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Farm Happenings at Broadfork Farm
Farm Happenings for August 31, 2019
This "cold spell" in August is a visceral reminder that summer won't last forever. All of our summer crops are still doing very well, and the fall crops are looking nice in the field and in the greenhouse. (Pictured above is baby Dill plants waiting to get planted in the field.) We'll be able to ha1 read more »
Cool August Mornings on the Farm!
This "cold spell" in August is a visceral reminder that summer won't last forever. All of our summer crops are still doing very well, and the fall crops are looking nice in the field and in the greenhouse. (Pictured above is baby Dill plants waiting to get planted in the field.) We'll be able to ha1 read more »
Farm Happenings for August 24, 2019
After a few weeks of very dry weather, the rain last week and the rain forecast for this week helps out a bit. It's not the perfect "gentle, one-inch per week" rain that would make part of our job easier, but we'll take it over just scorching hot and dry or repeated pounding rains.
The farm i1 read more »
Farm Happenings for August 21, 2019
After a few weeks of very dry weather, the rain last week and the rain forecast for this week helps out a bit. It's not the perfect "gentle, one-inch per week" rain that would make part of our job easier, but we'll take it over just scorching hot and dry or repeated pounding rains.
The farm i1 read more »
Farm Happenings for August 17, 2019
Mid-August on the farm sees an abundance of fruiting crops! Beans are rolling now, and we overcame what was holding back our Summer Squash. Peppers and Tomatoes are holding steady, and we even have some Cucumbers thanks to disease-resistant varieties that we are harvesting now. This is the time1 read more »
Farm Happenings for August 14, 2019
Mid-August on the farm sees an abundance of fruiting crops! Beans are rolling now, and we overcame what was holding back our Summer Squash. Peppers and Tomatoes are holding steady, and we even have some Cucumbers thanks to disease-resistant varieties that we are harvesting now. This is the time of1 read more »
While Enjoying Summer, Fall is Growing
It's hot and humid and the vegetables are dense right now - there's not many leafy greens that like to stay alive in this weather. But in the ground are the delights of fall. Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kale, and more are growing right now. It can be a challenge to keep them alive during the he1 read more »
While Enjoying Summer, Fall is Growing
Happy August!
It's hot and humid and the vegetables are dense right now - there's not many leafy greens that like to stay alive in this weather. But in the ground are the delights of fall. Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kale, and more are growing right now. It can be a challenge to keep them1 read more »
Dense Vegetables Time of Year
Welcome, August! We are now in the peak of the fruiting season of a vegetable farm in central Virginia. By fruiting, we mean harvesting things with seeds inside of them: Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplants, Beans, and Watermelon are happiest this time of year on our farm. (We wish that Summer Squash and C1 read more »
About the farm
Owned and operated by Janet Aardema and Dan Gagnon, Broadfork is a small family farm in Chesterfield, VA providing the metro-Richmond area with Certified Naturally Grown vegetables, herbs, and flowers.
We use traditional European methods of biointensive, raised bed production while maximizing soil and plant health for nutrition and sustainability. No synthetic/chemical fertilizer, pesticide, herbicide, or fungicide is ever used in any part of the process of growing your food. Everything we sell is grown by us, and we farm full-time, supporting ourselves and our four children through our farm business.
Growing practices at Broadfork utilize only ecological methods: compost, cover crops, organic fertilizer, and minerals are used to feed the soil that feeds our plants. Raised beds are used to prevent soil-compaction, allowing for happier plant roots. We use organic potting soil and fertilizer, as well as amendments like fish emulsion and sea minerals. No chemical fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, or pesticides are ever used on your food and we are Certified Naturally Grown (which follows the same national standards used for Organic Certification). We are also proud members of the Virginia Association for Biological Farming and Slow Food RVA. Janet and Dan both hold Bachelor’s Degrees in Biology from Davidson and Lafayette Colleges, respectively. Janet holds a Master’s Degree in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. We both thrive on putting our biology backgrounds to use in a farm setting and share a passion for farm education.
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We use traditional European methods of biointensive, raised bed production while maximizing soil and plant health for nutrition and sustainability. No synthetic/chemical fertilizer, pesticide, herbicide, or fungicide is ever used in any part of the process of growing your food. Everything we sell is grown by us, and we farm full-time, supporting ourselves and our four children through our farm business.
Growing practices at Broadfork utilize only ecological methods: compost, cover crops, organic fertilizer, and minerals are used to feed the soil that feeds our plants. Raised beds are used to prevent soil-compaction, allowing for happier plant roots. We use organic potting soil and fertilizer, as well as amendments like fish emulsion and sea minerals. No chemical fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, or pesticides are ever used on your food and we are Certified Naturally Grown (which follows the same national standards used for Organic Certification). We are also proud members of the Virginia Association for Biological Farming and Slow Food RVA. Janet and Dan both hold Bachelor’s Degrees in Biology from Davidson and Lafayette Colleges, respectively. Janet holds a Master’s Degree in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. We both thrive on putting our biology backgrounds to use in a farm setting and share a passion for farm education.