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Farm Happenings at Broadfork Farm
Weathering the Drought
A year ago, we were managing saturated soil and plants that were rotting from near record-setting levels of rain. This year, this week, we are strategizing about how to best use the limited amount of irrigation water we have during this drought we are in. We no longer have enough water to irrigate1 read more »
Weathering the Drought
A year ago, we were managing saturated soil and plants that were rotting from near record-setting levels of rain. This year, this week, we are strategizing about how to best use the limited amount of irrigation water we have during this drought we are in. We no longer have enough water to irrigate1 read more »
Farm Happenings for September 25, 2019
Happy First day of Fall! Around 4 am this morning, the sun crossed the celestial equator and thus we officially entered the fall season. Weather wise, not much has changed, however. Our farm's location is on the drought map, and we can tell. Salad greens are continuing to protest the hot and dry we1 read more »
Welcome, Fall Crops!
The harvest of some of our fall-oriented vegetables has been little delayed by the above-average temps and dry conditions of this first half of September, but we now have Salad Mix in abundance to harvest for you. We also have the first of our Broccoli/Broccolini to harvest, plus the first Golden B1 read more »
Save the Date - Farm Social, Sunday Oct 20th
Our apologies for the late Farm Share email for today! An early morning meeting with a community partner about an exciting upcoming project delayed all usual tasks this morning. More on that in future weeks. :)
Two special notes for you: 1) SAVE THE DATE - Our Annual Farm Share Member So1 read more »
Save the Date - Farm Social, Sunday Oct 20th
Two special notes for you: 1) SAVE THE DATE - Our Annual Farm Share Member Social is on Sunday, October 20th from 2-5pm. We'll send out an evite asking for rsvp's, but please plan to join us for a chance to spend time among the fields that have been providing for you, chat with us farmers, mee1 read more »
Save the Date - Farm Social, Sunday Oct 20th
Welcome, September! With it comes Kale and Arugula! We have just a small amount of Arugula to harvest tomorrow, but more is on its way. We already have both types of Kale to harvest for you tomorrow - traditional curly Kale as well as Toscano/Dinosaur/Lacinato. Our Lettuces are in a low point but w1 read more »
Please REMEMBER Your Share This Wednesday!
It's back-to-school week for a lot of families around here, and a hectic schedule re-adjustment, we know. :) Historically, this week has the most forgotten share pick-ups of any week in the season. Set yourself a reminder alarm now!
Tomatoes, Beans, and Okra are waning this week, but Eggplant, Cucu1 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.