Our Farm Process
The Growing Process
Early in February we begin planting in our 5 greenhouses. All of our plants go into transplant trays and remain there until the weather warms up and allows us to plant them in the ground without putting our crop at risk. Our first crops are planted in the field as early as the 1st week of April, but this varies each year according to the weather conditions.
Most of our first plants for all varieties are started here in our greenhouses using this growing process.
To be able to supply our farmer markets with consistent fresh produce, we are continually planting new seedlings in the ground. Most vegetable plants only produce for one month, so we constantly plant, in order to regularly supply the farmers markets. In the summer most plants are grown directly seed to ground (e.g. squash and cucumbers).
Tomato plants on the other hand, have to be planted from seed in the greenhouse every month, because the plant will only produce for about 3 to 4 weeks. So we need to plant tomatoes constantly to supply throughout the season.
Our Farming Process
Mulching Practices
Most of our plants are placed over black plastic rows, which allow the plant to remain with humidity. This process also keeps the soil warm when temperatures drop, and also helps us control weed growth.
Watering Practices
We use Drip Irrigation, which is a method allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants. This is done through narrow tubes that are placed under the black plastic mulch to deliver water directly to the base of the plant. This provides just the right amount of water for proper crop growth.
Soil Practices
We rotate our crops to keep our soil fertile, which in turn yields better crop production. We hand hoe our fields for weeding instead of using herbicides.