Growing Food, Building Connections with Manna Food Center and Tom Farquhar of Sandy Springs Garden

A Future Harvest Field Day with Manna Food Center & Sandy Spring Gardens

Come spend the day in the field with fellow farmers, food system partners, and community builders for an engaging afternoon of practical learning, good conversation, and connection.

Hosted at Sandy Spring Gardens, this field day brings together Manna Food Center and farmer Tom Farquhar to explore how small farms can connect their harvest to local food access while navigating the realities of growing food in Maryland.

From Farm to Food Distribution

Annarose from Manna Food Center will introduce farmers to Manna’s work and its Farm to Food Bank program.

Learn how local farmers can get involved by selling or donating fresh produce and proteins that are then connected with food assistance providers throughout the region.

We’ll talk about:

• How the Farm to Food Bank program works
• What types of products farmers can provide
• How farmers connect with Manna
• Opportunities to sell or donate farm products
• Building stronger connections between local farms and the communities they serve

Cover Crops & Small-Scale Vegetable Production

Tom Farquhar of Sandy Spring Gardens will take us into the practical side of farming, sharing his experience with cover crops and small-scale vegetable production in Maryland.

We’ll dig into the real questions farmers face: What works? What doesn’t? And what does it actually take to grow vegetables on a small farm?

Tom will also share the history of the Sandy Spring Gardens Barn and the story of the farm, giving participants a closer look at the land, its history, and the practices behind the growing operation.

Farmer Q&A + Open Conversation

Bring your questions, your experiences, and your lessons learned!

This will be an open conversation where farmers can talk through challenges, share what they’re seeing in their own fields, and exchange ideas that can be taken back to the farm.

️ Lunch & Farmer Networking

We’ll wrap up the learning portion with lunch and networking — because some of the best farmer-to-farmer learning happens around the table.

Come ready to eat, connect, ask questions, share stories, and build relationships with farmers and food system partners from across the DMV.

Come for the field day. Leave with new ideas, new connections, and new possibilities for where your harvest can go.

This event is FREE,  RSVP required.