About Sanders Ridge Organic Farm

The Farm business was established in 2005 as a CSA or Community Supported Agriculture. We grow a wide variety of vegetables and herbs on about 3 acres of fields. Crops are planted in succession in order to provide a continuous weekly supply of mixed vegetables, and we grow them organically - which in a nutshell means without the use of synthetic fertilizers and pest control - utilizing instead soil building and integrated cropping techniques, companion planting, and intensive greenhouse production - all of which help to reduce risk factors for us and our shareholders and which provides multiple benefits to the soil and the regional environment.

Visitors are welcome to visit and wander the farm freely year-round, 9am to 6pm.  (It is a good idea to give us a quick call or email before you set out though - just to be sure we'll be around to greet you - as the farm dogs are a little easier to get to know that way...)

It all started in December 2005, when Neil Shore invited me to partner with him to obtain USDA Organic Certification and to produce and sell organic vegetables, herbs, and cut flowers at his farm.  We started out with about 1/4 of an acre in cultivation and 5 CSA customers.

By the Spring of 2006 we were growing on over an acre and serving 40 members as well as The Kitchen at  Elkin Creek!  The weather that season was fantastic and we delivered vegetables up until the week before Christmas.

The entire season was so awesome.  Interest in the farm and inquiries into new memberships poured in, sooo - we decided to plow and prepare 2 additional acres and double the number of memberships, which would have been a fine decision had the Boss (Mother N) not chosen to make 2007 - The Year of EXTREMES!

In February 2007 we submitted our application for USDA Organic Certification and our certificate was awarded in August.  (Whew!) Certification must be renewed yearly - so each July, we'll go through it all over again!
 

Cindy, Neil, and Even
Photo by John Rolland