“Organic Produce from Your Own Backyard”
Four Winds Farm is a 24 acre diversified organic farm located in Gardiner, in southern Ulster County, of which 4 acres are used to grow vegetables, primarily heirloom and open pollinated varieties for better flavor and for seed saving. The remainder is used to raise beef, which supplies us generously with natural fertilizer. Our farm-generated manure compost allows us to grow vegetables using a method that is very different from conventional farms. Our garden space is NEVER plowed or rototilled. We grow our vegetables in permanently formed beds, some of which have been in place for 18 years. We then spread compost on top of the beds, and plant seeds and transplants directly into the compost. The plant roots and compost nutrients move down into the soil where there is a healthy, thriving community of soil organisms. We find that this technique reduces overall weed pressure and gives us better-tasting vegetables that keep longer in the refrigerator. We also believe that our way of farming is better for the Earth because we are less dependent on energy- and capital-consuming tractors and equipment.
