Paul Betz

Beets and carrots are a weekly selection at most farm stands for good reason. There are varieties to meet the needs of almost any seasonal slot, and they taste amazing regardless of whether they're fresh out of the ground or have spent months in storage. I really love the point in the season when they are around to stay, and...

Spring is getting off to a late start here in Vermont, and in many other parts of the country as well. As a result our customers have been asking us what they should do with their potatoes while they wait for the snow to melt and the ground to thaw. One method you can try is called greensprouting, or “chitting”...

When I was a little baby, I have been told, I loved winter squash so much that it was fed to me so often that I got sick of it, and then I refused it for the next 25 years - "The Lost Years". Then when we moved to Vermont and started working on farms, it was winter squash this...

Backpack sprayers being discussed by John Grande, Ph.D., from the Rutgers Synder Research and Extension Farm. Most farms have at least one backpack sprayer. They are cheap to buy, easy to run and are an efficient way to get the sprays on the crop. My farm is small enough that I will probably never use a tractor-mounted spray rig but...

In my mind, I am a now junior grower.  I figure you get one freshman year, and then a bunch of sophomore years.  After 12 seasons, I am unwilling to consider myself a senior grower, but I get a little closer every day.  I remember when I first started farming I felt the need to see everything on the farm...

I have been growing tomatoes in the greenhouse for many years now. I switched to grafted plants after my house “hit the wall.” After four successful years of growing glorious plants laden with fruit, my un-grafted plants topped out at three feet. Fortunately, I had gotten some grafted plants from a friend. Their production was off the hook, and saved...

I love to farm, but I am also happy when the day is over and I can have some time for other pursuits. I try really hard to keep a schedule, and quit for the day at a certain time. Granted, it has to bend some days. Spring is tough--there’s always too much to do. But I think there are...

In 1995, my wife and I moved to Maple Corner in Calais, VT, and found a cool little house to rent. We had been traveling and the prospect of having more than 80 square feet of living space was really exciting. Our plan was to get to know the local area, work on a few farms to get a feel...

A well developed set of fruit that resulted from hand-pollinating. - Paul Betz is High Mowing's Sales Manager and the owner of High Ledge Farm in Woodbury, VT. We grew a fair amount of tomatoes for our markets, but like I have said many times in the past, our small plantings had to perform to the fullest to give...

One of the great things about running a greenhouse is the level of targeted care that you can give to your plants. They are all in one spot, and their basic needs can be addressed in a way that would be hard in a field setting. Having some control, even a little, can be a great thing, when the real...