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Growing Practices
We are not certified organic but we do grow a
majority of our crops using organic methods. Before the public began to
look for the “organic” label, we had already been researching the safest
and most effective products for years prior that would need fewer and
lighter applications. Through prevention, observation and intervention,
we use an ecological approach to reduce or eliminate the use of
pesticides while managing pest populations at an acceptable rate. We are
committed to providing the community with healthy and nutritious food
using practices that are environmentally sustainable. So many families
in our community trust us to provide them with healthy produce and we
certainly won’t use methods that we believe are harmful to our family or
yours. It is also extremely important that we avoid exposure to harmful
chemicals while we work in the fields. We need to protect our farmland
by keeping the soil healthy and as chemical free as possible,
additionally we need the vegetables we consume as a family to be safe.
Although we use organic sprays on a majority of
our crops, sweet corn is an exception because it isn't feasible to grow
corn organically. Organic sprays do not deter the European corn borer,
which is prevalent year round, even in winter. Another pest is the
earworm, a moth that comes from the South every July to lay their eggs
on the silk of the ear which then hatches and falls into the ear. Very
few people view these worms as extra protein ;o) so we use an Integrated
Pest Management (IPM) approach to manage them in an environmentally
sustainable fashion. We apply well-timed applications of the safest
pesticides possible, protect beneficial insects that will help by eating
the larvae and we welcome barn swallows each July to swarm the earworm
larvae in the evenings.
An extensive drip irrigation system helps to
provide a strong, well-watered plant and keeps irrigation water off the
foliage reducing the growth of disease and pests. We are always
experimenting to incorporate new organic practices. We have found the
best approach is to talk with farmers to learn what has worked for them.
This year we are excited about the possibility of incorporating the use
of a hoop house, a greenhouse-like structure, to our tomato production.
Tomatoes are the crop most proneto disease and the hoop house will
likely protect the plants from airborne diseases such as the devastating
Late Blight. The modified climate inside the hoop house reduces the
need for pesticide use, keeps vital nutrients in the soil, extends the
growing season and increases yields.
Questions and suggestions are always welcome. |
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