Regenerative Farming at EarthSpoke Farms

At EarthSpoke Farms, we believe that healthy soil is the foundation of healthy plants, a thriving ecosystem, and nutritious food. Our approach to regenerative farming weaves together time-tested practices and innovative local partnerships that enrich the land while reducing waste and reliance on outside inputs.

Cover Cropping for Soil Health

Each season, we seed a mix of rye grass, crimson clover, and purple vetch to cover our fields. With nearly 60 inches of annual rainfall on the Mendocino Coast, our cover crops germinate beautifully when planted by late October or early November. In the past, we mowed these crops down, but beginning this year our Highland heifers and Angus steers will graze them, cycling nutrients directly back into the soil while keeping our animals well-fed.

Composting: Closing the Loop

Every year we add compost to our fields, sourced in part from Cold Creek Compost. To further reduce the amount we purchase, we create our own nutrient-rich compost right here on the farm using:

• Wood chips from local tree services: Local tree service companies (we live in a forest, so there are many) drop off chipped trees and branches at our farm throughout the year.

• Farm cuttings: Plant debris and green matter from our own fields.

• Fish waste: Each week, our friends at Princess Seafood provide us with bins of fish waste, adding a rich source of nitrogen and other nutrients to the compost pile.

This unique blend creates a living compost that strengthens soil structure, boosts fertility, and supports the microbial life our crops depend on.

Crop Rotation

We carefully rotate our crops each season. By changing what grows in each field, we disrupt pest and disease cycles, improve soil fertility, and create a more resilient farm ecosystem.

Organic Soil Supplements at Planting

To ensure our dahlias and other crops have the nutrients they need, we test the soil in each of our fields. When we plant, we use the data from our soil tests to enrich the soil with just the right blend of organic supplements, including:

• Feather meal provides slow-release nitrogen to support vigorous early growth.

• Fish bone meal adds phosphorus to encourage strong root development and healthy blooms.

• Palm ash and oyster shell flour help raise the pH in our soils (our location on the Mendocino Coast tends to be rather acidic) and contribute essential minerals such as potassium, calcium, and trace elements that strengthen plants and improve soil structure.

This combination boosts the life in our soil and balances it to be ready to nurture robust, thriving crops season after season.

Integrated Pest & Disease Management

Our philosophy is to work with nature, not against it, or in the case of pests and diseases, we fight nature with nature. To care for our dahlia fields and other crops, we rely on:

• Organic, plant-based sprays, including molasses, that help prevent powdery mildew and naturally repel and combat pests like aphids, thrips, and mites.

• Beneficial insects, including green lacewing larvae, which we release to keep aphid and thrip populations in check.

With these and our other regenerative practice, we have eliminated the need for synthetic chemicals, protecting pollinators and the broader environment.

Wildlife as a Measure of Success

One way we know our regenerative practices are working is through the abundance of wildlife on and around the farm. A healthy ecosystem shows itself in the creatures that call it home:

• Birds – turkeys and California quail forage on the farm; a full range of song birds – including robins, sparrows, and meadowlarks – call the farm home, and many birds of prey — hawks, osprey, and even a nearby family of bald eagles — nest and hunt in the area.

• Mammals — rabbits, deer, and voles share the land, while a family of elusive stoats hunt small prey across the farm (few locals have even seen a stoat, but the farm supports an entire family that we get to see from time to time).

• Seasonal visitors — flocks of Canadian geese overwinter in our cover crop fields.

• Pollinators and amphibians — bumble bees and native pollinators thrive among our flowers, and frogs make their homes in the shady spaces between crops and occasionally tuck themselves away in the petals of a dahlia.

Wildlife doesn’t just coexist with our farm; it flourishes because of it. This living proof confirms that our efforts are building not just soil, but an ecosystem.

We are proud of what we are stewarding at the farm – regenerative system that builds healthier soil, fosters biodiversity, reduces and cycles waste, and produces vibrant, resilient dahlia tubers and other crops season after season.

Regenerative Farming at EarthSpoke Farms

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