Our farm produces naturally grown vegetables and fruits. Chemical Herbicides or Pesticides are not found in our gardens. We cure our own compost from barn waste to build healthy soil in the gardens. Using the no till method of gardening builds the soil allowing the natural life underground to breakdown the nutrients we add.
We collect the straw and manure from the cow barn and the chicken droppings from under the roost to make compost. The animal waste is layered with ground up leaves and grass clippings collected during the year. We then turn the pile at least once a month making sure it is always damp so it will cure. In the fall we try to cover the beds with ground up leaves to protect the soil from the elements. The leaves slowly break down creating more soil. In this way the naturally grown vegetables have a good healthy soil to put their roots down into.
After many years of dealing with wet, red clay soil every spring we decided to try gardening using the no till method. We hauled in extra compost, piled it onto a layer of cardboard, we added ground up oak and maple leaves as well as piles of grass clippings and green kitchen waste. One of the first things we noticed is that we can start planting much earlier because we do not have to wait for the garden to dry out enough to till. The layers of compost soil are light and act as a sponge, absorbing and holding water yet not being soggy clods of clay. We mow the pathways between our garden beds. These mowed areas are full of clover, chickweed and other small native plants creating a delightful dining experience for natural pollinators.
Our farm gardens are filled with naturally grown, heirloom vegetables. We like to keep the old verities that seeds can be saved from like the Brandywine tomato, Fortex pole bean and Detroit Dark Red beets. It is a challenge to grow some of those old types, but the great flavor makes it so worth the extra effort.
Our farm approved for a NRCS grant to build a high tunnel in 2023. Construction of the project took over a year. We were able to plant the first vegetables in the winter of 2024. Building the soil is always a work in progress, but we are able to naturally grow lettuce and other green vegetables successfully. A friend found a mushroom farm where we could purchase mushroom compost. We hired a dump truck to bring a load of that wonderful soil amendment. We added a layer of compost made on our own farm for added nutrition. Now the growing beds are looking good.
We are growing lettuce, beets, mixed greens as well as strawberries during the winter. We are still learning to garden in the enclosure as it is much different from gardening outside. The side curtains of the high tunnel roll down allowing the hot air to escape and some air to blow through. It is very nice to go out and garden in the middle of winter.