Festival Tips + Tricks
Welcome to the farm! We are a third-generation farming family in the oldest city of St. Augustine, Florida. Our main crop is field corn for hunters and ranchers and we are currently introducing the locals to our u-pick produce. As you stroll the farm for our second annual Christmas on the Farm event, you’ll probably notice our six kids in their farm staff shirts. Feel free to ask them (or us) any farm related questions as they all “know it all” and would be happy to help!
Please pay attention to your surroundings as this is a corner of our real working farm. We are happy to allow pictures by the equipment but please do not climb on them. Pay attention to the ground and keep an eye out for snakes, ants, and flying insects. Please find an adult in a staff shirt and we will be happy to address the issue to keep you safe.
More information on workshops, summer camp and homeschool days is available here. Enjoy your visit and come back soon! If you need to pay via Venmo, please click the link below or send it to username @wesleywellsfarm
A Country Christmas on the Farm
We are so excited to have you join us to experience Christmas on the farm! Please arrive during your pre-purchased session. VIP’s will be granted entry from 9-10am followed by the first session from 10-12 and the second session from 12-2pm. Upon check in, you will receive a time slot card to meet Santa. Please visit the Santa area with your entire party at the time marked on your card. The North Pole Kids Area is near the Santa meet and greet and offers several fun games and activities for your children to enjoy.
Don’t miss our handmade market filled with wonderful Christmas gift ideas. There will also be food trucks on site for lunch. The Elf on the Shelf will be on the porch of the Red Shed offering story time every 30 minutes and a fun photo op. Don’t forget to make an ornament to take home and stop by our Christmas Card station to make a lovely holiday card for local veterans to be delivered later this week.
We would LOVE to see the photos you take at our Christmas event! Please feel free to tag us on Facebook and Instagram. Lastly, don’t miss the true reason for the season, and take a stroll along the farm road while reading the signs that tell the Christmas story in celebration of Christ’s birth.
Map of the Farm
Harvest Tips
Picking your own produce can be fun –if you know what you’re doing! Here are some great tips to help you harvest the best, freshest fruit and vegetables in the field. Not all of these will be growing in the same time so if you see something listed that’s not in the field, come back for a visit during the next season!
Tomatoes – don’t be afraid of green tomatoes! Look for large, smooth tomatoes just beginning to ripen and harvest them before pests find them. They’ll ripen within a day or so on your kitchen counter and taste just as delicious as vine ripened fruit.
Squash/zucchini – use clippers or a sharp knife to remove the squash from the plant, being sure to leave 1” of the stem intact.
Green beans – use scissors or pinch the stem above each bean to remove from plant. Be gentle since harsh tugs can remove the entire plant from the ground. And look closely because the beans like to hide under the leaves.
Peppers – use small scissors to cut the stem to remove peppers from plant. Gloves are highly recommended to harvest hot peppers. BE CAREFUL NOT TO TOUCH YOUR EYES, especially with hot peppers! If you do, find one of our hand washing stations and scrub your hands right away!
Butternut squash – look for thick, tan, heavy squash and cut at stem to remove from vine.
Pumpkins – use clippers to remove pumpkins from vine. Make sure to leave a 3-4” stem if possible and try not to carry by them stem since they’ll usually break off.
Cabbage – look for large heads where the leaves have begun to close up and form a ball. Remove any discolored or holey leaves and use a sharp knife to cut the stem just below the head.
Broccoli – look for crowns the size of your hand. Cut at the base of crown. Remove any unwanted leaves and feel free to feed them to our farm animals.
Collards – harvest leaves wider than the palm of your hand working from the bottom of the plant to the top. Remove by breaking the leaf stem from the trunk. Lettuce – harvest when a full head is formed. Use a sharp knife to cut the head from the stalk.
Spinach – only cut the leaves that are wider than two fingers.
Kale – look for long, healthy leaves and cut from the outside of the plant in to remove leaves.
Strawberries – ripe fruit is ready when the entire fruit is red. Leave any partially white fruit on the plant to continue ripening. Use small clippers or scissors to remove fruit without damaging the plants.
Blueberries – look for the blue berries to harvest and leave the green ones to ripen on the bush. These berries don’t ripen after harvest so make sure they’re completely blue.
If you see a fruit or vegetable in the field and the harvest tips are not listed, please find one of our staff and ask. We are here to help and educate and we want you to take home delicious, fresh produce. Thanks!
Want More Farm Fun?
If you enjoyed your time on the farm, we’d love to see you again! We host various events throughout the year. Join one of smaller crafting workshops, ask us about summer camp and educational opportunities for schools, plus come back by appointment for more you-pick produce. Sign up for our email list below to be notified of future events on the farm. Thank you for coming!