Fund a Heating System: Our Heirloom Seedlings Need Your Help by Timothy A. Frillman

Remind me

We need your help to create a heating system for our farm's hoop house in 2013. The project will keep our seeds safe from frost!

I started Frillman Farms, an heirloom vegetable and chicken egg venture, in the spring of 2011. The community has so far been wonderful in terms of the support residents have provided to my small 8-acre farm, particularly during a drought year.

Each and every day, I strive to bring the most natural and fresh produce and eggs to my customers. The farm includes about 150 chickens--each lays one egg per day--five beehives and a litany of heirloom vegetable varieties, all of which are GMO-free. Although I have no full-time help, I have provided internships to several area university students who are studying agriculture.

Your support will allow me to heat an existing facility on our grounds to help us remain competitive with other area farms. Keeping seedlings at 70 degrees is critical during the germination process. This heating system will ensure that plants stay warm during the threatening, cold nights; protecting my investment. Extending the growing season means we can maximize our harvest.

Any help you can offer would be sincerely appreciated as I continue to launch this local project off the ground. Thank you for supporting local agriculture.

Risks and challenges Learn about accountability on Kickstarter

The obstacles that come with running my farm are unpredictable. My livelihood relies heavily on weather conditions and other factors that are completely beyond my control. For example, I never could have imagined that my first year as a farmer would require facing an unprecedented drought.

In doing so, I truly put my developing farming skills to the test. I installed an irrigation system designed to target specific crops that were more vulnerable than others. In doing so, I was able to salvage the majority of my harvest despite dry conditions and extreme heat.

Among the many lessons I've learned is that a lot of farming--insects and other pest infestations, quirks in the pollination process, finicky weather, etc.--is truly reliant on letting go.

Remembering that you can only do so much is paramount to your success. You must let nature take its course, roll with the punches and hope for a good harvest. That said, I'm still committed, as a farmer, to doing everything within my power to ensure a prolific growing year.

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