A dream garden grows on Bruey Road

By Andra Moss

There is a new farm stand in town—and a pair of new farmers. Bonnie Simmons and Bart Wenrich moved to Norfolk in 2018 with no immediate thoughts of working the land. However, a visit to their Oak Hill Farm this summer reveals a significant vegetable-growing operation and an impressive herd of 15 goats—the existence of which would have surprised the couple even a few short years ago.

As Simmons recalls, “We started with four raised beds in 2023 with small plants we bought from Freund’s.” Having such fresh bounty at hand, she says, quickly made them itch to expand. Wenrich (apparently a natural at operations and design) jumped into action, wrestling together their first 50-foot hoop house in 2024. Soil and fertilizer from McEnroe’s organic farm went in, followed by several varieties of tomatoes. The budding farmers then eyed their grounds for additional plant-growing potential.

Things began to get serious. Wenrich laid out irrigation systems and installed quick-plant fabric cloth that also cut down on weeding. Over the winter, Simmons ordered seeds from High Mowing Seeds, an organic farm in Vermont, and put their hotline to good use. “They really taught me a lot about growing from seed,” she says. “It’s all about ventilation, irrigation, soil, fertilization, suc-cession planting—it was all new.” On March 22 she started the seeds in the garage for this season’s crops.

Simmons also was inspired by Grant and Kristin Mudge, owners of Norfolk’s Broadfield Farm. After sampling a Mudge tomato, she recalls thinking that “I’ve never tasted anything like this; it’s insanely delicious. So last summer I tortured both of them with questions about farming.”

Wenrich and Simmons are now all-in on farming. His birthday gift to her last year was the farm stand building (delivered assembled!) and they have plans to expand their garden’s footprint to more than double what they have now. Says Simmons, “Bart is the visionary of laying things out, knowing what is needed. He’ll always think about the thing I haven’t thought of.”

Simmons does “all the day-to-day” gardening herself. After walking the dogs, she’s usually at her potting bench by 6 a.m. planting seeds for the succession. A good routine is vital, she notes, to get it all done. “Every Thursday I fertilize. Every morning I walk through and note what I need to plant. Ordering happens at night.”

They have slowly begun sharing their passion products, offering a revolving selection of produce, often cut moments before some lucky buyer scoots off with dreams of salad splendor. The current line-up includes 19 varieties of gourmet lettuces (their top sellers), squash, beans, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, cucumbers and 11 varieties of tomatoes.

Simmons has set up a group chat, “Green Eaters of Norfolk,” to let people know what is hitting its prime that day. Text her at 917-626-0478 to be added to the chat or simply to order, she says. If she isn’t there, she’ll leave it in the farmstand cooler up the driveway at 71 Bruey Road. Venmo and cash are accepted. Instagram (@oakhillfarmct) followers can enjoy posts on their progress and photos sent in by Norfolk cooks showing what they’re making with Oak Hill Farm produce.

Peter and Marinell Crippen have already jumped on board, using Oak Hill Farm produce at their Icebox Café in downtown Norfolk. They also have plans to offer it directly for sale via a small “market” inside the café. Simmons is enthusiastic about the prospect. “Everybody who farms in Norfolk should all get together,” she encourages. “We should visit each other and partner in selling it to the community.” Simmons, who volunteers at the Norfolk Food Pantry every Tuesday, also donates produce there weekly. As she reflects on their rather unexpected post-retirement next act, Simmons notes that “It’s all ‘firsts.’ I think it’s going better than we thought and it’s really fun.” But more important, she says, are the gifts that come from the land. “I’m really interested in giving Norfolk a way to buy produce right here. Other towns have it and we should have it.”