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Farm Happenings at Broadfork Farm
Farm Happenings for March 7, 2020
March has rolled around again! Tomato babies are growing, more and more plants are going in the ground outside every week, and we have new farm staff members starting in two weeks. Things happen fast this time of year on the farm! We have a nice selection of greens to harvest for you this week1 read more »
Farm Happenings for March 5, 2020
March has rolled around again! Tomato babies are growing, more and more plants are going in the ground outside every week, and we have new farm staff members starting in two weeks. Things happen fast this time of year on the farm! We have a nice selection of greens to harvest for you this week1 read more »
Farm Happenings for February 22, 2020
Winter continues and the eating is still good!
On the farm...Seeding for this season is continuing in earnest and our staffing numbers increase gradually over the next month. The greenhouse is already officially very full, and thus our rearranging and re-prioritizing has already begun. It's a1 read more »
Farm Happenings for February 20, 2020
Winter continues and the eating is still good!
On the farm...Seeding for this season is continuing in earnest and our staffing numbers increase gradually over the next month. The greenhouse is already officially very full, and thus our rearranging and re-prioritizing has already begun. It's a1 read more »
February Update plus Spring Workshops Announced
Happy February! We are so happy to have vegetables for you, though we are uncomfortable with how warm in general this winter has been. We like a good cold to set in - it helps the bug population die down as just one benefit. But the benefit of warmth is some extra vegetable growth, so enjoy your op1 read more »
February Update plus Spring Workshops Announced
Happy February! We are so happy to have vegetables for you, though we are uncomfortable with how warm in general this winter has been. We like a good cold to set in - it helps the bug population die down as just one benefit. But the benefit of warmth is some extra vegetable growth, so enjoy your op1 read more »
Farm Happenings for February 6, 2020
Happy February! We are so happy to have vegetables for you, though we are uncomfortable with how warm in general this winter has been. We like a good cold to set in - it helps the bug population die down as just one benefit. But the benefit of warmth is some extra vegetable growth, so enjoy your op1 read more »
Farm Happenings for January 25, 2020
Deeper cold is settling in (it finally feels like winter!), which we welcome because it theoretically helps break pest life cycles. We're not sure how practically this works, but we love seasonality and cold mornings and evenings warmed by a woodstove, so we embrace winter weather!
Thanks to1 read more »
Winter Weather, Finally!
Deeper cold is settling in, which we welcome because it theoretically helps break pest life cycles. We're not sure how practically this works, but we love seasonality and cold mornings and evenings warmed by a woodstove, so we embrace winter weather!
Thanks to our hoophouses and greenhouses,1 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.