Fertilizers:
As a sustainable/certified naturally grown farm, our goal is to feed the soil, not the plant.
Keeping healthy microbial life in the dirt is the best form of organic fertilizer, and believe it or not, is also one of our major defenses against disease and insect damage!
We also create our own natural fertilizers in the form of compost, and vermicompost tea. Currently we also use McGeary's®" line of compost-based OMRI listed fertilizers.
Insecticides:
We never use harsh chemical insecticides, and our goal is to keep even organically approved (OMRI listed) insecticide use down to a minimum. We accomplish this by proper crop rotation, and non-chemical approaches (like row-cover, and beneficial insects).
When absolutely necessary, we use Bacillus Thuringiensis (var. Kurstaki) name brand "Dipel®," and pyrethrum, a botanical insecticide derived from chrysanthemums name brand "PyGanic®."
Herbicides:
We just plain and simple don't use any! Weeds are controlled with mulches--plastic, straw, or paper, and any rows that get
weeds--get hoed!
Off-season, smothering cover crops are a help in keeping weeds down to a minimum during the growing season.
Fungicides:
I hate to wear the subject to a frazzle, but crop rotation is the best defense against disease. As a certified naturally grown farm, we've got to plan against things happening. Rather than treat the symptoms, we've got to go to the root of the problem and prevent it.
We have decided to try an OMRI listed fungicide this year (MilStop®) to use against powdery mildew, but our main defense is rotating the crop, keeping healthy microbial life, and spacing the plants far enough apart.
GE and GMO's:
They're scary, and we don't use them--or companys that sell them. Our favorite seed company is Johnny's Selected Seeds (they should like us too). We also do business with FEDCO, and Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co.
Summary:
At Colvin Family Farm we proudly raise the freshest, best tasting produce, grown without the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides or fungicides. We don't use seeds that have been Genetically Engineered (GE) or that are Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO). We raise our produce right from the ground up using natural and sustainable farming methods with the goal of protecting our community's health and environment.
Certified Naturally Grown:
So you know, that we're doing what we say, we take part in the Certified Naturally Grown program (CNG).
A grassroots "peer-review" organization built for family farms (by family farms), CNG sets standards based off of the USDA's National Organic Plan (NOP), and requires regular farm inspections implemented by other CNG farmers.
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Colvin Family Farm--A Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Serving in the Knoxville, Maryville, Farragut, Crossville, and Dayton TN areas (Share Bags/Boxes/Baskets)
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