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 FARM
PRACTICES
 Although
not certified organic, we follow natural, organic, sustainable
farming techniques that rely on natural methods. The sustainable
farming methods we implement are practices such as composting,
companion planting, and integrated
pest management(IPM). We follow forest
stewardship council (FSC) practices
to maintain our farm's forest productivity and safe water.
We drip irrigate all of our crops which reduces plant stress,
resulting in a decrease in pest and disease problems as
well as increasing the quality and size of our crops. All
of our irrigation needs are supplied by rain or our pond.
Our
farm is surrounded mostly by cattle and hog farmers so harmful
pesticides that float from one farm to another is not an
issue with our fresh product production. When necessary,
we apply the most environmentally and consumer safe controls
only when needed. We
use natural
remedies whenever we can, and the
majority of our crops are not sprayed at all. Our goal is
to provide the freshest, highest quality locally produced
products possible.
Companion
planting is an important part of integrated pest
management. Companion planting is a technique used to encourage
desirable pests or discourage undesirable pests by installing
herbs and flowers that either encourage or discourage. There
are many varieties of herbs and flowers that can be used
for companion plants. I use lemon balm, lavender and rosemary
as companion plants to the herb plants that are the most
susceptible to pest infestation.
Integrated
Pest Management(IPM) is an
effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest
management that relies on a combination of common-sense
practices. IPM is not a single pest control method but,
rather, a series of pest management evaluations, decisions
and controls. Adams county is home to some of the most bizarre
insects we have ever seen, but the hardy standards are there
as well. We were excited to see a large quantity of praying
mantis and walking sticks take up resident in the raspberry
field. We also have a huge quantity of ladybugs present
in the field, both orange and red species.
Our
Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC) practices
include monitoring our forest for disease, lightening strike
or other natural occurrences that harm the trees and undergrowth.
We remove dead trees and trees that have been harmed and
could cause harm or danger to the healthy trees. We remove
smaller trees that can crowd or otherwise undermine healthy
trees.
LAND
USAGE
 Our
farm was a small part of a large Adams County, Ohio farm
that has been owned by the same family for generations.
The topography lends itself to a variety of microclimates
which provide a variety of natural and cultivated products.
Our land produces raspberries, culinary and medicinal herbs,
mushrooms, hickory and Ohio pawpaws.
Currently
we utilize approximately 1 acre of our 10 acres for raspberry
production. The field is a new field, never been tilled
before. We accomplished this by removing a band of invasive
non-native red cedars on the hill side. The field is terraced
and uphill from the pond. Our raspberry production is focused
on more production in less space. We are experimenting with
a variety of pruning techniques and with controlling the
number of canes per foot to determine if more and larger
berries can be achieved with the varieties we have selected.
You can read more about our raspberry operation here.
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Our
herb gardens are scattered around the farm. In some
places we have 50 foot rows, other places we have
large whimsical gardens that herbs lend themselves
to. Many of our medicinal herbs are thriving in
woodland gardens we have established.
We
have tried to introduce 2-3 large areas each year
for more herb production. Currently we are utilizing
approximately 1/2 - 3/4 acre for herb production.
We experiment with taking multiple cuttings of various
herbs which allows for more vigorous growth and
a larger harvest in less space. You can read more
about our culinary herb production here
and our medicinal herb production here.
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WATER
USAGE
All
of our irrigation needs are supplied by rain or our pond.
Our farm is approximately 1 mile off the road away from
"grid" services such as electricity and water.
This leads us on any number of alternative pursuits and
solutions other farmers might take for granted. When you
plan to install an acre of raspberries and an acre of herbs,
not to mention personal vegetable gardens and fruit trees,
you have to think about irrigation first. Currently, we
draw 2500 gallons of water from our pond to irrigate everything.
This would not be possible without the clever engineering,
gravity and fluid dynamics we have become so fond of.
Our
irrigation involves pumping water uphill, filling multiple
tanks along the way. To date we have nine 275 gallon tanks
spread along our irrigation path. Four "stations"
and a base station each serving a different purpose.
Base
station is at the edge of the pond where the water is drawn.
Station one is approximately 50 feet uphill where the pond
water is filtered and sent to the other stations. Station
three, about 250 feet uphill. consists of three tanks. One
holding tank for water transfer to station four above the
raspberry field and two holding tanks for the drip systems
down hill in the herb gardens. The placement of the tanks
was very important for gravity to work. By placing the tanks
higher on the slope than the gardens to be irrigated, we
have enough water pressure to run sprinklers as needed,
but more importantly, to need pressure reducing valves and
heads for each drip zone.
In
2010 and 2011 we were successful in being able to provide
an inch of water to the raspberries all season as well as
being able to water all the herb beds as often as we needed.
CROP
PROTECTION
CRITTERS
Adams County is known for a huge population for whate tail
deer, raccoons and wild turkeys, all of which love berries.
We knew we were going to have to protect our harvests from
these critters, and made attempts which would work for a
while and then not. Our raspberry field is cut into a wooded
area which we cleared and terraced and is in the center
of our woods. Our foes have been wandering in these woods
for years long before we came along, we saw their tracks
in the field as we progressed through from clearing to planting.
We just weren't sure how to keep them out. We talked with
other farmers, no one had a good answer. It wasn't until
one of our neighbors told us how deer had eaten all of his
very large garden in one night leaving him with nothing
that we realized we needed to find an answer. Starr did
some research and found an interesting solution based in
Science and tested true by us.
The
first time we went to the local feed store owner to ask
him for parts we needed, he scratched his head and said
"you want to do what?". He really was a good sport
and helped us immensely with our crude drawings and almost
baked solutions. We built a new twist on the solar powered
electric fence. As of fall 2011, not one critter
foot print in the fields, no deer, no turkeys, not even
raccoons. If you are interested in the fence get
in touch with us we trade and sell the information!
Stevia
row protected with clanky pie pan kept the plants
protected until late fall |
MOTHER
NATURE
2011 was the wettest and rainiest year on record in our
area. As our field is cut into a wooded slope and terraced,
we experienced a pretty awesome mudslide in the upper side
of the field. We knew eventually we'd have to deal with
the issue, rain in 2011, forced the issue. In two very condensed,
very wet weeks weeks we installed a 4 foot by 110ft retaining
wall. Most of it done in pouring rain. A French drain installed
behind the wall in pea gravel. Works like a champ! If you
are interested in the wall design get
in touch with us we trade and sell the information!
Mudslide
in Spring rains 2011 |
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Retaining
wall and deer fence late 2011 |
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