Although we chose to drop our Organic Certification a few years ago, we have not changed the way we grow food! All of our soil amendments are OMRI approved, over 98% of our seeds are certified organic, and we go above and beyond as far as organic practices are concerned .
We start all of our crops right here, either directly sown into the fields, or started in trays in our greenhouse. We make our own potting soil out of a mix of utelite, peat moss, and a base fertilizer mix (made in house).
We use crop rotation, cover crops, compost, compost teas (made in-house), microbial inoculants, organic soil amendments (when necessary) and biodynamic preparations to ensure the healthiest crops.
For insect pests we practice integrated pest management (IPM) by: hiding certain crops from pests with row covers, introducing “good” predatory insects and nematodes, and using OMRI approved biological insect control (when necessary).
With an eye always focused on sustainability we continue to grow our solar production on the property. We also use passive season extension practices to gain an edge on our short growing season. Our 3500 sq ft passive solar design greenhouse helps us start many crops indoors before they can be transplanted outside. It also allows us to grow crops such as tomatoes and cucumbers that do not do well here grown outside. In the winter, the greenhouse grows greens without supplemental heating.
Our 3 hoop houses grown greens in the winter and tomatoes, beans, cucumbers and flowers in the summer with the help of an in-ground hydronic heating system. Two of our hoop houses are moveable, and are moved once a year. Having moveable hoop houses increases our production out of those spaces.
We keep tabs on our soil and water by regular testing.