By Clarisa Diaz, Seasonal Gardener - McAlpin Farm
McAlpin Farm is a bustling place throughout the year. As the headquarters for the Preserve’s growing operations, the staff cultivates thousands of plants annually in the five greenhouses and one acre outdoors. There is plenty to keep three growers, two seasonal gardeners, and a handful of volunteers busy. In the spirit of community and conservation, the Preserve also is using its energy and expertise in collaboration with several local organizations–giving tours and donating food and plants.
“Being a good neighbor is part of the DNA of the Land & Garden Preserve, reflecting the Rockefeller family’s longstanding spirit of community,” said Preserve CEO Patrick MacRae. “In addition to acting as stewards of our remarkable gardens and landscapes, we also play a significant role in bolstering the culture and quality of life for residents of Mount Desert Island. Our collaborative relationships with organizations across the island allows us to achieve a collective good far beyond what any of us could accomplish on our own.”
Showcasing the farm
For the first time, McAlpin Farm opened its doors to hundreds of visitors for Open Garden Day in July. In collaboration with the Garden Club of Mount Desert, Preserve staff and volunteers guided visitors from all over the country through a behind-the-scenes look at McAlpin's operations. The day was filled with walks through the greenhouse and adjacent farm field where stock plants and cut flowers are grown for all the Preserve’s gardens. Visitors explored while taking photos and reading plant labels with excitement, creating an educational environment filled with curiosity.
The Open Garden Day tour was a unique experience for everyone involved. “Showcasing this side of our garden operations in-person has never been done before,” said Preserve Director of Farm and Gardens and interim McAlpin Farm Manager Cassie Banning. “It was great to see the guests' passion for learning about what we do and the staff and volunteer excitement for sharing it.”
In addition to exhibiting the variety of plants and flowers grown at the farm, the McAlpin tour also highlighted two of the Preserve’s collaborations–with the Bar Harbor Food Pantry and Acadia National Park.
Inspiration and ingenuity at work
The Bar Harbor Food Pantry, whose mission is to build food security, has a constant need for fresh produce. The Preserve found a way to help. Once the greenhouses were emptied of the plants for the Preserve’s lands and gardens in late spring, Cassie saw the perfect opportunity to experiment with indoor vertical growing of tomatoes for the pantry, along with some space in the farm field for bush beans and basil.
McAlpin Farm has a history of growing food. In the 1930s, the farm was purchased by John D. Rockefeller, Jr to grow plants for the family’s summer estate. Over time, the outside property evolved to grow cut flowers, vegetables, and herbs for the family's households during their summers in Seal Harbor. Inside the greenhouses, annuals for Thuya Garden and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden were grown, which continues to this day. Growing vegetables and herbs for the community connects to the history of McAlpin in a new context.
To grow tomatoes, farm staff uses a pulley system purchased from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. They clip twine to tomato vines in uniform-sized pots. “Different staking methods were used in the past,” explained Assistant Grower Brenna Sellars. “With the pulley system, when the tomato outgrows the length of the twine, we lower it little by little and the tension stays the same.”
The produce is harvested weekly by pantry staff and is typically given away within a day or two. “The pantry has been here for over 35 years and has always been about taking care of our community,” said Tom Reeve, Executive Director. “We’re seeing 300 to 350 people per week. In the winter when we don’t have seasonal workers, we’re still seeing 150 to 200 people per week.”
The pantry has already seen double the number of visitations this year to date compared to the same period in 2023. Approximately 20,753 pounds of food were donated by community partners to the pantry last year. The Preserve donated 847 pounds of food and 23 buckets of cut flowers.
Growing for our partners and neighbors at Acadia National Park
The Preserve is also using our existing know-how to germinate and propagate native plants for Acadia National Park. The project is in preliminary phases with McAlpin Farm staff working with biologist Jesse Wheeler, the Park’s Vegetation Program Manager. Staff from the Park gather seeds that are planted and grown at McAlpin. When the plants are fully grown, Park staff use them as part of their restoration efforts in various areas around the Park.
"The Land and Garden Preserve has helped Acadia restore native plants in our wetlands by propagating plants in their greenhouse from seeds collected in Acadia,” said Kevin Schneider, Superintendent at Acadia National Park. “This great partnership helps ensure that the plants we are using for restoration come from local genotypes."
All in all, this was a great year at McAlpin. “I’m really proud of what we’ve done this year at McAlpin with our staff, volunteers, and supporters,” said Cassie. “We’ve been able to support our lands and gardens while learning to use our facility and knowledge to support our community.”