Waxing Moon Gardens

Name: Zach Nordlund and Tristan Lovecky

Business:  Waxing Moon Gardens

Zach Nordlund & Tristan Lovecky both grew up in southern New Hampshire, but they met online. Tristan moved to Sandwich first. The owner of the land had a vision for the property that included growing food. Zach came up to visit and liked it, so they decided to start a farm.

“We named our business Waxing Moon Gardens instead of Waxing Moon Farm,” Zach explains, “because the way we steward the land feels more in the realm of gardening to us. We’re extremely attentive to all of the spaces in our garden and very aware of what’s happening in all areas of the farm.”

Zach’s parents had a brief episode with sheep and goats, Tristan’s parents kept vegetable gardens. Before farming, Zach worked odd jobs and did some carpentry. Tristan was a flower gardener and worked odd jobs in the winter.

“What made me start farming,” Tristan says,  “is that it felt meaningful and productive. I enjoy being outside, working with nature and helping create a positive difference, even if it's in a small way.” 

“For me, it was the importance of providing people with good food,” Zach says. “I’ve been at it now for thirteen years.”

“We definitely have a shorter growing season here in Sandwich,” he continues. “Our farm is at an altitude of about 1000 feet at the base of a mountain. We squeeze quite a bit into a relatively short season. Last year was our first year with a high tunnel, so that’s helped us to extend the season. This land grew wheat, corn, and potatoes back in the 1800s; but it has been a hay field since the 1980s.”

Zach and Tristan produce a wide array of vegetables – almost anything you would find at a typical farmers market.

“My favorite vegetable is carrots,” Tristan states. “We grow a lot of them, mostly because people love them. Last year someone at the farmers market referred to us as the carrot couple, which made our day”

“For Zach, it’s broccoli. We also have some apple trees, flowers and herbs in our hedgerows; but we don’t consistently offer them. We distribute our produce at two farmers markets, and we have a CSA.”

“During the last four years, we’ve about doubled our field space, constructed the high tunnel, and constructed an 8-foot fence around two acres of our beds to keep out the deer,” Zach says with pride. “Back in 2021, we were living with quite a few people in a community setting, so we had help on the farm. Now it’s just the two of us.”

“We’ve also acquired a huge amount of crop knowledge and learned a lot about what works and what doesn't in our climate and our system. Patience is a big one because we’re always a bit behind up here. We’ve learned to never underestimate the wind. It seems to destroy something every season, even when we think we’re over prepared.”

“I’m not sure we would have done anything differently because the evolution of our farm has been a beautifully organic process. If we were ever forced to start over, however, we would use some sort of mechanized tillage to open up our bed spaces instead of doing the work by hand. That was incredibly labor intensive. We would have saved a lot of time and backaches had we not been so stubborn.”

Ecological stewardship is very important to both Tristan and Zach.

“The health of our soil and our ecosystems is extremely important to us,’ Tristan declares. “But so is making fresh produce accessible to our local communities. Organic farming is important because it supports the health of the people and the environment.”

“We believe that small organic farms and businesses will see a shift to communities being more supportive due to the world wide turmoil,” Zach adds. “We think people will want to connect with the products and services of people in their local area. Things seem to have been trending this way since the pandemic, but we think it’s about to be more accentuated.”

“If we could give advice to other young farmers just starting out, it would be to start small, stay as local as possible, and just keep trying. Persistence pays dividends. It’s a marathon not a sprint! Farming is a labor of love and a lifestyle decision.”

“You’ve got to be committed to be able to work some long hard days, but it’s also okay to take a break even if you can’t see the end of the ‘to do’ list.  Tristan and I both work at ski-mountains from December to March.“