How We Grow
It All Begins with the Soil
The success of any farm lies within its soil. Fertile soil is teeming with life, full of organisms that break down compounds for plants to consume. To build living soil, we make compost from the manure of our farm animals (sheep, mules, donkeys & chickens), blended with leaf mold, biochar and essential minerals. This mixture is cured and rotated within our aerated, cedar & concrete compost system. The product is a dark, earthy material, full of nutrients vital to plant and human growth.
“Feed the soil, not your plants!”
~ Charles Dowding
Along the Way…We Plant
We raise many different fruit crops in our farm-made compost, using a variety of growing systems. For strawberries, we fill our compost into raised cedar beds and stacked containers under high tunnels. This allows us to concentrate soil fertility and avoid leaching of nutrients. We propagate much of our own planting stock and source the rest from organic growers. The resulting mix of super-rich soil, healthy plants, and controlled environment allows us to avoid the use of synthetic chemicals.
“The final principle of natural farming is no pesticides. Nature is in perfect balance when it is left alone.”
~ Masanobu Fukuoka
And…It Ends with Harvest
The advantages of growing in high tunnels and raised beds are many. We can control moisture levels, mitigate temperature swings during the growing season, and plant & harvest regardless of weather. Berries dangle in the air avoiding disease and thwarting pests. Crop losses are negligible for the most part. Picking is a pleasure compared to stooping over in the berry patch. The productivity of this system is astounding!
