Flowerstone Farm

About

An urban farm in West Sacramento. We grow vegetables, herbs and fruit with no pesticides and all natural methods. The most sustainable practices are used

Description

The goal of Flowerstone Farm is to provide fresh produce of the highest quality in the most sustainable way possible.
That means not only organic methods but also even higher standards.

• No pesticides
o Pesticides (even organic pesticides) and synthetic fertilizers can be damaging to the environment and to human health. The best quality produce is free from any potentially dangerous chemicals.

• Natural is better for taste and nutrition
When a plant is allowed to grow naturally it encounters various natural stresses. Such as a lack of nutrients, competition with other pants “weeds” and attacks from bugs, fungus, and disease. Modern traditional agriculture sees these as adversities to be overcome. However it is these adversities that contribute to the best taste and nutrition of your produce.

Sustainability means looking to the future.
• Build and improve existing soil
o Add organic matter in the form of composts, manures, and mulch
o Preserve native bug populations, fungi, and micro organisms
o Minimize mechanical tillage
• Mechanical tillage, including rototillers, decimate the populations of beneficial organisms such as earthworms and lady bugs and compresses the soil. Instead we rely on living systems to do our work for you.

• Aim for the goal of “No-Till”
o By preserving natural processes, the land will till itself. With the power of tunneling earthworms, a network of roots and a balanced living ecosystem.

• Allow some native and beneficial “weeds” to grow
o This provides a more diverse habitat for beneficial organisms
o It gives the pests something else to eat instead of our crops.

• Crop rotation
o Prevents nutritional deficiencies in the soil
o Prevents build up of unwanted pests and diseases
o Increases diversity in the living soil ecosystem

• Cover crops
o Adds fertility to the soil
o Adds organic matter witch improves soil texture and is food for beneficial organisms
o Rejuvenates the soil

• Animal husbandry
o Animals efficiently convert large amounts of organic mater into stable slow-releasing fertilizer.
o Animals can be used to clear the land of weeds instead of mechanical tillage. Goats eat weeds down the ground. Chickens scratch the soil surface, eat harmful bugs, and eat weed seeds.
o Animals prepare the land for use far more sustainably then mechanical tillage. With no petrol. They improve the soil by recycling plants into fertilizer and leave the living soil unharmed.
o
• Integrated pest management
o Instead of pesticides such as: herbicide, insecticide, and fungicide integrated pest management means:
• Encourage diversity by allowing beneficial plants to grow alongside crops.
• Plant in small blocks and avoid planting large areas of the same crop. This encourages diversity and prevents the spread of crop diseases
• Add beneficial plants alongside crops such as herbs and wildflowers, which increase habitat for beneficial organisms and ward off pests.
• Use row covers and physically remove concentrations of pests and diseased plants.
• Use organic mulches to: suppress weeds, add organic matter, and increase water retention.


Flowerstone Farm is a participant in the Land-Based Learning farm business incubator, and is additionally supported by [list of specific site sponsors].

The West Sacramento Urban Farm / Farm Incubator on Putah Creek / Davis Cannery Farm/ Lake Washington Farm Site is a program of the Center for Land-Based Learning and its California Farm Academy farm business incubator. Its mission is to grow farmers, in part by providing land, infrastructure and ongoing support and mentorship to new farm entrepreneurs.