Farm owners get a jump on spring
GRAVETTE — Spring has sprung! At least that’s what it says on the calendar. Unfortunately, cool, cloudy conditions have often occurred lately and below-freezing temperatures continue to hang around. Warm, springlike weather just doesn’t seem ready to come to stay.
Gary and Elsie Mucci, owners of Mount Olive Farm on Mount Olive Road southeast of Gravette, have a jump on spring, however, thanks to a gardening setup that allows them to start planting early. They are already harvesting early spring vegetables and plan to have several available when the Gravette Farmers Market opens later this month.
The Muccis are both natives of Reading, Mass., but when they began the search for land for their home and garden they moved over the state line and bought property about 30 miles away in New Hampshire because they found land was much cheaper there. Elsie says they have always had a passion for gardening and working outdoors. They grew big gardens in the past and preserved produce for winter use, then just gave the extra away.
The couple lived in New Hampshire until making a move to Bella Vista in 2002, moved again to Pennsylvania for a short time, then back to Bentonville when Elsie relocated to northwest Arkansas for her job with Walmart. They bought their property in Gravette in 2012 and first built a barn on their acreage. Then they built their home in 2015.
The Muccis have enjoyed living in the area and expanding their little homestead each year. They say the thing they miss most about living in New Hampshire is their proximity to the ocean. They were located only about 15 minutes from the ocean and enjoyed frequent outings to the shore.
Several new buildings have gone up since the Muccis first built their barn. They are able to start their gardening early and produce those early season crops because they have constructed a small greenhouse to grow their newly planted seeds and small seedlings. When the seedlings reach sufficient size they are transferred to the high tunnel, a larger greenhouse where some are planted directly in the ground and others continue growing in pots.
The high tunnel has plastic curtains on each side which can be raised and lowered. They are kept closed during the colder weather and, when temperatures begin to rise, they can be raised to prevent the tender plants from getting overheated. Planting dates of the various vegetables are recorded on a signboard just inside the entrance of the structure. Vegetable plantings already listed include beets, lettuce, radishes, kale, peppers, peas, turnips, asparagus, echinacea, yellow and zucchini squash, collards, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and arugula. Sunflowers and other flowers have also been planted and will be available for summer bouquets.
Near the high tunnel, potatoes are being grown outside in large plastic barrels with layers of soil added as the plants get larger. The barrels will simply be turned over and emptied when harvest time arrives. Tender shoots of asparagus are emerging from the ground. In addition to the large variety of vegetables, the Muccis grow blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. Gary is trying a new technique for discouraging birds from plucking the strawberries. He has painted small rocks red and scattered them among the plants to mimic strawberries. He said he had been told the birds would come down, peck the rocks and find they were not berries and soon stop returning to damage the crop. He thought the suggestion was worth trying.
Mount Olive Farm also features a number of raised beds where hardier vegetables are planted directly in the ground. Gary has fashioned hoops across the top of some using rebar stakes and plastic water pipe. Some of these can be covered to protect the plants from predators. An outdoor sink and prep table near the high tunnel provide a place to clean and prepare vegetables before taking them into the house. It has a canopy and can be covered for protection from the heat in the summertime.
With an abundance of produce, the Muccis decided in 2020 to offer some for sale and they became a regular vendor at the farmers’ market. Early season crops like radishes, lettuce, carrots, kale, spinach, cabbage and Chinese cabbage are already being harvested.
A chicken house and surrounding pen have been added and the couple now has a small flock of hens. Most of their birds are Rhode Island Reds but their flock also includes a few older Silver-laced Wyandottes and a pair of Polish hens with fluffy topknots they have named Carol Channing and Phyllis Diller. They are collecting about a dozen eggs each day and are considering adding eggs to their farmers’ market offerings.
The Muccis say they have gotten better every year at timing their plantings. Through trial and error, they have learned what plants grow well here and when to plant. They are very involved in composting and use only organic fertilizer, composting all food waste and garden waste, grass cuttings and leaves and using this to enrich the garden. They learned when they first cleared the land to build their home that the soil had a high clay content and they have gradually improved their garden plots. The only commercial fertilizer they use is a spray-on variety used on plants that benefit from feeding through the leaves.
Gary said, when they first began gardening, they used the wide row gardening methods recommended by Dick Raymond in his book, “The Joy of Gardening.” They found that the plantings were too dense and more difficult to harvest and have since abandoned that method. Because the land surrounding their gardens is heavily wooded, there are a variety of critters that cause damage to the plants. Rabbits like the carrots, they say, and mice come into the small greenhouse at night and chew the leaves of the tender seedlings. Their two cats, Oliver and Lisa Douglas, help control the mouse population.
Gardening has continued all year round this year since the couple set up a 10-by-10foot portable greenhouse and grew vegetables which they ate all winter long. Elsie also freezes many of the summer garden crops for use during the winter months.
The couple shows visitors around their place with obvious pride, and their love of gardening and outdoor living is very evident. Lovely flowerbeds are scattered around the yard and a colorful collection of birdhouses hangs on the backyard fence. When the farmers market opens for business in just a few weeks, look up the Muccis at their booth and you will find some good quality produce and a pair of friendly folks who will be happy to share their gardening knowledge and experience.