What style of farming do we practice?
I like to say we are "beyond organic" meaning we don't just farm by organic standards, but go beyond the standards. We focus on building healthy soil year after year. We cover the soil as much as possible with cover crops, and various mulches, especially using leaves, pine needles. and animal bedding found on the farm. We also rotate chickens and goats through the gardens in the fall.
Are you certified organic?
We are not certified organic. Our farming practices go above and beyond the organic standards. We've decided to show our customers how we farm rather than pay a third-party organization whose standards don't match up to our own.
Do you use pesticides or herbicides?
Absolute not! We don't even use naturally-derived pesticides and herbicides that are approved under organic standards. We believe that if we take care of our soil and help to balance the ecosystem on our farm, there is no need for pesticides or herbicides.
How do you manage weeds?
We start by keeping as much of the soil covered by mulch or landscape fabric as possible. The rest of the garden we give a hand hoe every single week. This lets us keep close tabs on what is happening in every part of the garden.
How do you manage insect pressure?
We have the distinct disadvantage of being surrounded by canola fields. These pretty, but nasty smelling fields harbor trillions of fee beetles. Flee beetles love the brassica family of vegetables which on our farm includes: kale, broccoli, cauliflower, arugula, napa cabbage, box choi, red and green cabbages, radishes and salad turnips. The only way to prevent these crops from being decimated by flee beetles and sometimes by cabbage moths is to cover them with floating row cover. Other insects are not a problem for us, as long as we keep our soil fertility high!
Where do you get your seeds from?
We get our seeds from a variety of different places. Some of the seed companies are small and up-and-coming, while others are large and well established. We always try to use organic seeds when possible, however some varieties aren’t always available as certified organic. They may have been grown organically, just not certified.
Who provides the labor for your farm?
The chief farmer who does the majority of labor on the farm is Michone. All three of our girls will, to varying degrees, work for me at different levels of pay. We sometimes do work trades with friends and Adam loves to hoe a row in the evening while having a good conversation.
What fertilizers and amendments do you use?
All of the amendments we use are certified organic or approved for organic use and we source locally whenever possible. Here is a list of what we use and why.
Compost- We use a high-quality, certified organic compost sourced from Dirt Ruch Compost in Columbia Falls.
Blood Meal- We source certified organic blood meal to help with nitrogen needs on the farm.
Elemental Sulfur- We source certified organic elemental sulphur, as our soil is consistently low in sulphur.
Old Hay - We source local, organically-grown but not certified alfalfa and grass hay and use it as mulch and organic matter for the soil.
