Our Growing Practices

As a rule, we aspire to use as little chemical pesticide, herbicide and fungicide as possible. In our greenhouses and on crop vegetables, we practice IPM (IntegrativePest Management) and an organic-first approach. We plant companion flowers and plants throughout the greenhouses that will attract beneficial insects. We carefully scout for potential problems and use beneficial insects and organic based products to treat issues before they affect the entire greenhouse.

Because our greenhouse crops are grown in a nutrient- void, coconut coir medium, they require drip irrigation that includes carefully balanced fertilizers to ensure healthy plant development. This allows us to target nutrition efficiently without overlapping anything to the environment. This all being said, there are times when organic methods alone are not enough and we may have to resort to conventional methods to save a crop.

As for our orchard fruit and corn, we do use conventional sprays, but only on an “as needed” basis (rather than a heavy preventative schedule). We are currently working with a company called Advanced Eco Agriculture to minimize our use of conventional sprays as much as possible. Much of what people may see us spraying in the orchards is a biological based nutrient spray designed to help the trees build a natural resistance to disease and environmental stress. We also mow under the orchard trees instead of using herbicides or weed killers -another step we are taking to reduce our chemical footprint wherever we can.

The blueberries (currently out of season) typically do not require much treatment and thus far this season have not had any chemical fungicides, fertilizers or pesticides applied.

In short, we are doing our best to grow clean, healthy fruits and vegetables while keeping the farm sustainable and productive. It’s a careful balance, but our commitment is always to be the best stewards of this land that we can – with both people and the planet in mind.