The Lion’s Farm cultivates excellence, values life and supports healthy families. It is settled upon a foundation of integrity, soundness of mind and charity of heart.
To that end, we recognize the framework of God's design in creation, use high quality stock available through trusted sources, and apply the sound techniques of good agricultural practices and Integrated Pest Management so you can enjoy our best quality produce.
Glenn and Cheryl served as a military family in the Marine Corps for twenty-years in Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and California. Glenn is an OIF-veteran and retired in 2012. Both are University of Maine Master Gardeners, and Glenn is a Cornell University Master Beekeeper.
Members of Maine Pomological Society, Maine Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association, Maine Beekeepers Association, and Farmer-Veteran Coalition "Homegrown by Heroes."
"'Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.
"Then they inquired, 'What must we do to perform the works of God?'
"Jesus replied, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.'
"'Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.
"'And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.'”
(John 6:27-29, 37-40)
Strawberry season begins in April as soon as the plants show signs of breaking dormancy from winter. We remove the straw and settle it around the plants so that blossoms are exposed to pollinators in May, and the berries that form thereafter will lay on clean bedding. Picking season for our varieties starts in mid-June and continues through early July.
Our strawberry fields are on three-year rotations: planting year, fruiting year-one and fruiting year two. Because we don't use herbicides, we turn the soil after fruiting year two and begin a cover crop cycle to break weed build-up and simultaneously fortify the soil.
Orchard blossoms in May are a beauty to see. Apples, pears and peaches sport pink and white flowers, and the hum of honey bees and other pollinators is noticeable.
Despite the USDA climate shift in our area from zone 4B to 5A, peach trees at this latitude can experience temperatures cold enough to kill next spring's blossoms. But when the two varieties we grow produce fruit, it is far better than any peach shipped to local markets from the more friendly climate of the southern states.
We have three varieties of pears, too, which are excellent as fresh fruit dessert eating.
However, apples are our principal tree fruit. Our core varieties are Zestar!, Honeycrisp, Cortland and Grimes Golden, but we have added several other varieties to appeal to customers' differing flavor and texture preferences. The harvest season begins at the end of August and continues through late October.
Of all the agricultural activities we do, keeping honey bees has been the most interesting. We started with two Italian colonies back in 2013 and have grown our apiary since to more than thirty colonies of mainly Carniolan and Saskatraz ancestry (and which has developed into locally adapted hybrids).
Spring cleaning of the hives marks the beginning of the season and the first real opportunity to assess colony health and strength following Maine winter. I don't travel the colonies for pollination services, nor do I use synthetic chemicals for varroa mite control, so they are unstressed for spring buildup, nucleus colony-making and summer honey crop harvests.
