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by Whitefish Pilot
| October 3, 2016 7:46 AM

A public farm tour of Purple Frog Gardens outside Whitefish on Oct. 7 will focus around the importance of diversification in planting a farm.

The tour is part of the Alternative Energy Resources Organization expo and annual meeting in Kalispell Oct. 7-10. Farm Hands Nourish is offering the tour, which will be lead by owner and farmer Pam Gerwe.

Gerwe will share her own stories of growth through diversification including what worked and what didn’t and how after 25 years Purple Frog Gardens continues to transform to fit the needs of the land and the community.

Touring Purple Frog Gardens, participants will see a diverse first generation farm that features growing market vegetables, fruits, flowers, a farm stand, community events, and care farming, each of which add a bit to the income of the farm. The tour will focus on the farm’s permanent infrastructure such as irrigation, row covers, hoop houses, and perennial plants as well as the importance of community involvement.

Although this tour is part of the AERO meeting, it is free and open to the public. Purple Frog Gardens is located at 170 Blanchard Lake Drive. The tour is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The tour is supported by Montana Farm Link of the Community Food and Agriculture Coalition (CFAC Missoula). The tour will close with afternoon refreshments and the chance to meet folks from AERO, CFAC, and Farm Hands Nourish the Flathead, a Flathead Valley based organization dedicated to promoting equal food access in our communities by connecting people to the sources of their food through local agriculture and providing education on available resources.

AERO is a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to solutions that promote resource conservation and local economic vitality.