When Trout and Jennifer Gaskins bought their home in Newtown in 2007, they originally thought they would just be growing some tomatoes in the warm months to balance out Mr Gaskin’s schedule working as an artist in the wintertime.

“It quickly turned into a full-time endeavor,” Ms Gaskins revealed.

After dedicating the first year there to clearing out the overgrown land that was once an 80-acre farm before being subdivided in the 1970s, the couple began their farming operation in September 2008.

Mr Gaskins said they decided on the name Farming 101 as a “serendipitous” reference to the property’s numbered address on Brushy Hill Road, as well as a nod to getting back to the basics.

The farm, however, has evolved to be anything but rudimentary. Originally, they started out utilizing a quarter of an acre of the property but have now expanded to using two acres.

On the land, they grow their specialty heirloom tomatoes in 40 different varieties that look like a bountiful rainbow of color when the harvest is gathered together.

Throughout the years, they started selling eggs from their family of on-site chickens and fresh flowers, like zinnias and sunflowers, from their 1,500 plants. There is also a wide selection of fruits and vegetables growing throughout the farm, ranging from blueberries and raspberries to okra and cucumbers.

Their products are all certified organic, since 2011, and along with annual inspections, the farm actively participates in programs with the USDA and the Connecticut Department of Agriculture to ensure the highest quality of their harvests.

With the expansion of Farming 101’s product selection came the undertaking of establishing more farming resources.

“We now have three seasonal high tunnels, deer fence around the perimeter of the property, and we have a barn we just built,” Mr Gaskins said.

The high-tunnels, Ms Gaskins explained, are “like a greenhouse, except you grow in the ground. There’s no floor or walls; it’s just a plastic covering, so it’s solar heated. You can grow almost year-round... It’s terrific because we don’t need oil or any additional fossil fuels to operate them.”

The couple took the 2017 season off to focus solely on getting their new barn built in order to replace the property’s original 1870s barn.

Mr Gaskins’ goal was to make the structure as traditional as possible, and he implemented mortise and tenon jointing. The new barn is expected to be completed and utilized next season for tasks like growing seedlings and housing the farm’s chiller box — all of which currently reside in the couple’s home on-site.

“We’ll be moving the operation outside the house,” Ms Gaskins said happily.

The Gaskins look forward to the future possibilities with Farming 101.

“I personally think in the next three years, we could be at a place where we can be well-balanced and maintain our growing and have our operation where we hope to have it,” Mr Gaskins said.

“I can’t say that we knew that [the farm] would be what it is now, ten years ago,” Ms Gaskins added. “Trout is amazing with having the long-term goals and outlook, where I’m the day-to-day side of it. He’s really been able to make this so much more than what we originally thought and make a lifestyle that we truly enjoy and embrace.”

Farming 101 does not currently have an on-site farm stand or offer CSAs, but it participates in the Greenwich Farmers’ Market on Saturdays. It also sells to small restaurants in Upper Westchester and Lower Fairfield Counties and to private residents nearby upon request. For more information about Farming 101 in Newtown, visit Farming 101 on Facebook.