TURTLE CREEK GARDENS
Whole-systems Regenerative Farming
Our Certifications
What We Grow
Organic vegetable and crop production makes up about 20 acres of our 100-acre farm. Of the remaining acreage, we maintain approximately 60 acres as pasture for hogs and beef cattle.
We also have a greenhouse where we grow transplants for our farm, do custom growing work for other farmers and retailers, and produce seedlings for our Annual Plant Sale, which is open to the public every year in May. In addition, we have two season-extension house for growing early spring greens and tomatoes.
Our fruit production includes a small orchard plus aronia bushes.
TCG strives to create a pollinator-friendly environment, both for native insects as well as honey bees. Honey we sell comes directly from the hives at Turtle Creek Gardens.
How We Grow
Our farm is certified USDA Organic through MOSA (Midwest Organic Services Association) based in Viroqua, WI. But Organic is more than a label. It’s important to us to uphold the original values and philosophical foundations of organic agriculture, which includes soil-grown crops, diversified species, and a whole-systems approach to farming.
That’s why we’ve also earned Real Organic certification. The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement to identify farms that remain steady and true to the spirit of organic, no matter how diluted the USDA organic standards become over time.
In addition, we use practices rooted in Biodynamic agriculture, taking into account the medicinal and spiritual dimensions of our whole farm—land, plants, animals, and the surrounding natural areas.
The Farm Collective:
Turtle Creek Gardens currently aggregates products from 8-10 small organic farms in southern Wisconsin and facilitates their collaborative marketing through our CSA, online Farm Store, Farmer’s Market, and wholesale venues under the banner of The Farm Collective.
Collaborative marketing:
Fosters reciprocal relationships between farmers that leverage each farm’s expertise and resources.
Allows farms to reduce their tillage by specializing in a few crops and letting more of their land rest and regenerate.
Reduces the need for every farm to own specialized equipment to process multiple crops and/or hire sufficient help for multiple labor-intensive crops.
Enables farms to share each other’s established and diverse markets.
Enables more isolated farms to increase their markets without spending more time and resources on off-farm travel.
It’s long been common for like-minded farms buy, sell, or trade with each other. The Farm Collective seeks to raise consumer awareness about the value of that connectedness and collaboration, promoting a broader vision of local food as a community effort.
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