| SEPTEMBER 13, 2011 -- Bob Walpuck has answered the question, “If you plant it, will it grow?” at his small farm on Georgetown Road.
The farm, aptly named “The Field of Greens,” is located on a ball field that Mr. Walpuck constructed years ago for his children.
These days, the field is bursting with a bumper crop of fresh vegetables. “The crop this year is amazing! I have massive amounts of stuff,” Mr. Walpuck said.
He has shared his bounty so far with two upscale restaurants that specialize in locally grown food and are buying his produce. He has also provided as many vegetables to his family, friends and farm workers as they can eat. He recently brought a large selection of salad greens to the Norfield Grange for the summer barbecue.
But he feels he can do more.
Because of the tough economy, Mr. Walpuck has given vegetables to families whose main food source is the Weston Food Pantry, and to a Catholic charity for distribution. But the crop is so big, he wants to help even more people.
“I want those who may have hit hard times to know that I have fresh food available right now. I want to give it to people who need it and want it so it doesn’t go to waste,” he said.
To that end, Mr. Walpuck has set up an e-mail address, fieldofgreens@live.com , where people who have questions or interest in the vegetables may contact him.
The Field of Greens is jam-packed with a variety of produce, including gourmet lettuces; green, yellow and purple beans; green and golden zucchini; four varieties of squash; carrots; onions; kale; Swiss chard; cilantro; tomatoes, including regular and heirloom varieties; green, red and jalapeño peppers; multiple varieties of eggplants; radishes; and beets — and even more things that Mr. Walpuck can’t instantly recall.
Earlier this year, the farm produced a healthy amount of wild raspberries, and it has blackberries ripening for their debut. In the fall, two chestnut trees will be ready for picking.
Mr. Walpuck believes in healthy farming. While his field is not certified as organic, he uses no chemicals.
Farmer Bob
Mr. Walpuck, by trade, is a property developer, and is known around town as “Bob the Builder.” However, after years of receiving land use denials to develop some of his properties, in 2009, he decided to experiment with planting vegetables on a baseball field he built for his sons when they were young.
The first year he started the farm, he ran into some issues. On the positive side, he was familiar with growing locally, and he employed college students with agricultural backgrounds. However, after a late start and some bad weather, that year’s yield was small.
During the second season, the area was hit with an early frost and the college students that year got discouraged and the farm lay idle.
This year, he was determined to do the best he could and possibly open a farm stand, so he hired farmer Vic Burtsche as a consultant. “Vic Burtsche is one of the last farmers in Westport. He gave me a lot of good advice,” Mr. Walpuck said.
Some of that advice included mulching with organic matter such as leaves. He also learned how to plant his crops more effectively. “For example, plants need a certain amount of space. You plant two squashes near each other, when one comes up, you pick the better of two and cut the other one off.” he said.
Although he had hoped to open a farm stand this year, there was a recent change in the zoning regulations about farmers markets, and since the Planning and Zoning Commission is off in August, his application won’t be heard until September, after most of his crops have been harvested.
Although he is still working as a property developer, he is happily embracing his new nickname, “Farmer Bob.”
Old wounds
Mr. Walpuck said he is trying to use his positive farming experience to heal some of the old wounds he has from previous land use denials.
For 11 years, he said, town officials told him that subdivision approval was needed for several lots he owned on Georgetown Road (including the ball field lot.)
Although he believed the property did not require subdivision approval, he was unable to develop the lots. This past January, the current P&Z Commission unanimously agreed with Mr. Walpuck that subdivision approval was not necessary.
“Recently, P&Z righted the wrong and interpreted the regulations the way they actually were. The upshot is the property sat idle for 10 years, and the town would have been getting much more tax money those years because I was being charged for one lot instead of four separate ones,” he said.
When he went to the town’s land use department recently on a Friday, he discovered it was now closed that day, and only open four days a week, due to cuts made in the town budget. “It’s too bad because had they collected more money from me, they may have had enough to keep that department open all week,” he said.
While Mr. Walpuck’s property that was once locked in dispute with the town is now free, some of those lots are being foreclosed on.
He has decided, however, to put some of his disappointment behind him and is hopeful for the future. “In this economy, Weston is really down now compared to other towns, but I believe the town will come back as it has come back before,” he said.
Mr. Walpuck credits his newly positive outlook to farming the Field of Greens and providing food to people who need it.
“The farm keeps me and my kids in shape, and gives my good friend Vivian Simons something to take pictures of. Also, my doctors and friends say farming keeps me calm,” he said. |
