What we learned from our SARE grant Broccoli and cauliflower are fall staples on diversified produce operations like ours. Historically, they thrive in our northeastern region and provide heft, visual interest, and diversity to our direct market and CSA boxes. But in recent years, growing heading fall brassicas feels like gambling. Hot summers stress seedlings. […]
Strategies for dealing with fall brassica diseases Read More »
Americans have always been inclined to like big things, often the bigger the better. A lot of marketing has been based on supersizing. This attitude has been applied at farmers markets as well — big red tomatoes, big ears of sweet corn, big heads of cauliflower. But it would be a mistake to assume that
Cute crops that make serious profits Read More »
It is the heat of late summer, and we are all in the throes of a hectic harvesting and marketing season. But in the midst of it all, I bet you are thinking about next year already. More of this, less of that, none of that ever again. It is in our nature to plan
Go nuts! Diversify your offerings with nut trees Read More »
#ToolsForGrowingForMarket As I was preparing one of many beds this week on the farm for seeding and transplanting our fall and winter crops, I once again was appreciating how good the DeWit Seed Bed rake is. Compared to the ubiquitous 12-inch bow rakes sold in most garden centers and hardware stores, the Seed Bed rake
DeWit seed bed rake��-an appreciation Read More »
After three years of running our flower farm, Moonshot Farm in East Windsor, New Jersey, and simultaneously working a full-time, off-farm job, I finally made the big decision: I quit my off-farm job and now farm full-time with my husband. It has been about eight months since going all in. Our farm has never been
Making the leap to farming full-time Read More »
It’s not as bad as everyone thinks it is There seems to be a consensus among experienced flower farmers: never start lisianthus from seed. Most growers buy lisianthus plugs (tiny plants) and for good reason. They take around 12 to 16 weeks to grow, and plenty can go wrong in that time. Just ten
Planning and starting lisianthus from seed Read More »
We grow food for ourselves, food for our customers, food for our animals, food for the native pollinators, heirlooms and novelties, old favorites and something new and different. But it’s always important to identify the specific crops that pay the bills. The 10 crops that follow are ones which, on our farm, are very much
On the money: ten crops that earn their keep Read More »
When I pulled into Love is Love Cooperative Farm late one afternoon in February, several vehicles sat in the parking area and people worked busily in all areas of the spanning property. I found Judith Winfrey, one of the founding worker-owners and a long-time friend, preparing for a meeting. She connected me with Joe Reynolds,
Love Is Love Cooperative Farm profile Read More »
NC farm helps others integrate forest crops Thatchmore Farm in Leicester, North Carolina, hosts forest farm tours for the Organic Growers School in Asheville and regularly teaches other farmers and would-be farmers how to integrate woodland crops. The hilly farm embedded in the forest grows unusual fruits, ornamentals, mushrooms, and perennial crops in addition to
Unusual fruits and woodland crops Read More »
Promising models for reducing emissions from greenhouse growing While working at Ferme des Quatre-Temps as an apprentice and then as farm manager, I was able to be directly involved in the development of year-round production methods. With several greenhouses sitting empty in winter, the initial idea was simple: why not make these structures profitable 12
Year-round carbon neutral greenhouse production Read More »
