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 The Hudson Valley Backyard Farm Company works with individuals, families, businesses and organizations to install and maintain organic vegetable gardens on your property. We can also consult with you on established existing vegetable gardens and show you how to work organic growing methods into your maintenance. The Hudson Valley Backyard Farm Company is dedicated to the proposition that the best food is locally and organically raised. What could fit the bill better than growing a bounty of vegetables grown in your own Backyard Farm? The Hudson Valley Backyard Farm Company owner and farmer is Jay Levine. He has been gardening since age 6 and organically since 2005. Jay has been a laboratory technician, science teacher, landscaper, park developer, and urban planner but has always maintained his love for vegetable gardening. Always an avid environmentalist, Jay has especially looked for ways to support environmental health and improvement since graduating with a Masters degree in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design from the Conway School of Landscape Design in 2001. WHY HAVE A BACKYARD FARM? A tomato so fresh it's still warm from the sun! Walking out your back door to snip some herbs for dinner! The magic of putting one potato into the ground and digging up eight at harvest time! Are you concerned about where your food comes from? About the petroleum used to bring it to you and the pesticides sprayed on them? With an organically-raised backyard farm you have the best answers to these concerns. Are you too busy to prepare and maintain a vegetable garden for yourself and your family? Have the time but don't where to start? Have the time and experience but don't know how to garden organically? Have a yard that seems too small or in too urban a setting to have a vegetable garden? The Hudson Valley Backyard Farm Company is the answer to all of these questions and will help you experience the benefits of Backyard Farming. Vegetables that are… Fresh - You get your vegetables direct from your yard to your table. Did you know a cucumber has a delicious aroma? It does when it's that fresh.  Delicious - As soon as you pick a vegetable it starts to lose its natural sweetness and flavor. Your kids might actually like vegetables if they taste the ones from your back yard. Nutritious - Studies have shown organically grown vegetables are higher in nutrients than conventional vegetables. Safe - No pesticides or herbicides will be used on your crops. Store-bought vegetables still have residues of these when they reach your house and are absorbed into your body when you eat them. Sustainable - Organic growing methods make your soil healthier as it's cared for over the years by adding nutrients to the soil, making the nutrients easier for the vegetable to absorb, and encouraging the growth of the many organisms in the soil (worms and many others) that keep your soil healthy. WHAT WE DO Planning your custom backyard farm We start off by meeting with you to determine your needs, interests and desires for your farm. The most important questions are… How big should your farm be? This will be based on the number of members in your family, how much space you have with at least 6 hours of sun every day, whether you want to grow enough vegetables just to eat fresh or to preserve to eat after your garden is finished for the year, and a number of other factors. What vegetables do you and your family enjoy? We have a large, standard selection of vegetables you can choose for your farm. If there's something you want that's not on the list we can look into whether it is available and sensible to grow in your yard. We can also install herbs such as oregano, basil, thyme and many others. Some of the herbs are perennials meaning they'll come back year-after-year. Small, fruit-bearing, perennial plants such as blueberries and raspberries can also be included. What's the best spot in your yard for the farm? This will largely be determined by where your yard gets at least 6 hours of sun per day. If you have a very sunny yard then other considerations like proximity to your kitchen can be included in the decision. Once all of these questions, and others, are answered we can get started on…  Building your backyard farmAccording to your plan we will… Prepare the soil for your farm or install raised beds. If you have an already established garden, we will bring in good compost and dig it in adding important nutrients and loosening up the soil. Otherwise we will install raised beds. Build composting bins. Having a good supply of compost is vital to the continuing health of your backyard farm. We will build the bins and get your compost production started. Plant vegetables. Some vegetables will be planted in your garden as seeds and others as seedlings. We will be installing plants in your backyard farm from April - August to give you a harvest from late May through early November, depending on the vegetables you choose and the weather. Install a watering system for the farm. This is optional but highly recommended. We will install soaker hoses or a drip irrigation system depending on your needs and budget. Install mulch, plant stakes, fencing and other garden materials as needed. This will help you save water, maximize your harvest and protect your garden from pests. Once your garden is installed we will … Maintain your backyard farm. We will visit your farm weekly to mulch, weed, handle pest issues, and harvest, as needed. We can also teach you to take care of your backyard farm yourself  If you've decided to produce a larger harvest than you can eat all at once then we can teach you to … Preserve your harvest. Preservation methods include drying, freezing and canning (yes, what your Grandmother did). We can teach you all of these techniques so you can preserve you harvest yourself. Or we can preserve your harvest for you. The Hudson Valley Backyard Farm Company 46 Overlook Drive, Rhinebeck, NY (845) 876-7903 - http://www.hudsonvalleybackyardfarm.com/ |
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