How We Farm

What does No-Till or Minimal-Tillage mean?

No-till or Minimum-till farming means that we don’t use conventional tilling to prepare the soil. This is because tilling destroys soil structure, leaving it more prone to erosion, runoff and nutrient depletion. Instead, we prep the soil by adding amendments, using a broad fork to lift and aerate the soil without disturbing its structure, and then mixing only the top inch or two to create a light and even surface that is ideal for both direct seeding and transplanting.

What do you use as an alternative to synthetic fertilizers?

Synthetic fertilizers greatly contribute to agricultural runoff and we never use them in our fields. Instead, we utilize a combination of certified organic compost, organic composted chicken manure, and organic alfalfa meal. This combination is carefully calculated so we only utilize what our crops need, minimizing waste and runoff.

What do you use as a substitute for plastic mulch?

We believe that single use plastic is a huge problem in farming and never use it in weed management. Most crops we grow using no mulch at all, choosing to manage weed pressure with a variety of specialized hand tools for small scale farming. In cases where mulch is necessary we use durable landscape fabric that lasts for many seasons. We also use wood chips in pathways and field boarders to suppress weeds and incorporate them into the soil as they decompose to add nutrients and organic matter.

What is a permanent raised bed system?

Each of our field plots are organized into permanent raised beds because they help create and maintain healthy soil structure with good drainage. Each bed is raised 3-4 inches above our wood chip lined pathways. They are never tilled and are amended with compost each year, adding organic matter and leaving the soil structure undamaged so biodiversity can flourish.