Burly Worm Growers

Caitlin and Henning have been nurturing a love of fresh farm produce here in the Rondout Valley for the past five years. They have always been enthusiastic eaters, enjoying the edible bounty of CSA memberships. Caitlin and Henning felt very much at home during their volunteer work at Regeneration CSA, and went at it with the intent to learn as much as possible about their new calling in farming. It is with this found love for growing that they come to Hollengold. In December, the two received their Permaculture Design Certificates from the Hancock Permaculture Center and are committed to farming under the core principles of Care for the Earth, Care for People, and the Return of Surplus to Both.

Conventional farming practices deplete the fertility of arable land to an alarming degree. Turning the soil brings nutrients to the surface where they are used up a lot quicker than can be replenished. To grow food on the resulting undernourished land a farmer then uses petroleum-based fertilizers, which provide just the bare minimum diet to the plant (think bread and water) and hardly any of the minerals and other trace elements that we want in a healthy food crop. At the same time, plowing disrupts the soil structure and makes it prone to erosion and further leeching of valuable nutrients.

We are adopting a different farming method that avoids tilling and focuses on regenerating the soil with every season. Weed growth is discouraged and evaporation is reduced through sheet mulching. At the same time we aim to sink all the necessary nutrients and carbon back into the ground through on-site composting and other techniques.
Another important aspect is to provide a habitat for a great many species of plants and insects - there is no such thing as a stable ecosystem without biodiversity!

Come visit us for any of our farm events, or contact us if you'd like to volunteer, and we'll tell you more about our vision of farming.