The special way we grow our seed...
It all starts with ground selection. We will only raise our crops on land that has been left free of non-organic chemicals for a minimum of 3 years. The ground must also have a clear buffer zone as to prevent contamination from other sources. It is also important for us to choose grounds that are nutrient rich and where we can prevent soil erosion.
Once we have selected the ground we must prepare it. The ground is tilled extensively since this is our first defense against weeds.
Next we plant all of the seed by hand. This helps ensure proper spacing and that we only plant high quality seed. Once the seeds are planted we start hand weeding. Hand weeding must be done until the plants are big enough to create a canopy over the soil and stop weed growth.
In areas of the fields that we did not plant a crop we usually plant a cover crop such as Sudan Grass. The cover crop is planted to mainly prevent weed growth for the next year if we stay in the same area.
Once the plants are a few inches tall we release the ladybugs. We release thousands of them through the year to control insects. We also start hand rouging around this time. Hand rouging is when you walk through the plants and remove any plants that do not seem healthy.
We are inspected twice a year by Oregon State University to make sure our fields are of the highest quality plants. Once the potatoes are large enough for harvest we kill all of the vines using a large roller that breaks the vines and wait around three weeks. Finally we dig up the potatoes, till in the cover crops, and get ready for the next year. We also send in samples to the labs to ensure low disease counts in our product.
Farming is what we love to do and we want you to experience the joy of raising your own crops. Our seed is top of the line and goes through extensive testing and certification so that you will only get the best.