Project Spotlight: Harvest Moon Farms
Harvest Moon Farms is the retirement project of Ed and Christine Ordway. Ed grew up in New Jersey but spent every vacation of his young life on the Cape. Having always had a green thumb, Ed worked at Herold’s Farm, a produce and farm stand, year-round selling produce and Christmas trees throughout his Rutgers University years to pay for his tuition. He and Christine always had fresh flowers and vegetables from their gardens at home in New Jersey. Although Ed’s degree is in economics and accounting and had a successful career in finance, he isn’t the type to “retire.” When the land in Barnstable became available, he knew that his dream of owning a farm could finally come true. Christine–who had a career in accounting and marketing—never thought she would be a farmer’s wife but she now that it’s a reality she couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
Work on this project began months and months before the property was touched. The planning board, zoning board of appeals, building department, and board of health are just some of the committees that need to sign off on a project before the first shovel dug into the ground. In 2019, with permits finally in hand, the arduous task of transforming the wooded property began. Seven and a half of the total fifteen acres would eventually be developed.
Trees were removed and the topsoil was scraped off and screened to remove roots and rocks. The rocks and trees removed from the fields were kept on property. The rock boulders now form a retaining wall that follows the access road to the barn and the team chipped all the stumps and pines and re-used the wood chips on site. All hardwoods that were suitable for firewood were stacked separately and split for fire wood. The tree root mulch is very fertile medium and is being re-used extensively throughout the site.
The philosophy at work at Harvest Moon Farms essentially boils down to producing the best food while maintaining as light a carbon footprint as possible. The farm is a regulated utility because of the 60 solar panels on the south-facing roof of the barn.
The project was designed and built with drip irrigation, which uses 30% - 50% less water than spraying, and the vegetable beds are permanent, no-till. No-till farming decreases the amount of soil erosion tillage causes in certain soils, especially in sandy and dry soils. Other benefits include an increase in the amount of water that infiltrates into the soil, soil retention of organic matter, and nutrient cycling. At Harvest Moon Farms the soil is stirred by hand and organic compost is added for nutrients.
The barn design was intended to be traditional farm style, but needed to meet the needs of the farm and business. The stunning 6,271 square foot post and beam structure houses the retail shop, offices, and storage for harvested crops. Unique custom sinks for washing produce were integrated, including a deep basin with an aerator to "bubble" the greens. There’s also a walk in cooler, tools storage and a workshop area on the lower level.
The barn features a stone fireplace that steals the show—rising 30 feet from the foundation to the roof. The grandeur of the fireplace is perfectly intentional, and placed in the center of the barn to represent the heart and soul of the farm and business. It’s the ideal spot for gathering after a full day’s harvest.
The wrap around porch gives visitors an opportunity to sit and relax while overlooking the harvesting happening in the fields. The barn also features Anderson windows, Simpson doors, structural insulated panels on the roof, two cupolas, a balcony, a standing seam roof and locally sourced Eastern White Pine board and batten siding.