As the growing season comes to a close, the garden team turns its attention to one of the most important tasks of the year: caring for the soil through winter. Bare soil is vulnerable to erosion, nutrient loss, and long-term degradation, so at Greenacres we work to ensure our garden beds are protected during the colder months using what we refer to as “soil armor.”

Soil armor helps safeguard soil health while setting the stage for a productive growing season ahead. In the garden, we rely primarily on two forms of protection: straw mulch and cover crops.

Straw mulch is spread over garden beds to shield the soil from harsh winter conditions. It helps reduce erosion, moderate soil temperature, and protect soil structure. In the spring, the straw is raked off and reused throughout the farm until it naturally breaks down. Once it’s no longer effective as mulch, it becomes part of our compost system—continuing its role in building healthy soil. Straw is especially useful for beds that remain in production later into the fall.

Our preferred soil armor, however, is cover crops. These plantings—typically a mix of grains and legumes—are grown not for harvest, but to support the soil itself. With living roots in the ground, cover crops stabilize soil, feed beneficial microorganisms, reduce compaction, and, in the case of legumes, contribute nitrogen back into the system. Rather than placing protection on top of the soil, we grow it in place.

This fall, the garden team successfully established cover crops across most of our beds. These efforts reflect Greenacres’ long-term commitment to soil stewardship, ensuring the garden is protected through winter and prepared to thrive in the seasons ahead.

This record-breaking summer brought extended heat and dry conditions, making thoughtful soil protection and moisture retention more important than ever as we prepared the garden for winter.

In 2025, the weekend welcomed 23 local artists, ranging from students to established professionals. Participants consistently noted the thoughtful balance of learning, networking, relaxation, and creative exploration—both indoors and outdoors.

Educational components of the weekend included peer-led Sharing Sessions, during which artists shared techniques, creative approaches, and personal processes. Workshops explored themes such as unblocking creativity through abstraction, overcoming the inner critic, and using nature as a direct source of inspiration. Artists learned how to find texture for ceramics in the landscape, forage fallen natural materials for artmaking, and observe their environment with fresh perspective.

Artists also had the opportunity to join optional tours of the Greenhouse and Stables, which helped them better understand Greenacres as a whole and deepened their connection to the land and its many educational programs.

The heart of the weekend was dedicated to Creative Exploration Sessions, which provided uninterrupted time for artists to create, reflect, or simply observe. Throughout the Arts Center grounds, artists were found painting en plein air in the gardens, walking Oakline Drive, working quietly indoors, or gathering for conversation over coffee. This open structure allowed learning to unfold organically through experience and place.

The weekend concluded with a roundtable reflection led by the Greenacres Arts and Education teams, offering space for collective feedback and shared insight. Artists reflected on how the experience shaped their thinking and practice, sharing sentiments such as:

• • • “I feel encouraged to think critically about how to change my practice.”
    • “The Artist Weekend is a lightning-in-a-bottle moment.”
    • “This weekend reminded me that creating art is a valid use of my time.”

Looking ahead, work created during the weekend will be featured in an Artist Weekend Exhibition opening in February 2026, on view at the Arts Center through next December. Applications for the 2026 Artist Weekend will open in late spring, welcoming a new group of artists to learn, reflect, and create at Greenacres.