Hi friends, welcome to the farm! My name is Laura. I am the owner of Sourwood Creek Farm and the chief farmer. I am assisted by my husband Andy and four kids. The shadow at my side and my constant companion is Toby. Toby is a standard Parti Poodle and loves to stand guard over the farm while I work. We have a flock of 7 hens and a rooster. Each of the chickens is named after a book character. Check out our IG page to meet them all. They live in a coop we constructed with a chicken tunnel system to allow them to range without fear of predators (or Toby).
The name of our farm comes from the sourwood trees that grow in our woods, bending and curving and raining down white blossoms every spring. We also have a small creek that winds its way through the woods. It is a favorite place for the kids to explore.
Our farm is made up of 2.5 acres of woods and 4 acres of sunny pasture. I have been farming a small patch of this land for the past four years. It began as a small garden with tomatoes, lettuce, herbs, and flowers. Every year, the garden expanded and grew until it is now about 1/4 acre in size. The farm includes pear, peach, cherry, and fig trees. We also have blueberry, raspberry, and elderberry bushes, strawberries, rhubarb, asparagus, and many, many flowers.
Out of an abundance of flowers and foliage and a love for flowers, I made the decision to begin this business with the intention of getting fresh flowers into the hands of as many people as possible.
Our recipe for fresh flowers begins with the soil. With an initial tillage of the hard and compacted soil, we have been a no-till farm since the beginning. The broadfork has become my ally in aerating and opening the soil. I continue to learn and study how to best protect, amend, and feed the soil and introduce nutrients that plants need from around our farm. We mulch with leaves, make our own compost, cover crop, and are beginning the adventure of vermicomposting. A few books that have impacted our farming practices this year are The Living Soil Handbook by Jesse Frost and The Worm Farmer's Handbook by Rhonda Sherman.
As I learn, I look forward to sharing my experiences, successes, and failures on this blog. Thanks for being along for the ride and for taking an interest in our farm.
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