FARMING PHILOSOPHY
Our values
A hard day’s work: It doesn’t have to be easy to be good! We innovate where we can, but much of what we do relies on the hard work of ourselves and our staff.
Our workers: We are committed to providing strong safety measures, days off and breaks, fair pay, and for migrant workers, their own space in their accomodations.
Reducing waste: We fix, recycle and reuse resources wherever possible. Even expired produce gets a second life enriching the soil!
Supporting local: If we can buy it close to home, we do. We have formed a network of local businesses we support and we like connecting our customers with them too. When you invest in us, you invest in other local businesses too.
Going the extra mile: Whether it’s literally travelling the miles to bring our farm’s bounty to your door, or taking the extra time to clean and prepare your items, we strive to always offer customers our best.
Doing good: We aim to be a resource to our community. Whether it’s donations in fresh food, money or time, we love knowing that we have a positive impact (and that you help us do that with your support).
Respect for biodiversity: No pesticides are used here. We have some bee hives on site, a variety of birds, and bears and other animals that find shelter and food in our back forest and ponds. We deal with pests using simple barriers and companion planting.
Organic farming: We are proud of our certification with Pro-Cert and passionate about using organic methods.
Our farming methods
Our farming methods are based on building healthy, balanced soil; supporting biodiversity; and extending the growing the growing season to provide fresh, local produce throughout the year.
Crop Rotation
An ancient practice, crop rotation is as simple as varying what is planted in a given field season by season. This practice takes advantage of the wide diversity of plants we grow to provide key nutrients, build up the soil, and keep diseases and pests at bay.
Cover Cropping
Useful for preventing erosion, controlling weeds and building certain nutrients into the soil, we use crops like rye and hay to prepare the soil in some fields. Then, the cover crop is incorporated into the soil and the new vegetable crop is planted.
Companion Planting
Just like with people, some plants just “click” and help provide the ideal growing conditions for each other. This is also a great strategy for reducing pests, as some plants are repellents to certain bugs.
Composting
With our own green vegetation, hay clippings and chicken manure from a local farmer, we create a nutrient-rich blend of compost. This is one of the key ways we enrich the soil to produce healthy plants and an excellent way for us to recycle our “past their prime” or damaged veggies, resulting in less waste.
Greenhouses
Because of greenhouses, we are able to offer a greater variety of vegetables much sooner in the year, meaning less use of imported products for our customers. Our greenhouses let us grow varieties of leafy greens almost year round, and make perfect incubators for more sensitive young plants.
Cooling Facility
Our large cooling facility allows certain items to be available even in winter months. The cooler is kept to a low temperature to maximize the shelf life of items such as carrots, beets and turnips and keep them crisp. Produce is cooled after harvesting by cool water or ice where possible and placed in the cooler right away to keep it fresh.