Berea KY Farm Fresh Local Produce —
Organic, Sustainable Farming Practices

Grinning Planet Farm strictly adheres to the list of allowed substances specified by the USDA organic standard to grow its organic produce. Our local vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers are produced on four acres of land using sustainable farming practices that promote environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity. While our focus is mainly on providing local foods for Berea and the surrounding communities, we also support these broad goals on a national and international level.

Grinning Planet Farm is a small operation with no employees---the "cheap labor" is our own!

Soil

The four acres as we bought it in 2005 only had trees and bushes on the perimeter. The rest of the land was an open field. The four acres are surrounded by water sources on three sides – a ditch, a seasonal stream, and a creek. To prevent soil erosion, we preserved a natural buffer zone on those three sides. Soil ecology preservation is also achieved through crop diversification, crop rotation, and cover cropping. These practices help add a variety of nutrients and micro-organisms to the soil. Additionally, ground tilling is held to a minimum. Instead of deep plowing, we advocate raised beds and "till once" garden beds.

Seeds and Plants

We grow most of our vegetables from our own seeds. We use only organic seeds---and definitely NO genetically modified (GMO) seeds. A big portion of our seeds are heirloom varieties and all are open pollinated. Some of the seed sources we use are FedCo, Gardens Alive, Seeds of Change, Seed Saver Exchange, and our friendly local Berea organic farmers.

Water

The 2005 and 2007 droughts in Berea helped us all to realize just how important it is to conserve water and to implement rainwater catchments. At Grinning Planet Farm our gardens depend on our rainwater catchment system. Our home's metal roof catches the rainwater. The rainwater is filtered through several custom-designed rainbarrel-style roof washers. The clean water is then stored in a set of concrete cisterns. We strive to only use rainwater on all of our plants. If you live near Berea, you can buy a ready-to-install rainbarrel from Sustainable Berea. Call: (859) 985-1689.

Weed and Pest Management

We try to tell ourselves there are no such thing as pests. Good soil, strong healthy plants, companion planting, and attracting beneficial insects are our pest management goals here at Grinning Planet Farm. We use manual bug picking and natural sprays (such as garlic spray and hot pepper spray) to battle any imbalance in our insect community. On rare occasions we use plant-based organic-approved pesticides. As for weeds---we mulch as much as we can, we use bio-intensive (close growing) practices, clover mulching, and of course hand-weeding and light hoeing. We do not use synthetic herbicides.

Solar Power

At Grinning Planet Farm we appreciate the power and warmth of the sun. Our greenhouse and hoop-house are lightly heated by passive solar---the sun heats it during the day and slowly releases warmth at night. Our home design features passive solar, solar hot water, and is solar electric. Grinning Planet's article on home solar energy is based on our experiences with our sustainable home's systems.

Preserved Spaces and Natural Habitat

At Grinning Planet Farm we have preserved natural habitat around the perimeters of our four acres. We realize that we are newcomers to this piece of land and our animal and insect population deserve their spaces. Wildflower re-planting, natural plant groups, and natural water sources provide safe havens and comfortable surroundings for birds, bees, butterflies, dragonflies, rabbits, toads, and more.

We hope you consider local, organic, and sustainable farming practices when making your consumer decisions---our health and the health of the planet depend upon it.

We appreciate your interest in sustainable, organic farming and your support for local food producers and small farmers. More information on and resources for Sustainable Farming can be found on Grinning Planet's resource page for Farming and Sustainable Agriculture Resources.