Featured Garden: Wayeeses Farms Sugarbush
A Maple Syrup Farm in Vermont
Located in Morgan, Vermont, Wayeeses Farms Sugarbush is a maple syrup farm with 2000 trees! Check out their videos on making maple syrup>>
How did you become a gardener?
I became a sugarmaker when I moved to Vermont in the late 80's. I had been a gatherer of wild fruits and berries since my childhood but I was fascinated by the process of gathering sap from trees and processing it into maple syrup.
What is your favorite plant?
The sugar maple tree, of course since this is what we harvest the sap from.
What's a favorite feature of your garden?
The plants that grow under the maple canopy. There are wild leeks, ferns and wildflowers growing in the sugarbush.
What's your greatest challenge in gardening?
The weather. Sap runs in the spring when the day time temperatures are above freezing and the nights are below freezing. Wet snow or rain wets the trees and increases sap flow; wind dries out the trees and decreases sap flow. The amount of sap stored in the tree is dependent on how much moisture fell the previous summer/fall.
What's your best tip for new gardeners?
Thin your sugarbush so that when you stand under your maple trees and look up, none of the branches from neighboring trees are touching. This will allow each maple tree to grow a bigger canopy and store more sap.
- Categories // : Featured Gardens
Comments (1)
Been to the sugar house, helped in the process, worked with the owners...Best experience ever. I am one of the official tasters :)