GARDENS
     
Home Page

Our Philosophy

Community Supported Agriculture

Support Your Local Farmer Day

ANIMALS OVERVIEW

Gulf Coast Sheep

GARDENS OVERVIEW

Items Wanted

For Sale on Farm

 

Our gardens are managed in a sustainable manner, no chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides are used.  Our fertility comes from our rabbits and worms, we follow GAP [Generally Approved Procedures] and make sure we have at least the specified amount of time between applying manure and harvest.  We use open pollinated seed, mostly heirloom varieties and no hybrids, so we never use GMO seed.  We practice no till gardening, so we protect the soil food web, for healthy soil and great fertility.  We use integrated pest management practices, which means that even though we don't fight the bugs, we still get a nice crop.

We use raised garden beds, made with masonry blocks.  We do use landscape fabric, which is used year after year, the oldest stuff we have is about 6 years old and not even close to being worn out.  We do buy mulch, we do not have the machinery to grind the amount we use.  Our mulch is primarily pine, being ground from trees that are removed for construction.  We buy the compost that goes on our gardens from a certified organic producer.  We can not generate the quantities we need in a year.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

WHY RAISED GARDEN BEDS?

When we were first learning to garden here, we had a wonderful garden on the flat, one year.  At least until the first tropical storm of the year.  That garden drowned.  The first year we started building our current beds, we had 6 raised beds and the rain was fierce.  We got 45 inches of rain in 45 days.  Our tomatoes were fabulous, and every thing survived.  We have been firm believers in raised beds ever since.

The more we learn about the soil food web, the more we learn about the damage done to the soil by annual tilling, the happier we are with our decision to put in permanent raised beds that are never tilled, once they are built.  We do remove the mulch and the landscape fabric every year and rake the top couple of inches as a pest control measure, before we apply manure, but we never disturb the soil deeper than 2 inches.

 

WHY NO CHEMICALS?

We believe quality food needs no chemicals.  We work with the natural system, learning from it and supporting it.  Mother Nature does not apply chemicals, nor does she use a tiller.  We did not move the country to poison ourselves with chemicals.  Since we have been here, we have discovered that our previous life did some real damage, I suffer from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, MCS.  This reinforces our commitment to living as natually as possible.

We have noticed, that if we have a pest show up in our gardens, very soon that pest's predator also shows up.  If we use chemicals to rid ourselves of the pest, there is a very good chance we will destroy the predator that feeds on that pest.  When the pests come back, you then have to use chemicals, then the pest become resistant to the chemicals and you have to find something else to grow.  We believe the natural balance, between pest and predator is a better way to manage our land.  We encourage beneficial organism to live here.

Yes, we do have problems that can damage our crops.  Some, like hornworms on our tomaotes are best dealt with in a mechanical manner, such as hand picking them off every day.  Grasshoppers, which are extremely bad this year are being dealt with by using tule and other fabrics to protect tender plants.

 

WHAT IS GAP?

GAP is Generally Accepted Procedures which have been developed by the USDA, in conjunction with various scientists as a measure to ensure healthy food.  The rules are not laws, but have been adopted by most large stores and thus most farmers must follow them.  No one is forcing us to, but we want the safest food possible for ourselves and our customers.   Most of what they cover does not apply to us, as we do not wash any produce, our cooling system uses air not water.  But we do use manure in our beds for fertility.   The GAP rules state the manure must not be applied to a bed any closer than 90 days before harvest for bush or vine crops and 120 days for root crops.

 

WHAT DOES OPEN POLINATED MEAN? WHAT IS A HEIRLOOM?

Open polinated seed will breed true, meaning a farmer can save seed to grow from one year to the next.  The seed does adapt to the micro-climate of the farm, and in many cases will produce better and more abundant produce, year after year.  Of course this depends on the farmer saving seed from only the best and healthiest plants he has.  An heirloom is an open polinated variety that has been around, being grown by farmers and gardeners for at least 50 years, some people say at least 100 years, but a long time.

This is important, the small farm is a tough challenge finacially, so saving seed really helps the farmer.  But more important, growing the old varieties keeps them viable and helps to protect the biodiversity of our world.

Update on web site stops at this point
The raised beds are perfect for no till farming.  Yes, the tiller was used to build the beds in the first place, but never since.  Our crop beds are still being tilled, but they were just started last year and we need to build up the soil and erradicate a few weeds, before we can go no till there too.  That, and the landscape cloth to cover 5400 sq. ft. is not cheap.  In time, they too will be no till.  Except the one which we hope to turn into a bed of alfalfa.  It would be lovely to get the farm built, then be able to sell the tiller.  We are trying to produce food that is not dependant on oil, at least our tractor runs on waste veggie oil and not much diesel.