HONEYDEW FARM

Meet Amber & Alex We’re Amber and Alex, the farmers behind Honeydew Farm in Northern Minnesota. Over the past five years, our farm has continued to grow and evolve as we’ve worked toward a bigger goal: providing our community with fresh, nutrient-dense, locally grown food for more of the year. Now, we’re taking one of our biggest steps yet. In partnership with the University of Minnesota, we are building a farm-scale Deep Winter Greenhouse—one of five being built and tested across Greater Minnesota. This innovative greenhouse is designed to use passive solar energy and an underground climate battery to help make growing possible during Minnesota’s coldest months. And this isn't just a plan on paper. The greenhouse is already taking shape. With the first installment of University grant funding, we have completed the excavation, installed the underground climate battery system and frost-depth footings, framed the structure, and installed the exterior sheathing and waterproofing. We also have the windows, doors, and exterior wrap ready for the next stage. Now We Need Your Help to Finish It We’ve made tremendous progress, but there is still important work ahead before we can begin growing. Funds raised through this campaign will help us purchase and complete the remaining materials and infrastructure, including: · Exterior insulation and steel siding · Lumber, hardware, and exterior finishing · New electrical service · A frost-depth water supply · Ventilation systems · Fans and thermostats for the climate battery · Interior flooring · Raised growing beds · Organic soil to fill them Every donation helps turn an already-standing structure into a working greenhouse. What Your Support Will Help Grow Once complete, the Deep Winter Greenhouse will give us the opportunity to experiment with growing cool-season vegetables like leafy greens, broccoli, snap peas, cabbage, root vegetables, and kale beyond Minnesota’s traditional growing season. It will also give us space to grow cool-season flowers and start more of the vegetable and flower plants that eventually make their way into our fields and market stand. And we're thinking beyond the next harvest. Our long-term hope is to combine fresh winter-grown produce with storage crops from our summer harvests—such as onions, garlic, potatoes, and winter squash—to eventually offer a winter CSA. We also see this greenhouse becoming a place where people can learn. The University of Minnesota will use the space for educational programming, and we hope to eventually host additional classes, workshops, and opportunities for our community to learn more about growing food in a northern climate. Help Us Grow Beyond the Season Honeydew Farm started with a dream of growing good food and sharing it with our community. Over the last five years, that dream has grown—and so has what we believe is possible here. This Deep Winter Greenhouse represents the next step. If you’re able to give, your donation will help us finish the greenhouse and begin putting it to work. If you can’t donate, sharing this fundraiser with friends, family, and others who believe in local food and resilient farms can make an enormous difference. Thank you for believing in Honeydew Farm, supporting local agriculture, and helping us grow beyond the season. — Amber & Alex Honeydew Farm See more about this project on our website: https://www.honeydewfarmmn.com/portfolio-collections/my-portfolio/ny-art-museum-bridge