm of bees, DO NOT PANIC! A swarm of bees is very docile, as they have no hive, no eggs and no honey to protect. DO NOT spray them with pesticides! PLEASE DO call your local beekeeper's association and they will be more than happy to send a beekeeper to collect the bees. Once collected, the beekeeper will put them into a hive and help them establish a new colony.

Saturday, March 5, 2022:
During the lull of the winter solstice the itch for spring, gardening, and fresh air is stronger than ever. Here in south eastern Massachusetts (zone 6a) my son waits patiently for his Baker Creek Seeds catalog to arrive and then its off to the races. Furiously flipping the pages looking for new items and favorites from past season.  Once that package arrives in the mail it's time to start planning out what seeds you'll need to start soonest, what you have space for, and which ones are best left to be direct sowed.  Seed packets often have guidelines about when to start seeds indoors, germination information, days to maturity, and other growing tips. Remember that recommended seeding and start dates are just that: guidelines. After a few years you will have a better understanding of your local climate and adjust as needed.

Starting seeds indoors is necessary for warm season crops such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant in many regions, such as New England where there are not enough growing days for those plants to get to harvest if they’re started outside. Starting seeds indoors can also allow you to get in an extra round of crops (especially cool-weather crops) before summer heat deters growth. 

Crops that are best started indoors include broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, tomatoes, cauliflower, celery, eggplant, and peppers, should be started indoors.

We have started most of our hot and sweet pepper varieties along with our tomatoes. We will soon be planting some of our cold weather crops of broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, onions, and asparagus.

Some plants do not transplant well and are better direct sowed once the temperatures  are safe to do so as they don't like having their roots disturbed. Then there are some plants that are cold tolerant and fast growing like peas and radishes that make more sense to plant directly in the ground!

Happy Planting!