In 1972 I was introduced to the organic whole food style of eating and organic methods of growing food. I was very enamored with the idea and grew my first garden that season. Over the next years I only occasionally had a place to garden and organic food availability was very limited or nonexistent.
In 2001 I finally had a place to establish a backyard garden like I wanted. I used a no till permanent bed system. Other than some horse manure a few seasons, the only amendment I made to the soil was lots of leaf mulch and compost. I grew vegetables every season until the winter of 2015. In the winter of 2015 I moved to Rutledge to have more space to grow vegetables, and more elbow room. My intention was to grow vegetables just for myself but then I became convinced that some people were able to make money at small farming. Since that’s all I ever really wanted to do I set my sights on that goal. I am in the third season here in Rutledge and loving it. It has been difficult switching from backyard gardening to professional farming but I’m getting there. I am having to find less labor intensive practices such as using fabricated ground cover, a tractor and a tiller. My goals are to farm without tilling, use only natural mulch and compost produced here on my 20 acres, and not to be heavily dependent on tillers and tractors. Many things I will not compromise on: I have never used synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, or GMO plants. I endeavor to produce food as naturally as possible and free of harmful substances. I am enhancing the soil to produce healthier plants and more nourishing food. This farm is Certified Naturally Grown and strictly adheres to all of their standards. |