Our Farm - What We Do
What is Care Farming?
Care farming is using farming as therapy for marginalized groups. At Langton Green Community Farm, we work with adults with disabilities, primarily those using Langton Green Inc.‘s residential services.
We provide vocational training, offer day programming, and develop life skills among our clients. On any given day, roughly a dozen clients visit the farm for paid work, volunteer hours, and/or social events. The farm also serves as a home base for our clients who then integrate into the community via volunteer opportunities, outings, part-time work, and more.
Farming Practices
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Organic Methods
Although we’re not certified organic, LGCF uses organic methods and principles throughout the growing process. This means that we manage weeds naturally through heavy mulch application, stale seedbed preparation, and hand-weeding. We create habitats for beneficial insects and pollinators to reduce pest pressure, only resorting to OMRI-approved biologics when necessary. Lastly, we have spent the last three years improving our soil health to support intensive plantings of high-quality, nutritious vegetables.
Low - Till
At LGCF, we are phasing out tillage and introducing a permanent raised bed system. This allows us to reduce fossil fuel consumption, maintain an intact soil food web, and decrease compaction and erosion. By not disturbing the soil, we also reduce weed pressure.
Cover Crops
Each fall, we plant cover crops in 75% of our production blocks. In our crop rotation plan, we also allow for two of our production blocks to be cover cropped each summer. Our homemade mixture of grass, legumes, and brassicas conditions our soil by creating biomass, aerating the soil, fixing nitrogen, and outcompeting weeds.
Compost
When preparing seed beds in the spring, our crew liberally applies compost created on-site. Over the past three seasons, we’ve seen our soil’s organic matter content slowly rise through regular composting and cover cropping. This is extraordinary! Our crops are healthier, more nutritionally dense, and more productive all while eliminating the need for synthetic fertilizers.