We dig into how Jan and Tim have made One Step at a Time Gardens work in rural Iowa, with an emphasis on their marketing efforts. Jan shares the story of growing the market farm operation, and then choosing to shrink it again as the business matured. We discuss how they’ve chosen their investments on the farm so that they are mechanizing where it counts.
We take a deep dive into their carrot production and the crop rotation they follow on their hilly farm, as well as the landscape and habitat restoration efforts Tim a
Sponsors
Vermont Compost Company: Founded by organic crop growing professionals committed to meeting the need for high-quality composts and compost-based, living soil mixes for certified organic plant production.
BCS America: BCS two-wheel tractors are versatile, maneuverable in tight spaces, light-weight for less compaction, and easy to maintain and repair on farm. Gear-driven and built to last for decades of dependable service on your farm or market garden.
Quotes from the Show
Putting a break in July gave us several weeks to kind of get things back under control and get a good jump on the rest of the summer and the fall.
Show Links
We discussed the DriftWatch specialty crops registration sight where you can register your sensitive crops so that pesticide applicators can easily spot at-risk locations.
Practical Farmers of Iowa has extensive resources for dealing with pesticide spray drift.
One Step at a Time Gardens uses the Grindstone Farm barrel washer for cleaning root crops.