At the Franklin Land Trust Guyette Farm, Plainfield, MA
Our History
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In 2007, Evelyn Guyette gifted part of her farm on Gloyd Street in Plainfield, Massachusetts to The Franklin Land Trust to honor her husband Harry, Harry’s brother Merrill and father, Arthur. Established in 1930, this 107 acre farm was a center of local agriculture during an era that saw many changes in farming and farm life. The family had three large gardens, best known for growing phenomenal cauliflower and a one-of-a-kind buttercup squash. Harry was known far and wide as "the cauliflower man." The Guyette family dearly wished to preserve the land for ongoing agricultural activities.
In 2011, Raspberry Hill Community Garden (RHCG) was formed in an agreement with the Franklin Land Trust to cultivate part of the land for a Community Garden. The founding members, a group of passionate garden and sustainable-living enthusiasts, sought to create a beautiful and functional agricultural space for community members to use and enjoy, as a continuation of the long farming history of the land by the Guyette family. We continue today, guided by the founding mission statement:
"To create a site where community members can have access to agricultural land, education, and other resources needed to grow healthy, organic crops, with the opportunity to strengthen relationships in our rural community."
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We gratefully accept donations to help with our projects. Please contact us at:
Harry Guyette Buttercup Winter Squash, continues to this day, as descendant seeds from Harry’s Plainfield squash are now grown by Tevis and Rachel Robertson-Goldberg at Crabapple Farm in Chesterfield.
(Pictured: Harry with his giant pumpkins.)
Franklin Land Trust
Guyette Farm is one of a number of properties owned and managed by Franklin Land Trust (FLT) for wildlife management and education. FLT has established a natural history interpretative trail system on the land for the public to enjoy, and offers community events and educational programs there.  FLT also partners with organizations such as the Student Conservation Association to help with training their members, and with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service on wildlife management projects.