The land we lease has been managed according to organic guidelines since 2011 and it has been Certified Naturally Grown since 2013.
Here's a quick overview of our growing practices. If you’d like additional information, please let us know.
Soil fertility: We test our soil annually and amend it according to those test results. We maintain soil fertility by rotating crops, planting cover crops, and applying organically-approved fertilizers and micronutrients. The products we use include blood meal, fish emulsion, compost, lime, kelp, and a number of mineral supplements.
Weed control: We block weeds with landscape fabric (woven, reusable, plastic fabric), BioTelo (biodegradable plastic), straw mulch, and cover crops. When weeds appear among our vegetable crops, we remove them by hand, with hoes and other hand tools, and with tractor-mounted cultivators.
Pest control: We plant flowering farmscapes and cover crops to attract beneficial insects to the areas around our crops. We hand-pick pests and sometimes buy beneficial insects that we can release where pest populations are damaging crops. When necessary, we spray our crops with organically-approved controls, including Bacillus thuringiensis and Safer Insecticidal Soap. Rotating our crops also helps us control insect pests. We use electrified fences to deter deer, and sometimes trap groundhogs.
Plant diseases: We manage plant diseases by balancing soil nutrients, rotating crops, planting cover crops, and removing severely infected plants.
Please note: the farm is not open to the public at this time.