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Ornamental curcuma and gloriosa lilies We’ve invested in a lot of heated greenhouse infrastructure on our cut flower farm, Moonshot Farm in East Windsor, New Jersey. These greenhouses provide the conditions needed for deep winter production, enabling us to have fresh cut blooms from November through February, the coldest months of the year. They also […]

Perkins’ Good Earth Farm is a permanent-bed, deep-compost, no-till, and certified organic farm. My wife Julie and I are currently in our 16th year of farming (6th year of full-time farming) in rural northwest Indiana. Our gross sales in 2024 from farm produce on 1.25 acres and value-added kitchen items is over $239,000. For more

It’s August on our flower farm, Moonshot Farm in East Windsor, NJ–and usually at this point in the season, we’re feeling burnt out, cash-strapped, and about ready to quit farming. This year, however, the farm is feeling a lot more manageable. Last spring, I shared the top things we did to make our farm profitable

A generalist attacking many veg and flower crops in wet seasons White mold (Sclerotinia sclerotium) is a widespread disease of over 300 species of plants. It is only a sporadic problem in “normal” and dry growing seasons; however, white mold can be very damaging in wet years. If it goes unrecognized or is not well-managed,

This is the first in a four-part series with Growing for Market Magazine & Queen Bee Blooms Flower Farm. If you’re a flower farmer, and have ever wondered about growing flowers for weddings, your time is now. Changing attitudes are opening up opportunities for local floral in weddings. In this 4-part series, we’re going to

Small scale equipment can make a big difference My husband and I were perusing the trade show at the New England Vegetable and Fruit Conference and stopped to talk with a vendor who had given a compelling presentation on tractor equipment for organic growers. Matthew’s eyes were getting that distant, dreamy look, imagining shiny new

As I grow older, and gain in wisdom, I am more skeptical of black and white ways of seeing things. Although “either or” is an easier way to understand the world, I don’t find it’s the most accurate or allows me as much room to learn or to understand others. When I was coming up

January isn’t tomato season in northern Indiana, even if you have heated greenhouses like the two at Clay Bottom Farm in Goshen where I worked last year. But on a freezing winter day, Ben Hartman and I headed out to work in the tomato greenhouse anyway. We weren’t planting or trellising or harvesting or even

From fecal shields to golden shells While tortoise beetles (species in the Cassidinae subfamily) may not be a worrisome agricultural pest that causes significant crop loss, they do occasionally show up in larger numbers that may cause concern at first sight. Understanding this insect’s habit and lifecycle can help growers avoid unnecessary pesticide applications. As

Wheel hoes have been around in one form or another for centuries. The basic form most of us are familiar with are two handles that you push attached to a hoe blade that cuts through the soil while a wheel in front of that helps you set the depth and support the weight of the