Saturday, April 13, 2019
EarthDance Organic Farm School is a teaching farm in the heart of Ferguson, MO. Managing Director, Rachel Levi, offered a tour for Wild Ones St. Louis Chapter. The turnout on a cold Saturday morning was 38 members, 2 children, and eight guests.
On this 14-acre farm EarthDance operates on the oldest organic farm west of the Mississippi.
The historic farm has been organically gardened since 1883. The land was settled by German immigrants. Owners Al and Caroline Mueller were progressive about organic farming. Al worked with a mule into the 1980s. Read more about the property history at: https://earthdancefarms.org/about/
Molly Rockamann, EarthDance’s founder, was brought to the farm as a teenager by her Dad. In college she majored in environmental studies and then studied sustainable agriculture in Florida, California, Fiji, and Ghana.
The farm offers an apprenticeship program and gives local teens the opportunity to work alongside apprentices. Its apprenticeship and youth programs build community by reconnecting people to the land. In addition, they have hosted 1000 educational field trips.
Organic produce grown at the farm is sold at the Ferguson Farmers Market, Tower Grove Farmers’ Market, to local restaurants and to the Ferguson-Florissant School District.
During the tour we saw examples of the following permaculture (permanent agriculture) techniques:
- cover crops to build up soil
- high tunnels which uses solar gain passive solar only, and row covers. These tunnels produced five to six harvests since September.
- a green house heated with propane
- insect netting which lasts up to five years to prevent flying insect such as cabbage moths from damaging crops
- row covers with insulating properties to control temperature
- beds built on hill contours to slow down and capture rain
- four-year crop rotation
- harvest house where staff weigh, wash, dry and pack vegetables for market and to local restaurants. The house also includes two coolers.
Wild Ones St. Louis Chapter recently awarded a grant to EarthDance Organic Farm School for native plants. EarthDance has planted more than 1,100 plants including over 25 species of native wildflowers. Rachel Levi researched the best native plants for farmscaping; species proven to attract pollinators and beneficial insects. Additionally, the flowers were chosen to make the farmscape more beautiful. More info can be found at:
https://earthdancefarms.org/blog/can-native-flowers-save-veggies/
Volunteer Opportunities
Upcoming volunteer opportunities are posted on our website at:
https://stlwildones.org/dig-in/wild-ones-volunteer/
Spring Wildflower Market at Shaw Nature Reserve
May 10, 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm – Pre-sale for Missouri Botanical Garden members.
May 11, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm – Spring Wildflower Market 2019, open to the public.
Members who volunteer at this sale get a discount on plants purchased from our booth.
Next Wild Ones Gathering
Yard tour at the home of Bob and Cathy Pickard.
Choose between Saturday May 4, 9:30 a.m. or Wednesday, May 8, 6:30 pm
Carpooling is encouraged.
For address and directions see: https://stlwildones.org/calendar/
Recorded by: Fran Glass, Membership Chair
