Our Growing Practices
Permaculture
Permaculture is an agricultural method that fosters ecosystems to be sustainable and self-sufficient. This approach guides us to mimic the patterns and relationships we can find in nature. Here are a few examples of methods:
Food Forest
Perennial beds
Hugokultur beds
Sheet composting
Mushroom cultivation
The focus of permaculture is not on each separate element, but rather on the relationships created among elements, by the way they are placed together; the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.
No Pesticides.
What is a pest anyway?
An insect that is in the wrong place and the wrong time?
We do not use any pesticides on the farm. Chemical or Organic
(Yes, there are organic pesticides)
This means that we do step in fire ants from time to time but we also get to be witness to lady bugs eating aphids, as well as wasps and spiders taking care of hornworms and lacewings.
No Herbicides.
No Herbicides.
We use no till methods and tarps to help keep weed pressure down.
We also use mulches, cover crop, and hand weeding.
We see all plants as an important part of our healthy soil ecosystem, and always want to have "roots in the ground".
Plants that are green are better then bare ground, and we often don't weed when it is too wet or too dry. The overall soil health is more important, and roots=life in the soil.
No GMO seeds.
No Chemical Fertilizers.
No Herbicides.
We do not use any GMO seed or plants. We use many heirloom seeds and love to save seeds and share them. We also purchase Organic seeds
(all organic seeds are GMO free).
No Chemical Fertilizers.
No Chemical Fertilizers.
No Chemical Fertilizers.
We use a combination of compost, cover crop, companion planting, and crop rotation to help feed our soil. We allow our field blocks to rest every other year, and plant cover crops that will add organic matter and nutrition back to the soil.
** FYI Fertilizers may not seem as dangerous to our health, but they are detrimental to our Rivers and Watershed health. Here in Florida, Fertilizers are adversely affecting our Indian River each day. Please check out more information at floridatoday.com & planetnatural.com
No Fungicides.
No Chemical Fertilizers.
No Chemical Fertilizers.
When dealing with plant diseases we use compost to make teas to strengthen the plants. We rely on the strength of a healthy plant to recover, while we may have to prune back unhealthy parts and compost them.
Our People
Our Farmer
Farmer Liz is the Owner/Operator of Green Flamingo. While travelling across the USA she fell in love with hiking and farming. She WWOOFed on farms around the country and decided to bring her joy and knowledge back to her community.
Liz loves to work hard, and enjoys being in the outdoors. When she is not farming she loves camping and hiking. She enjoys long distance backpacking and through-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2016 with her husband, Gary.
Our WWOOFers
World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, known simply as WWOOF, connects sustainable farmers with willing volunteers. WWOOFers, as they are known, learn about the organic movement and sustainable agriculture while receiving room and board. It is an educational and cultural exchange program where volunteers learn practical farming skills, become part of the organic agriculture movement and experience the heart of American agrarian culture. Host farms and WWOOFers exchange education, culture and sweat to bring forth wholesome agricultural products from organic farms world wide. They encourage all types of WWOOFers and hosts who would like to work together to strengthen sustainable agriculture. For more information visit the WWOOF-USA website: wwoofusa.org/
The Sprout Stand
At Green Flamingo, we believe that the way forward in Agriculture
is through cooperation and collaboration. It is with this
inspiration that we are announcing that one of our employees,
Katie Harper, is starting her own micro-farm: The Sprout Stand
The Sprout Stand is a micro-farm that specializes in growing micro-greens. We look forward to working together to bring healthy healing food to our community for years to come! You can find
The Sprout Stand is at the Norwoods Market.
We are so proud to be able to support our Farm Family!!
Keep Growing Katie!!
Contact Katie at TheSproutStand@gmail.com
Click here to read the article:
http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20151105/chisholm-elementary-garden
