The world of farming is changing rapidly. In the past century, we've seen family farms disappear: following the Nixon administration's dictum of "get big or get out," much of America's farmland was consolidated into mega-farms. "Big ag" completely altered the rural landscape of America. Workers disappeared from the farm, replaced by increasingly complex, expensive, high tech machinery. The new system of food production was propped up by cheap fossil fuel in the form of synthetic fertilizers, fungicides, and pesticides. Suddenly, a very small number of people (sometimes just one person) could "farm" massive amounts of land.
If you're reading this, you're likely familiar with the consequences that have ensued. Our top soil is disappearing; the Gulf of Mexico is turning into a nitrogen run-off deadzone; methane pollution from big ag has become the single largest contributor to climate change worldwide.
In the past few decades, organic agricultural has arisen as an alternative to the destructive practices of industrial agriculture. While large scale organic production has its benefits, the idea of starting a large--or even mid-sized--organic farm is overwhelming for many young people interested in farming. Even a five or ten acre vegetable farm requires a $30,000 tractor, expensive implements, large barns and warehouse space, a massive irrigation system, and a huge amount of labor.At Second Spring, we offer apprentices a very different approach to farming. As a "market garden," our practices are modeled on those of eighteenth and nineteenth century Parisian growers. These farmers pioneered season extension, growing under moveable glass cloches, while producing the entire city of Paris' food using less than 1/10th of its land base. They did this with simple, effective tools: appropriate technology for their small market gardens.
Our growing system utilizes just 1 acre of land to produce food for more than 100 local families, a dozen restaurants, and our local farmer's market. We produce over 40 different kinds of vegetables each year throughout all four seasons, offering the only year-round fresh vegetable CSA in Asheville. We accomplish all of this using a permanent bed system, large amount of compost and organic matter, a BCS walk-behind tractor, and hand tools.
We started out with zero capital, obtaining a loan from the USDA to purchase our start-up equipment and infrastructure. We were profitable our very first year as a farm, deriving two full-time incomes from our market garden: we opted to work full-time on the farm, and it paid off.
We utilize techniques popularized by Jean-Martin Fortier and Eliot Coleman. As a Second Spring apprentice, you'll learn to: