Edmund Farms

06/29/2026

Sometimes I curse the rocky Connecticut soil, other times I’m grateful for the resource.

06/23/2026

New capabilities and another step toward a local circular economy at Edmund Farms.

06/23/2026

Last week we shared how we were repurposing debris from a land clearing project into hügelkultur garden beds at a client’s property.

What we didn’t mention is that hügelkultur was actually the backup plan.

So why did we end up using the backup plan instead of the original design? We’ll cover that in the final project update. For now, here are some photos showing the layering sequence used to build the beds.

At its core, hügelkultur is a way of turning woody debris, brush, leaves, and other organic materials into a long-term soil-building system. As these materials decompose, they gradually release nutrients back into the soil while increasing organic matter. Over time, the decomposed material also helps retain moisture, acting like a sponge and reducing the need for irrigation.

Rather than treating organic material as waste, hügelkultur puts it back to work building healthy, productive soil.

06/18/2026

06/18/2026

🌻 Sunflower germination update!

I planted oil seed sunflowers across 6 beds to compare germination in mulched vs. unmulched soil.

Results:

* Total seedlings in mulched rows: 153/180 germinated (85%)
* Total seedlings in unmulched rows: 158/180 germinated (88%)

Overall germination: 311/360 (86%)

Not much of a difference in this trial, but it was fun to see the numbers. Looking forward to watching these fill in over the next few weeks!

06/17/2026

Most people know us through Edmund Farms Tree & Land, where we help clients with tree removal.

But we also have a soil, garden, and farm consulting side to the business, and today those two worlds came together.

We’re taking brush and woody material from an active land-clearing project and delivering it to a consulting client who has the perfect site for hugelkultur-style garden beds. Instead of treating that material as waste, we’re putting it right back to work building soil.

This is a key part of the local circular economy we’re trying to create at Edmund Farms.

The tree business doesn’t just support our farm. It supports other farms, gardens, and regenerative projects throughout the community. Brush becomes garden infrastructure. Logs become lumber. Leaves become compost. Organic materials stay local and continue creating value.

That’s also the vision behind BioTurn, our organic waste management initiative. If you know a local business that would rather have its organic materials composted locally than sent to a landfill, let them know about us.

Waste is often just a resource that hasn’t found its next purpose yet.

06/17/2026

One of the best parts of managing a piece of land over time is discovering what wants to grow there naturally.

This morning I found a wild fox grape seedling and couldn’t resist giving it a new home. We have mature fox grape vines scattered throughout our woods, but they often spend their lives climbing through shaded forest canopies. By moving this one to a sunnier location, we’re giving it a chance to thrive and produce fruit while preserving a bit of the local genetics already adapted to this land.

06/15/2026

No till? One till? Some till?

At Edmund Farms, we describe our vegetable production as no-till. Once a garden bed is established, we avoid disturbing the soil whenever possible.

The benefits are substantial. Undisturbed soils support a thriving soil food web that naturally cycles nutrients, improves soil structure, helps crops access water, and can even increase resilience against pests and disease. No-till beds also retain moisture better, reducing the need for irrigation during dry periods.

So why are we using a tiller?

Because principles matter more than labels.

While our beds are designed to operate as no-till systems, we often use a tiller when establishing new growing areas. In many cases, this is actually more important in former lawns than in woodlots. Years of mowing can create dense sod and compacted surface layers that make it difficult for crops and cover crops to establish. A single pass with a tiller can accelerate the transition from lawn to productive farmland.

That doesn’t mean we’re abandoning regenerative practices. In fact, our goal is the opposite: create a healthy, biologically active soil and then disturb it as little as possible moving forward.

There are other situations where a tiller can be useful as well. By adjusting the depth to as little as an inch or two, it can lightly incorporate compost, amendments, or cover crop residue. We don’t currently do this in our garden beds because we believe the benefits of maintaining established no-till systems outweigh the advantages of incorporation.

But we are not dogmatic.

As we experiment with crops like sunflower and grain, strict no-till may not always be practical at our scale. The question isn’t whether a tiller was used. The question is whether the land is healthier year after year.

Are we building organic matter? Increasing biodiversity? Improving water infiltration? Reducing erosion? Growing healthier crops with fewer inputs?

Those are the metrics that matter.

Regenerative agriculture is a toolbox, not a religion.

06/13/2026

Compost tea is a critical component of our regenerative strategy as we work toward a closed-loop system.

But what exactly is compost tea doing for us?

Contrary to popular belief, compost tea isn’t primarily a fertilizer. It’s an inoculant. The brewing process cultures beneficial microorganisms already present in our compost, which we then apply as a soil drench throughout the farm. These microbes help cycle nutrients, improving their availability to plants while supporting overall soil health.

The brewing and application process favors bacterial communities and can reduce fungal populations. That’s one reason we rely heavily on wood chips and leaf mulch throughout the farm which creates the conditions needed for fungal communities to rebuild and thrive over time.

Healthy soil isn’t just about nutrients. It’s about biology.

06/11/2026

Every piece of infrastructure on a farm starts the same way: standing in the woods and imagining what could be.

This week, that vision is the future site of the Edmund Farms Store.

There’s a lot of work between now and 2027, but every orchard, pasture, garden, and building starts with a few trees, a brush mower, and a plan.