The farm started out of my desire to grow more food for our family. I use polyculture with free ranging ducks as I encourage a supportive ecosystem that can feed my family, the ducks, and all the other insects and animals. My family and I are located outside of Tallahassee, Florida on 5 acres and grow on about 2 acres. We experience very wide weather swings that have become increasingly unpredictable. Our winters can be in the teens during winter, and summers are always very hot and humid, often with very dry periods and very wet periods. I see diversity and wilder crops as key to withstanding these unpredictable and extreme conditions.

My seeds are in variable states unless noted. I will not list seeds which are in a state I am not satisfied with or which have not met my breeding goals. I look for plants that do well in my location with minimal input and save seed from the best of those or with characteristics I like. I am not concerned with true to type but rather what does best for me and tastes good to me.

I am not certified organic but farm ecologically minded and in polyculture, meaning I leave most weeds and let the plants I am growing become accustomed to strong competition. Growing in this way is important to me because it takes less energy on my part and it creates an abundance which supports my ducks who are excellent at trimming the weeds and eating the insects who also depend on the weeds. I see it as all being connected and my best role is encouraging natural systems rather than trying to control them.

I have been saving seeds for over 5 years now and have focused on finding seeds that do well in my location or adapting them using landrace methods. Most of what I practice was self-learned through reading, online courses and experimentation. I also seek out crops that are underutilized or culturally unknown which do well in the deep south.

I primarily select for plants that grow well on their own or with minimal input. I see this happening when plants are highly productive compared to others in the same population and conditions. They produce more seed and outproduce less productive plants. Sometimes I look for specific things. I select for flavor after productivity and base this on my own preference or the preference of friends and neighbors.