Farming Practices and Values
Late Bloom Farm grows food on ¾ of an acre using no till, human scale practices that go beyond the organic standards. We care for our land intensively and extensively with mostly hand tools and human power. Our daily decisions are made with soil health as the forefront. We value exploring, cultivating, maintaining, and growing relationships of all kinds - it's all an evolution, a process! As farmers and humans we have the responsibility to be caregivers and protectors of land and water. We honor the fact that these practices are rooted in indigenous wisdom and look to nature as our teacher. We have been certified organic from the very beginning!
Celebrating Biodiversity
NO TILL
We work with nature and aim to minimally disturb the land below and above ground. This means after a one time tilling we form permanent beds and that soil will never be tilled again. This allows all the life within the soil (i.e. fungi, bacteria, earthworms, arthropods, etc.) to thrive transporting water and nutrients to the food we eat as well as supporting the plants immunity, taste, and texture. We use a broadfork, wheel barrows and a rake to make our beds and leave as many roots in the ground as possible.
All life depends on photosynthesis so we strive to maximize photosynthesis on the farm. Plants are nature’s solar panels and this alchemy between plants, sunlight, air and water is how soil is built, maintained, and regenerated. We grow multiple crop successions throughout the season and also grow cover crops to nourish and build soil organic matter as well as prevent erosion and absorb and dissipate water more readily.
In nature, soil is always covered so we are committed to keeping our soil covered first with growing plants and then second with diverse mulches like wood chips, leaves, and sea salt marsh hay. We do employ the use of silage tarps as a way to terminate certain crops like our workhorse cover crop winter rye.
We recognize and celebrate the power and strength in diversity - which applies to all of life. We grow over 50 different crops, and hundreds of varieties. We plant perennial hedgerows throughout our vegetable plots that have native plants, flowers, herbs, and fruit trees allowing pollinators to thrive and balance our pest populations. We have bird and bat houses encouraging our more than human neighbors to spend their time on the farm. Our goal is to start to integrate more humans on the land and also hope to incorporate a small flock of chickens once again this spring.
Certified Organic and Beyond
We are certified organic and have been from the very beginning. We never use pesticides, synthetic fertilizers or sprays, herbicides, or GMOs. We use floating row cover to avoid certain pests but our first line of defense is to focus on soil health and diversity. We use compost, mulches, and are starting to incorporate spraying compost tea made from our own vermicompost.
We recognize nature as our teacher and that us humans are nature! With this style of farming there is a meaningful intimacy with the land where we can spend more time listening and observing. Lets practice reciprocity, live with a collaborative mindset, think long term and remember that everything transforms.
