Fourteen years ago we started our first commercial garden on less than a 1000 square feet of borrowed land. We sold four CSA shares and occupied a modest stand at the Homer Farmers Market. I can look back now and remember longing for a booth like the others we saw. Rainbows of perfectly cleaned vegetables and a line of eager foodies winding out the front of the tent. We were determined to get there.
A two year diligent search landed us on what is now home to Twitter Creek Gardens. Nine acres of South sloping, top soil and spring water rich land we can proudly call our own. Here our gardens have grown. First one quarter of an acre, then one acre, then four pigs helped clear another half acre. With the help of countless hands (and hooves), and an acre and a half of fenced in garden we're now one of those booths.
Our farm's infrastructure has grown along side the rows of outdoor garden beds. Three high tunnels, several hand made low tunnels, caterpillar tunnels, a passive solar greenhouse, super sacks full of floating row cover, an arsenal of specialty tools specific for market gardening, a root cellar, and a BCS walk behind tractor named “Hughie” make up our system to aid in the challenges of Alaskan farming. Utilizing efficient methods and season extension techniques allows our typically short Alaskan growing season to extend to up to seven months of harvest and distribution.
Our vegetables are cultivated in a bio-intensive fashion with a concentration on soil health. By using animal rotations, cover crops, compost, natural amendments, and a diversified crop planting schedule, we ensure living soils that produce nutrient dense vegetables. Though we are not certified Organic, our growing techniques far exceed the USDA Organic standard. Close to 50 different types of vegetables and herbs are grown on the farm. We are firm believers that the quality of food directly affects the quality of life. The taste distinction, the nutritional value, and the attention we give our soils and produce results in food to sustain the body, and the soul. We wouldn't want to eat any other way and we don't want you to have to either.
You can find our products at an array of venues in Homer including: CSA memberships, The Homer Farmers Market (www.homerfarmersmarket.org), several local restaurants, and the Kenai Peninsula Food Hub (www.kenaifoodhub.org).
We're also delving into some event hosting here on the farm. Stay tuned for a schedule of workshops and Farm to Table dinners coming in 2020.
As consciousness grows towards a more holistic approach to life, the necessity of clean, fresh, and local food becomes more and more recognized.
This way of farming isn't new, it's tried and true. We're going back to our roots.
The chain of small scale, land stewarding farmers across the world is making a huge resurgence.
We are honored to be a link in the chain.