TERRA FLORA MARKET GARDEN

HAPPENINGNOW

Maggie and Sean are currently cultivating just under two acres on their farm located in Norwood, North Carolina. They are leasing nine acres from a couple who are the current stewards of a portion of land southeast of Charlotte. They believe in the mantra "Know Thy Farmer" and encourage anyone with questions about the farm or their growing practices to find them at the farm or at the Matthews Community Farmers Market every Saturday from 8-12 during main season hours (April-November) and 9-11 during winter hours (December-March)

Though there are eight farmable acres available, the market garden is currently sustained intensively on around two and utilizes practices Sean and Maggie learned from their time managing Four Season Farm in Harborside, Maine. These include:

• Succession Planting (planting crops on a schedule of every week to every other week to ensure continued harvest throughout the growing season)

• Bio-intensive crop rotation (pulling out spent crops to quickly make space for a new crop), and

• Cover Cropping (planting grasses and grains in plots that won't be used for some time to prevent erosion, improve soil structure and provide continued nutrient density).

• Organic practices (while they are not yet USDA certified they are committed to strictly following organic practices. These include no pesticides, no GMOs, no harmful chemicals).

• Low Till practices (currently, as the farm operation grows, the farmers practice shallow cultivation, meaning deep soil layers are disturbed as little as possible. Tillage, specifically the act of churning up deep soil matter and bringing it to the surface compacts and degrades soil when done frequently over time because it creates a hardpan below the soil surface and continually reintroduces a "weed seed bank" which results in new weed germination each season).

• Permanent raised bed system (this means the bed top and pathway locations do not change. This allows the team to reduce soil compaction by maintaining the same foot pathways ensuring that any growing space is not walked on. Permanent raised bed systems are compatible with farms that are completely no-till to farms that use tractors as the dimension of a 1ft pathway and a 30-inch bed top is the standard in the market garden industry and most cultivation tools (including some tractors!) are made with these dimensions in mind.

•  Hand-powered aeration (this is particularly conducive inside tunnels where larger machinery use is limited. It consists of breaking up the hardpan with an implement called a broadfork, and "mixing" just the top two inches of soil with a drill-powered tool called the Tilther. This incorporates organic amendments such as alfalfa, bone, blood, or feather meal, boron, compost, etc.).

Maggie and Sean's primary goal is conservationism through land, farming and place-based stewardship. They recognize that though the land is not "theirs," it never actually was, and there were many care takers of this land before them. They aim to farm in a way that will provide richer soil and more nutrient-dense food for generations to come.

While they have been privileged enough to find land with owners who support the efforts of young farmers, and who share a common goal of expanding responsible agriculture, starting a farm is certainly no small matter. If you find yourself in a position to donate to their Beginning Farm Fund, know that they are deeply grateful for your contribution, and your belief in them, and their passions. Any amount helps-- even $5 buys a packet of seeds!

The two are beyond elated to continue sharing the development of their livelihood and their shared dream. For more information about their backgrounds in farming and how they came to start Terra Flora, check out the "About Us" tab under About Us dropdown menu.

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