Producer

Roots Farm relies on heavy mulching, a permaculture method that decreases the need for watering. Soil cultivated with heavy mulching shows increased nutrient levels and is full of beneficial organisms, including mychorrizae and other fungi, and earthworms. Heavy mulching helps prevent drought and controls the need for weeding, which at Roots Farm we do by hand. We believe we are the only farm in Kitsap County using wood chips for this water- and soil-conservation approach. Our wood chips come from a tree-removal company; this no-cost amendment provides organic biomass that enriches our soil as well as closes the consumer loop for the locally owned company, which requires a place to offload this byproduct. We will be using soil blocking to help reduce our use of plastic pots and use recycled ones wherever acceptable. Our mulching methods will also soon render our farm irrigation free lessening our dependance on plastic irrigation that ultimately ends up in landfills. We also use our animals that are rotated in fields and pastures for insect contol, tilling and fertilizing virtually elimating the need for gas power implements.

Roots Farm is grounded in the principles of environmental sensitivity.

Understanding how each choice we make affects the soil, the wildlife, the plants—and ultimately our family—pushes us to farm our fields with compassionate attention to each element of our system and environment. We are committed to the health of our soil, our water, our air and every living thing that resides on our farm. We do not use any synthetic pesticides, fungcidies or fertilizers. We also keep bees and plant pollinator friendly plants that span the longest bloom season possible. We have also been planting milkweed to support the Monarch butterfly population.