Heart Beet Organics, a small farm with big production
The first impression of Heart Beet Organics can be deceptive.
With two greenhouses and a wide variety of plants under cultivation, it has to be bigger than an acre and a half. However, Amy Smith and Verena Varga have learned to make the most of every available centimeter of space since they set up their operation in Darlington back in 2010.
Small scale agriculture is a growing trend in the country but the owners of Heart Beet Organics don’t consider themselves trendsetters. Their goal from day one was to be successful farmers, not just environmentally and socially but also economically.
In 2018, they became the first organic farm (not to mention the smallest in terms of acreage) to win the Gilbert R. Clements Award for Excellence in Environmental Farm Planning.
“We grow almost every vegetable you can grow in this climate,” Amy said. “Some, like ginger, are grown in the greenhouse.”
That is no idle boast. They have over 40 different kinds of vegetables under production, with over 200 varieties including heirloom vegetables which are uniquely coloured. They offer veggie pick-up at the farm (Although that has been adjusted to meet the physical distancing requirements imposed by COVID-19) and also sell their products at the Charlottetown Farmers Market.
The farm has high tunnels (which basically function as unheated greenhouses) that cover four field beds to allow them to plant more early spring and late fall varieties. Amy noted extending the season has been a major game-changer for the farm. The greenhouses allow for winter production as well growing micro greens.
The farm uses insect netting and plastic barriers to protect the crops and Verena noted they used raised beds to help with the soil structure. Amy adds it has been a learning curve, noting “the first year we lost all our tomatoes to blight.” That curve also extended to growing what the marketplace wants, joking “we didn’t grow yellow beans the first year and we never made that mistake again.”
“We are too small to get crop insurance so our insurance is to grow as diverse a crop as possible,” Amy said.
They both noted the rise in small farming across the country means there are a number of tools (most of them hand held although they do have a small gas power machine with some attachments to perform a number of farm tasks.) “I would estimate that about 95 per cent of the tomatoes we grow, we save our own seed for,” Verena said.
One of their most popular products is proving to be Kombucha, a fermented tea drink that has been popular in Asia for centuries but is now just starting to catch on in North America. They sell the tea at the Charlottetown Farmers Market, as well as several retail locations in Charlottetown.
They make the tea in stainless steel wine vats and Verena said the demand is growing steadily. The drink claims a number of health benefits including boosting the immune system, better digestion and high levels of vitamins B and C.
