About the farm

How we got here

We started farming since 2015, when we embarked on a year-long internship where we learned everything we could. It was a life-changing experience and soon realized there was nothing else we would rather do. 

At the end of 2015, through the crazy happenings of the Universe, we came across a piece of land perfect for us to start up our own market garden and so we began Way To Grow! Gardens. 

For the next two years we farmed in Lemonville, Ontario, using land that was part of a sustainable garlic farm.  We grew a mix of vegetables, flowers and mushrooms and sold at a farmers' market in Toronto and through an on-farm pick-up program to our local community. In 2018 and 2019 we made the decision to put our farm on hiatus and became field managers at Wheelbarrow Farm, an 8-acre organic vegetable farm.  During this time we kept searching for a farm property to eventually continue farming for ourselves. 

Wanting a bit of adventure, we decided to search for property in beautiful Nova Scotia. We found the perfect place for us and at the end of 2019 moved to a 12-acre farm in Ardness.

2020 was our first season growing in Nova Scotia where we transitioned about an acre of fallow field into a productive market garden. Over the years we have added covered growing space to extend the season. We supply veggies at the New Glasgow Farmers Market and at our Friday Farm Stand in Lismore.

This farm is a very special place overlooking the Northumberland Strait, on very clear days you can see a bit of P.E.I all the way across the water. We feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to take care of and build a relationship with this land!

Growing practices

 Our concern is always with the health of the soil and surrounding environment. Our vegetables are cultivated on a human-sized scale mostly by hand.  We grow using a variety of sustainable practices such as:

Organic soil amendments and fertilizers: We only use organic chicken manure fertilizer and various mineral amendments to add nutrients to our soil 

Organic, non-GMO seeds: Each year we select heirloom and unique varieties of vegetables that aren't commonly found in supermarkets. We make a point of using organic seeds whenever possible.   

Compost: By adding composted organic matter to our soil each year, great things happen.  Soil structure improves; helpful bacteria, fungi, soil microorganism and worm populations proliferate; more nutrients can be held in the soil; water infiltration and holding increases.  This all makes for a healthier and more resilient farm.

No pesticides or herbicides:  Pests and weeds are managed through row cover, crop rotation, manual removal and weeding.  

Low to no tillage: Frequent tillage can be destructive of all the things that we are trying to improve in our soil as well as releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and causing erosion.  Reducing or eliminating tillage plays a key role in keeping our soil healthy.  We also use heavy black silage tarps as ground cover to keep the soil protected when nothing is being grown and to help decompose previous crops.  

Crop rotation: Avoiding growing the same crop in the same place helps to reduce pest and disease pressure

Cover cropping:  Crops like oats, peas and tillage radish are grown and then break down in place to add nutrients, improve soil structure with their roots, increase organic matter and prevent erosion when other crops aren't being grown.

All these practices interact to ensure healthy soil and grow the best vegetables possible!