Farming Practices
Everwild Farm
Organically Grown
We grow our vegetables without synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. Our focus is on practices that support soil health, plant vitality, and the well-being of the people who eat from the farm.
While Everwild Farm is not USDA certified organic, we believe trust is built through relationships and transparency. We invite our community to learn how we grow, ask questions, and see the care that goes into the land and the food it produces.
Our goal is simple: to grow high-quality vegetables in a way that protects the health of the soil, the ecosystem, and the people we serve.
Minimal Tillage
Starting a farm from nearly bare ground means that some soil disturbance is unavoidable. Initial tillage helps loosen compacted soil so beds can be formed and planted for the first time.
At Everwild Farm, we keep tillage to a minimum and use it only when opening new growing areas. Once beds are established, we focus on maintaining their structure rather than repeatedly turning the soil.
Reducing tillage helps preserve soil biology, protect organic matter, and maintain fertility below the surface. By disturbing the soil as little as possible, we support healthier microbial life, improve long-term soil structure, and reduce weed pressure over time.
Silage Tarps
Silage tarps have been an essential tool in helping us establish the farm while maintaining a minimal tillage approach. When the land was overrun with invasive weeds, we used tarps to suppress growth and create workable growing areas without repeated cultivation or soil disturbance.
These tarps warm the soil and encourage weed seeds to germinate. Once they sprout, the lack of light beneath the tarp causes them to break down naturally. This process helps us reduce weed pressure while keeping soil structure intact.
We continue to use silage tarps when opening new growing areas and to protect soil organic matter between plantings, allowing the ground to rest and stay covered until it’s ready to be seeded or transplanted.
Hand Tools
A key part of our small-scale market garden is working with simple, low-impact tools. We rely on long-handled hoes, rakes, and broad forks to manage weeds and gently aerate the soil, rather than using herbicides or heavy machinery.
This approach allows us to disturb the soil as little as possible while preserving its structure and life below the surface. Working by hand also keeps us closely connected to the plants and the land, helping us respond more thoughtfully to what the garden needs.
As an added benefit, relying on hand tools reduces fuel use and keeps the farm’s footprint small, in line with our goal of growing food in a way that’s both careful and intentional.
Insect Netting
Even in a healthy, diverse ecosystem, insects are part of the landscape. Some arrive in numbers that can overwhelm young or tender crops. Rather than reaching for chemical controls, we use lightweight insect netting to protect plants during their most vulnerable stages.
These netted row covers act as a physical barrier, keeping damaging insects out while still allowing sunlight, rain, and overhead irrigation to reach the plants. This approach lets crops grow undisturbed while maintaining airflow and natural growing conditions.
Insect netting is one of the ways we work with natural systems instead of against them, using simple tools to support healthy plants and resilient harvests.
Building Biodiversity
Biodiversity is central to how we farm. Rather than trying to control nature, we focus on creating conditions where a healthy ecosystem can support itself.
Across the farm, we grow a diverse mix of crops alongside native and perennial plants that provide habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects. These plants support natural pollination and help keep pest pressure in balance, reducing the need for outside inputs and interventions.
By building diversity above and below the soil, we strengthen the resilience of the land and create a farm system that works with nature, not against it.