Methods
Everything on 6 Acre Farm is grown organically. No synthetic chemicals, pesticides or fertilizers are applied. Ever.
The main fertilizer is either certified organic compost or certified organic chicken manure (some certified organic liquid fertilizer is also used).
All seeds are non-GMO. Nearly all seeds are certified organic (the exception largely comes as to decorative pumpkins and gourds, as well as non-edible flowers). Regardless, all seeds are germinated using organic methods on 6 Acre Farm. No animals are raised on the farm and the fields are higher than nearby houses, preventing groundwater pollution.
Many vegetables and pumpkin transplants start field life under row covers. Many of the beds are covered in black cloth or compostable black “plastic.” Through these two things, we speed growth and minimize unhelpful insects that can fatally injure young plants absent pesticide.
The farm as a whole does not have “Organic” in its name as we would rather grow things than fill out forms to get certification. Plus, the farm itself is so small that the juice is not worth the squeeze to get formal certification — the fees are too high and we would have to charge more if certified.
Rotation, Cover Crops & Tillage
Rotating crops, cover cropping and minimizing traditional tilling is important at 6 Acre Farm.
Vegetable families must be switched up. On 6 Acre Farm, all crops are rotated (up to a 6-year rotation). This lets the soil “rest” and also is crucial to managing destructive insects and fungi. Many harmful things strengthen if the same crop is grown in the same spot year after year. These are big potential problems — we would otherwise have to use artificial pesticides to combat.
For the same reason, traditional tilling is rarely performed. Traditional tilling by turning over the soil both harms the soil and dredges up weed seeds. Soil is made up of many layers. Certain beneficial microbes and worms thrive only at certain depths. Similarly, some weed seeds survive up to 40 years as they patiently wait to be brought closer to the surface.
At 6 Acre Farm, in place of annual tilling, we use a broad fork, which is like a pitch fork but wider and with thinner tines. We also use a power harrow, an attachment to the 2-wheel tractor which stirs the soil and therefore, similarly to a broadfork, aerates and loosens soil without turning it over. We also utilize many cover crops, which also tend to the nutritional needs of the soil.