Land Acknowledgment
We acknowledge that the land now known as the town of Newtown is the ancestral lands of the Pootatuck Tribe, a subgroup of the Paugussett (paw-GUS-it) Nation whose descendants are now the Schaghticoke (SKAT-ih-kohk) Tribal Nation. We honor them as the original stewards of this land and acknowledge their continued presence in our town’s history.
The Farm Today
Sky Blueberry Farm is a 48 year old field of highbush blueberry plants in southern Newtown, CT. Originally owned by Eleanor Mayer as part of her Cherry Grove Farm and tended by Farmer Joel, our 170-ish bushes of six cultivars are still alive and well. Andrea Zimmerman wrote a paragraph about the field in her 2005 book Eleanor Mayer’s History of Cherry Grove Farm on p.76. If you’d like to learn more about this extraordinary banker and real estate developer turned farmer, the book is for sale from the Newtown Historical Society.
When we moved here, the blueberries were not labeled and we didn’t know what the cultivars were. After researching (and sampling!) we discovered we have six cultivars. They are, in order of ripening:
- #1 – Earliblue
- #2 – Bluecrop
- #3 – Rubel
- “Oddball” – Jersey
- #4 – Hardiblue
- #5 – Elliott (tart)
Our mission is simple: to provide fresh, organic blueberries to Newtown, CT. We use only organic farming methods, including OMRI certified organic Espoma Holly-Tone fertilizer and organic pine bark mulch. In 2021 we began using an OMRI certified organic beneficial bacteria to control fungus. It is sprayed on the buds, flowers, and leaves in April and May. Then in 2023 we started using OMRI certified organic Captain Jack’s Dead Bug Brew, with a beneficial bacteria Spinosad, to combat fruit flies. Other methods of disease control include weeding, mulching, and pruning off any dead or diseased parts of the bush. It’s hard work, but ultimately it’s best for the environment and for your health.
We purchased half the field with our home in 2019. Because we don’t own the entire field (and for many other logistical reasons), we cannot allow people to pick their own blueberries. Instead you can buy them, as well as some of our other home grown vegetables, at our farm stand during blueberry season during July with an extended season for our tart Elliott blueberries.
To purchase pints of our organic blueberries, visit our Facebook group Sky Blueberry Farm Sales and we’ll let you know when the next crop is ready.