ABOUT THE FARM
We are Janelle Plummer and Ross Spencer. We are first generation farmers, both from New England. We met in southern Maine in 2012 where Janelle was apprenticing on her first farm and Ross was attending the local boat building school.
We started New Spoke Farm in the spring of 2022 on ¼ acre of sunny, sloped pasture in Gray after a winter of searching for land. In the fall of 2023, we began a lease on a historic, hilly farm in West Paris, Maine where we expanded to 2 acres in veg.
Janelle manages most of the day-to-day veg production, and Ross tackles all of the building, infrastructure, and equipment demands of a growing farm business. Together, we grow and harvest for our CSA, farmers’ markets and wholesale accounts.
Warmth and Miura, our two dogs, patrol the fields for mice, turkeys and woodchucks — and try to steal veggie snacks whenever they can.
We couldn’t chase this dream without the incredible support of our friends, family, mentors and neighbors. We are so lucky to make a go at this because of our community and CSA members.
Photo by Just One Look Media for MOFGA, 2024 Shared with permission.
HOW WE GROW
Our vegetables are certified organic by MOFGA - it’s official! We use no synthetic pesticides/herbicides or amendments, and choose our organic fertilizers mindfully. Everything we use on the farm is OMRI-approved and selected with careful consideration to the health of insects, critters, people, plants and the land.
We currently grow on just under 2 acres, and utilize numerous sustainable ways to produce the food we grow.
We farm in a way that works to build the soil through practices like cover-cropping, keeping the soil covered, and applying compost + amendments that unlock nutrients and build organic matter in the soil.
Vibrant, living soil is what makes this sort of small-scale farming possible, and we know the land is our greatest asset and co-conspirator for the work of feeding each other & our community.
If you have any questions about how we grow, please ask us. One of the greatest benefits of knowing your farmer is the chance for real, honest conversations about how your food is grown.
