Co-op Membership
Many hands make light work! We are providing opportunities for people to work for their food. Members commit to working each week for a 3 hour shift and in return receive a free vegetable share, and access to vegetable surpluses and flower gardens. This is a wonderful opportunity for us do-it-yourselfers to combine resources and energy to raise healthy food in the most efficient way.
Growing season at a glance…
Planting in the greenhouse starts in March. Co-op members can start signing up for shifts in April when we will be working the in the greenhouse, prepping garden beds and planting onions.
Members are required to sign up for 18 shifts throughout the season anytime from the beginning of April to the end of October. See member agreement below to see how the shifts work.
May is a month of all hands on deck until we get everything planted. Kids, husbands, neighbors, friends are all welcome to come during this crazy race of getting everything in the ground. We also receive all our baby animals this month and the greenhouse is open to the public, so visitors are frequent.
During the month of June we finish up planting, and turn our attention to weeding, pest management, and we will start to harvest for CSA bags and Saturday market. We will also perfect our microgreen cycle.
July we will plant again in the greenhouse for our fall harvest crops. We will also stay on top of pest management and weeding as well as continue to harvest for bags and market. Garlic and onions will be harvested and hung to cure. We will also turn garden beds over and start the process of fall planting.
August we will finish fall planting and spend lots of time harvesting tomatoes. We will also take time to get everything good and weeded one last time.
During September we will harvest like crazy and start the processing of cleaning up.
In October we will finish packing CSA bags, plant garlic for next year and clean up garden beds for their winter rest.
What is required of members?
Showing up for each of your 18 scheduled 3 hour shifts with our without your family.
Being capable of physical labor, on hands and knees, outdoors with bugs, heat, rain and cold.
A positive, can-do attitude.
$100 member deposit. ($75 will get returned to you in August)
Contact Sheila if you have questions about joining Backlund Acres Co-op for the 2025 growing season.
952-239-7760 or backlundacres@outlook.com
