Our Growing Practices
We strive to address the social and environmental injustices that our current food system perpetuates. By stewarding land responsibly, we can localize our food system, protect resources, and reduce our reliance on supply chains to access food.
Since 2022 we have been USDA Certified Organic. Our current certifier is Baystate Organic Certifiers. This means we follow all USDA Organic standards that prohibit the use of dangerous synthetic chemicals and sprays and complete annual site inspections, testing, and detailed audits of our records.
In addition, we are certified by the Real Organic Project, which focuses on practices that promote biodiversity, protecting the local watershed, and protecting soil health, as well as creating a safe and fair environment for all workers and livestock.
Resiliency through Diversity.
In order to grow food in the future, our system needs diversity in everything from types of food producers to microorganisms in our soil. We view Ramblin’ Sol farm as a complete living system full of microclimates and organisms that are essential for good food production.
On just about 3 of our 8 acres, we grow over 50 types of fruits, vegetables, and herbs . We select all of our crop varieties carefully to maximize our small space, increase disease resistance, and provide the best flavor. We use intentional succession planting and crop rotation, 4 unheated high tunnels , cover crops, pollinator plantings, living mulches, and even livestock to ensure we are providing reliable food throughout the season.
Thanks to the generous donations of our customers, in 2026 we planted over 250 apple, peach, plum, and pear trees between our annual vegetable plots. We will continue to fill peripheral spaces with edible perennials that also provide shade and habitat for beneficial animals and insects.
Our next big adventure is to dive into agroforestry in order to transform our 2 wooded acres, devastated by Ash Borer, into a thriving space supporting native food and medicine plants . Already we have planted over 100 plants including paw paw, elderberry, New Jersey tea, witch hazel, blueberry, mushrooms, ginseng, ramps, and goldenseal.
Building Our Soil
Annual vegetable crops can be hard on our soils because they draw large amounts of nutrients and require constant disturbance. We therefore monitor the fertility of the soil through regular soil testing and find creative ways to incorporate cover crops that fix atmospheric nitrogen and increase organic matter. In 2025 we began experimenting with intensive grazing using chickens, Chinese weeder geese, and Gulf Coast Native sheep to further build a healthy soil. If needed, natural sources of additional nutrients such as compost, blood meal, bone meal, and pulverized seashells are incorporated into our soil.
To protect the soil and prevent erosion, we use reduced tillage methods that limit how often the soil is worked and include perennial buffer strips that soak up excess water and nutrients during rain events. We also utilize tarps and landscape fabric to reduce weed pressure and reduce the number of tractor passes during bed prep. All of our cultivation (weed control) is done using hand tools, which reduces the compaction and disruption that our tractor would cause.
Most importantly, we spend our winters creating precise crop plans that follow a strict crop rotation to naturally prevent a variety of soil issues.
Controlling Pests
Pests are controlled through physical barriers such as deer fencing and insect netting as well as the occasional bug squishing! Our crop rotation also functions to prevent pests and diseases from building up in the soil. In addition, we start most of our crops in the greenhouse so that our plants have time to develop into vigorous seedlings before being planted outdoors. This method allows our plants to better tolerate pressure from pests, diseases, and even weeds.
