Our Sustainable and IPM Practices

 

 

       Ramsbotham's Riverview Farm is a sustainable and an IPM farm. Sustainable and IPM Farming is a movement to “save the earth” or another way to say it “earth friendly activities on a farm”. Reuse, Recycle and use less plastic, chemicals, water and energy are the goals to achieve a Sustainable Farm. As a Sustainable farm, we protect and improve the farm soil.

We have put into practice the following sustainable practices:

     Reuse  
                   Paper and plastic bags
                   Planting flats, pots and cells
                  Cardboard boxes for customer plant carriers
                  Plastic lily boxes and wooden pallets

                 ● Greenhouse plastic trellis netting for several seasons

                 ● Composted farm soil and plant matter

    For recycle
                    news papers, cardboard and scrap metal             

    Use less energy
                    Winterize greenhouses
                     Start up largest greenhouse later in the spring (100 foot long)
                     Start up smaller greenhouses (25 ft.) first
                    Stack planted lily boxes in smaller greenhouse until they sprout, then transfer to the
                        lily growing area in the big greenhouse, saving 7 to 10 days of fuel
                    Established new garden nearer to farm, resulting in less fuel use for trucks and tractors
                     Combine trips to stores for purchases
                     Keep all gasoline and diesel engines in good working order 
                     Replaced two farmers markets, Manchester and Bedford, for closer Seacoast Farmers Markets
                     Use less energy for transporting seedlings by growing all of our cut flower transplants from seed on the farm. One order for all seeds needed.
                     Use ducks, geese, chickens and turkeys to clear the grass at the end of flower gardens, instead of mowing
                     Grow more field perennials and bulbs which do not need to be replaced each year with new seedlings



    Use less chemicals

                     We practice integrated pest management (IPM)   It means we scout for insects regularly.
                        If there is a problem, only that area is sprayed.
                     We do not schedule regular insect spraying on our farm. We only spray when needed
                     We encourage beneficial insects. Lady Bugs and Bumble Bees are plentiful on our farm. Praying Mantis and Lace Wings are in our fields
                         in small quantities.   We plant Dill which attract Beneficial Insects in the field – less need to use insecticides

    Use less plastic

                     Sell bouquets without plastic sleeves when damage to the flowers is unlikely
                     Sell single stem flowers which do not require plastic sleeves
                     Encourage customers to require less plastic bags to cover flower stems. Some bring their recycled bags to the market for this use.
                 

       Use less water

                     Use drip irrigation to conserve water instead of overhead sprinklers
                     Use natural pond for farm irrigation

      Healthy Soil Practices                                                        

                     Plow in green manure (the winter rye that was planted in the fall)

                     Roto-till the soil as little as possible, since this practice brakes down the soil humus

                     In the fall, grind up last summer’s crops and incorporate into the soil

                     In the fall, plant winter rye to prevent washing away of top soil from fall and winter rains

 

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03/10/2013