How We Grow
Shouldn't flowers be local, healthy, and fresh like your food?
At Rathvinden we grow flowers, herbs, fruits, farmers, and a smattering of vegetables (mostly fancy tomatoes). We use sustainable and regenerative methods which means no toxic chemicals, building healthy soil, and prioritizing local community.
Sometimes our flowers are not perfect, which we believe makes them perfect. We believe in the beauty of wildness, boldness, complexity, surprise, and vitality. Healthy flowers don’t just look good, they smell good too, from vibrant floral aromas, to the subtle turpentine and citrusy flavors of fresh living plants.
Our guiding principle:
Health!
Not just health for humans, but for every living thing. This means using no pesticides or herbicides, fertilizing with compost and cover crops, eliminating tillage and single use plastics, using natural predators whenever possible, rotating crops, and leaving space for wildlife. Our hope is to create a cycle of mutual benefit between people, plants, domestic animals, and wildlife.
To improve health, we look to nature and try to copy her techniques such as diversity, mixed planting, cooperation with animals (even bugs - especially bugs!), and recycling. We do not always find the perfect answer or complete a cycle, but we're improving and that's the fun and rewarding part.
To create surpluses from healthy living cycles, using the fewest outside inputs besides sunlight and water, while minimizing waste and improving the health of all components -- that’s the challenge we embrace.
We are not organic certified, because seriously, who has time?
However we aim to surpass the standards set by the National Organic Program as we prioritize our own health, and yours, and the health of the plants, animals, and land around us.
Our mission is to go beyond organic - to create a farm that is also an ecosystem; one that builds living soil, cleans water and air, incorporates wildlife, pays living wages, and keeps us all healthy.