Name: Beach Plum Farm
Location: 610 Main Street
Ogunquit, Maine 03907
Phone: 207-646-3604
Website: www.gwrlt.org
Email: info@gwrlt.org
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 151
South Berwick, Maine 03908
Products and Services:
-community gardens
-last remaining saltwater farm in Ogunquit
-Roby Littlefield Museum
-walking loop through fields
-bird watching
What Makes Beach Plum Farm So Unique?
If you have ever traveled down busy Route One
in Ogunquit, and didn’t know about the Beach Plum
Farm, you truly have missed out on one of the “hidden gems” in Maine. It is a salt water farm that sits on twenty-two acres overlooking the dunes and ocean. It is a landscape that resonates a distinct peace and natural beauty, despite its location in the middle of one of the most highly-developed spots in the southern coastal area of Maine.
There is a feeling of welcome and tranquility at
Beach Plum Farm. Benches are scattered throughout
the property and visitors are encouraged to rest
and enjoy the surroundings. Several interesting
species of plants are abundant on the farm including the beach plums, wild flowers, field grasses, and bayberry shrubs.
There’s a lovely history associated with Beach Plum Farm. It was generously donated to the Great Works Regional Land Trust by Joseph Littlefield in memory of his uncle Roby Littlefield in 1997. Be sure to check out the Roby Littlefield Museum that is situated on the property. It provides a unique opportunity to step back in time and view some of Roby’s farm equipment, books, furniture, and memorabilia.
Roby Littlefield farmed the land at Beach Plum Farm and served in World War I and the Maine Senate. How fitting that he is honored at Beach Plum Farm since he was responsible for spearheading the preservation of Oqunquit Beach for public use. His generosity and concern for the environment, farming, and the public access to land certainly aligns well with the mission of the Great Works Regional Land Trust whose office is situated on the farm property.
Beach Plum Farm is one of five properties that the Great Works Regional Land Trust has helped to preserve. The other properties include the Bauneg Beg Mountain Conservation Area in North Berwick,
the Orris Falls Conservation Area in South Berwick,
the Raymond and Simone Savage Wildlife Preserve
in South Berwick/Eliot on the Salmon Falls River,
and the Douglas Memorial Woods in Eliot.
Roby Littlefield started the practice of welcoming community gardens at his farm long before it was commonly in vogue. The tradition has been carried on and over fifty garden plots are available
to be farmed by community members.
The focus on “community” has admirably been broadened at the Beach Plum Farm to include a concern for those who are hungry in Maine. The Maine Harvest for Hunger program has
a presence at the Beach Plum Farm. They accept
donations of vegetables and herbs on specific
days and distribute these items to food pantries
and those in need.
It would be a challenge to find another community garden system in Maine that has such a creative and unique presentation. Visitors to Beach Plum Farm
could spend a few hours strolling through the gardens
and checking out how each gardener has left “their
own personal mark.”
Young children visiting the gardens might view some of the community plots as quite magical with the way that they have been decorated. Some gardens have distinct themes such as being dedicated to a certain hobby or pastime. There are large artistic sculptures in a few of the gardens, bird houses in others, stone sculptures, wire formations, cherished items, trellis work, fountains, ornate signs and metalwork, and driftwood creations.
While some of the community gardeners are
focusing on growing vegetables, there are others
who are interested in cultivating flowers. The
colorful flowers attract many insects and birds to
the property. The Beach Plum Farm provides good birding opportunities and wildlife sightings because of its diversity of habitats and its proximity to the Oqunquit River and the Atlantic Ocean. Birders enjoy watching the coastal birds and the flocks of migrating ducks that access the marshlands.
Beach Plum Farm is open from dawn to dusk. In
the winter months, the farm is open from 8 a.m. to
5 p.m. There is no charge to visit. If you are in
need of visiting a peaceful farm in which to escape
for some reflection and quiet, be sure to keep
the Beach Plum Farm in mind.
Hats off to Roby Littelfield, Joseph Littlfield, the Great Works Regional Land Trust, and all the
individuals involved in seeing that the Beach Plum
Farm would be accessible to the public. It is a fine example of what can be accomplished when individuals commit to the idea of preserving our farmland and our natural resources.
