Growing Practices

The Greg’s U-Pick Farm Mission

To combine organic practices with conventional agriculture to grow in a sustainable way, producing healthy soil, healthy plants, healthy animals, and healthy fruits and vegetables for you and your families to enjoy.

Here at Greg’s, we take a biological approach, combining many organic practices with conventional agriculture. This allows us to produce healthy soil and healthy plants, which in turn produce healthy fruits and vegetables. We farm in a sustainable way by using many organic practices in our day-to-day operation. While we are not an organic farm, organic practices are a major part of how we grow.

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Red tractor in a field with newly sprouted crops, showcasing neat rows of green plants in fertile soil under a cloudy sky.

Soil Health and Crop Management

Our fertility program focuses on the use of cover crops, manures, compost, crop rotation, and hydrolyzed fish and kelp fertilizers. This approach allows us to limit our use of chemical fertilizers while preserving soil life and long-term soil health.

On all of our crops, we implement organic weed control in some capacity. These methods include planting into a sterile seedbed, mechanical cultivation, the use of biodegradable and living mulches, mowing, and hand weeding.

Young boy sitting on a red International tractor surrounded by vibrant sunflower fields under a blue sky.

Ripe red strawberries growing on green plants, with some unripe green strawberries visible, showcasing a healthy strawberry patch.

Farm store and bakery sign with colorful flowers in the foreground and a tractor with a trailer in the background, set in a rural landscape.

Red vintage tractor pulling a hay wagon in a harvested field with trees in the background under cloudy skies.

Tractor operating a plastic mulch layer in a field, preparing soil for planting crops under a clear blue sky.

A young boy and an older man kneeling in a plowed field, engaged in planting seeds together, showcasing a meaningful intergenerational farming experience.

Tractor preparing soil for planting in a field, featuring a tiller attached to the rear, with rows of black plastic mulch laid out in the background under a cloudy sky.

Young boy in overalls walking through a greenhouse with rows of young plants, showcasing sustainable farming practices and agricultural education for children.

Red tractor pulling a green feed wagon across a snowy field, showcasing winter farming activities and agricultural machinery in use.

View of a vegetable planting machine in a field, with yellow tanks and a row of freshly planted lettuce. Workers are seen tending to the crops, showcasing modern agricultural practices in a well-maintained farm setting.

Farmer operating a tractor in a field, preparing to transport freshly planted crops on a flatbed trailer, with rows of plants growing in the background under a cloudy sky.

Farmer driving a red tractor down a rural dirt road, surrounded by harvested corn stalks and green fields under a clear blue sky.

Inside a greenhouse, rows of young plants grow on black mulch, surrounded by straw bedding. The structure features a clear plastic cover, allowing natural light to enhance plant growth while protecting them from external elements.

Tractor plowing a field under a clear blue sky, with freshly tilled soil and farm buildings in the background.

Farmers using a tractor to lay plastic mulch in a field, preparing for planting. The image shows two workers seated on the equipment, with freshly tilled soil and mulch in the background.

Interior view of a greenhouse showcasing rows of healthy plants, with a clear structure and natural light filtering through the roof, highlighting sustainable farming practices.

Tomato plants growing in a greenhouse with a clear plastic structure, showcasing rows of young green seedlings on a black plastic mulch surface.

Red agricultural tiller working on a freshly plowed field under a clear blue sky, preparing the soil for planting crops.

Red tractor harvesting cabbage in a field, with a farmer loading vegetables into a wooden cart under a clear blue sky.

Close-up view of a vintage tractor's steering wheel with a seed planter attached, set against a backdrop of freshly tilled farmland. The image showcases agricultural machinery in use during planting season.

Farmers using a planting machine to sow seedlings in rows on a prepared field, showcasing modern agricultural techniques.

Red tractor hauling a large load of harvested crops along a dirt path in a rural farm setting, with trees and a farmhouse in the background under a clear blue sky.

Tractor equipped with planting trays filled with young plants, operated by a person in a field, demonstrating modern agricultural practices for efficient planting.

Greenhouse interior featuring tall tomato plants growing in neat rows, with straw mulch on the ground and clear roofing allowing natural light.

Weed, Pest, and Disease Management

We also transplant into our fields whenever possible to gain a head start on weeds. There are some crops where pre-emergent herbicides are used in conjunction with organic practices, including strawberries, corn, pumpkins, squash, and others.

We follow a crop rotation plan to help limit disease and insect pressure. Healthy plants are naturally better able to withstand these challenges, which helps minimize the need for pesticides. When necessary, some pesticides and fungicides are used. These applications are always limited, carefully timed, and applied properly.

For example, strawberries are sprayed once with an insecticide in early May before bloom. During periods of wet weather, fungicides may be used during fruit formation or harvest to maintain fruit quality. These products are specifically formulated for use during these times, and we never over spray.

Irrigated lettuce field with vibrant green and red leaves, showcasing a mist of water spraying over the crops in a sunny agricultural setting.

Crop Selection & Community Focus

We take great pride in producing fruits and vegetables that you can feel good about eating. We choose crop varieties based on flavor and disease resistance.

Our goal is to feed our community, not the world. We do not grow varieties developed for long-distance shipping that rely heavily on pesticides. In an ever-changing world, we believe it is important to know where your food comes from and to know your farmers. We work hard to bring you quality produce that tastes good and is good for you.