Gardenworks Farm History
In 1911 Grandpa McEachron purchased MacClan Farm where he increased the dairy herd and raised chickens. After graduating from Cornell, his youngest son, Harold, expanded the farm to include 300 acres, 200 cows and 50,000 chickens. Yes, 50,000! This explains the cluster of white chicken houses and the endless red dairy barns you see at Gardenworks today.
As markets & abilities changed, the farm transitioned to specialty crops, including blueberries, raspberries, pumpkins & Christmas trees. In 1992, Meg returned to the farm and added greenhouse crops in addition to a marketplace of specialty foods, handcrafts, gifts, dried flowers in the renovated dairy barn. Events, workshops, farm to table dinners and field days made the farm a hub of community & learning.
In 2020, Kelsey and Hunter with their 3 children returned to live on the farm. With their educational training and interest in nutrition & lifestyle medicine, they are taking steps in soil regeneration through organic crop management, small scale rotational grazing & planting a 3-season “Pick Your Own Healthcare” field.
You may see our grandchildren as eager berry pickers and youngsters having fun with Randy or riding on the tractor with Jose.
New initiatives focused on health add to 4 generations of farming to keep Gardenworks a country destination where agriculture intersects with health and the arts….100% exciting!
All generations work to keep the farm viable and a hub for learning.