About Us
“Our approach is grounded in biointensive principles. We are a no-till farm to protect and develop the soil fertility and integrity and do not use any synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. We want to work with nature to grow in harmony with the land.”
Crowded Table Farm’s table is, as its name states, crowded! There are two families farming together – led by Cynthia and David, Sarah and Chris – with five children, four cats, four dogs and fourteen chickens rounding out the numbers.
Prior to farming together, Cynthia and Sarah had a friendship dating back to elementary school. They had always thought of joining forces, but the right opportunity had never presented itself.
Before moving to Eastern Ontario last year, Chris and Sarah were working on a conventional dairy farm and living in Stratford, Ontario. For their part, David and Cynthia saw how Chris and Sarah were living and thought it would be healthy for their family to live in such a way – being outdoors and active. At the time, David had had some health issues that he was solving through vegetarianism, which, combined with the exposure he had to his friends’ way of life, got him thinking not only about what he was eating, but where the food was coming from!
It was then that, after years of friendship and a keen interest to live healthier lives & know where their food came from – the decision to start their own farm together was made. Their plan materialized when they found the property in November of 2019 and fell in love with it. The land was officially purchased in January 2020 with the idea of developing the property as an organic market garden, and then in March of that year, they started farming!
Growing Organic
Crowded Table Farm’s approach to market gardening is one grounded in biointensive and sustainability principles. This means that they are a no-till farm to protect and develop the soil fertility and integrity. They do not use any synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Instead, they work with nature to grow in harmony with the land.
They started farming in 2020, and are currently working toward organic certification in 2022. They felt that being certified organic was important.
Previously, David worked in industrial safety and was accustomed to having standards, having reference material of what he should and shouldn’t be doing, and that the material was based on science. When it came to farming, they looked at the long-term, systematic impacts it had on the environment.
This is what encouraged them to take a holistic approach that is amendment focused, and to aim to become certified organic from the get-go. Candian Organic Growers has been able to support them in their first year of farming through the Growing Eastern Ontario Organically program.
“GEO-O has helped us focus on what was important. Tom Manley and Rob Wallbridge sent soil samples and steered us in the correct direction. They observed the system, helped explain the soil, and connected us with the tools and resources we needed. They provided the tidbits of information that the books didn’t.”
Crowded Table Farms
Currently, Crowded Table Farm’s market garden makes up half an acre of their property where they grow diverse vegetables and raise chickens. In their first year they grew nearly 30 varieties of different vegetables, and heading into their second they are aiming to do the same – including offering their first CSA shares and bringing back some of their customers’ favourites like kohlrabi and multi-coloured carrots!
You’ll be able to find Crowded Table Farm at local farmers’ market in Stittsville, in Kinburn and the Ottawa region in 2021! In the meantime, make sure to sign up for their newsletter and follow them on Facebook and Instagram!
Crowded Table Farm (Kinburn, ON )
Meet Our
GEO-O Farmers!
GEO-O stands for Growing Eastern Ontario Organically, a three-year, on-the-ground initiative to support farmers to transition to organic through mentorship, financial incentives, and on-site experiential learning. GEO-O builds on COG’s earlier Organic Success initiative to provide farmers much more in-person, on-site, and farmer-to-farmer training. GEO-O is a first of its kind experiential learning-centred approach in a specific region.
COG will compare the outcomes of GEO-O to similar efforts across the country in order to bring further benefits to the entire Canadian organic sector.