Growing Naturally
Meet Kat
Hi! I am Kat, the farmer, and growing food is my life’s work. Organic farming has been part of my life since I first began working in agriculture in high school. Since then I have worked on seven different farms across the country, and learned from many skilled growers along the way. I was fortunate to put down roots in Floyd County, where I built a beautiful home by hand with the love of my life, Joshua. The food-filled, community centered, creative and meaningful work of growing and selling organic food speaks to my heart. This little farm and food company was founded in January 2021 and has been a long time coming! I envision it growing into a beautiful, productive, and sustainable small farm that provides a joyful life, a livelihood, a classroom and a community gathering space.
In My Field
My farm sits high on a sandy mountaintop along a rural road in Check, Virginia. The farm itself is quaint, with only a quarter-acre of garden beds, and 7.5 acres of steep forest surrounding it with trails winding through poplar, oak and pine. A small greenhouse is used to raise plants from seed and crops are washed and prepared for market in a small timber-framed barn we built. The Farmhouse includes a certified home processing kitchen where value added items are made. In my market garden, I specialize in raising high quality salad ingredients and utilize three passive solar high tunnels. My growing practices and the crops I tend are Certified Naturally Grown. Greens, lettuces, roots, and tomatoes are tended to along a sloping garden using a small 70’s tractor, lots of hand work, and loving care.
How I Grow
Here are my tenets of growing food for you & my community.
Soil Focused means that as I farm I am always thinking and trying to preserve the life, and health of the soil by limiting erosion, exposure, and reducing tillage. Each year I take soil tests and work out a fertility plan to balance the soil and provide what the plants need without providing excess nutrients.
No GMOs or Treated Seeds, never ever. I prioritize ordering Certified Organic Seeds from seed companies I trust (mainly: Johnny’s, High Mowing, Uprising Seeds, Mumms, and Fedco).
No Synthetic Chemicals, I only use naturally derived inputs such as Harmony Fertilizer or BT for worms. All of my inputs are approved for use in organic production (see “OMRI” label on products)
Prevention and Exclusion are my first defense against crop pests whether insect or mammalian. Tunnels are screened to exclude insects and certain vulnerable crops (like arugula!) will be grown under cover to keep them free of pests and eliminate the need for sprays of any kind.
Annual Peer-Farmer Inspection, required as part of Certified Naturally Grown. Community members are welcome to observe the inspection process. This is different from Certified Organic because it is more affordable, more grassroots, but aligns with almost every farming standard.
Contaminant Free field, pack shack, and practices are designed with food safety in mind. This means all hands, tools are cleaned and sanitized before use, and work areas are kept free of debris and animals.
Pollinator Friendly habitat is maintained to invite pollinators to forage on the farm. This includes native wildflower plantings and never spraying while beneficial insects are actively foraging.
Freshly Harvested is a big part of what makes local greens unique. I harvest the day before or day of delivery and wash things to specifications designed to lengthen shelf life naturally by controlling temperature and humidity! What a difference it makes.
Full Transparency: Curious about my fertilizer, seed variety, or cultural practice-I am an open book! You have the right to ask me anything, or sign up to observe an annual inspection.
Agriculture
Agriculture means many things to many people- to me it is an industry, a land-based craft, and an intuitive relationship with nature. Agriculture as an industry is very innovative. It can also be destructive environmentally if production is valued more than soil and ecological health. I strive to make my small scale farm productive and innovative in its approach but at its core, focused in on soil health, diversity, and teeming with life. Farming for me is a craft because it is both technical and artistic. You must know and understand biology and nature, be a handywoman on many levels, and at the same time you are creating a beautiful new landscape that is capable of growing food for the community and supporting the work of a farmer. But growing food isn’t all about science, and innovation. There is still so much to learn, and on a changing planet you must rely on your senses, and remain observant and responsive to nature as she teaches you new lessons along the way. This relationship with nature is what keeps me connected to this life path. Its a path that requires a lot of learning along the way, and a deep trust in your gut and in the forces which are beyond your control.
There is no time like the present to pursue your own dreams and create the life you crave!
Breaking ground on the farm in Fall of 2020 with a trusty tractor named "Mimizu" the garden was previously a wildflower meadow
Kat Johnson, owner & operator
Our sandy mountain top soil. Some of the oldest soils on top of the oldest mountains in the world.
The Tiny Greenhouse and Tool Shed on the farm
A beautiful 'radicchio di castelfranco' transplant grown from seed in the greenhouse
Transplants ready for planting in the field. Each week more plants get seeded, planted or moved out of the greenhouse.