Farm presentation

IN THIS SECTION:

1. Les Jardins de la Montagne
2. Our Objectives
3. Farm history
4. Our team
5. Growing methods

LES JARDINS DE LA MONTAGNE

Joscelyne Charbonneau and Sylvain Brunet founded their family farm in 1997 and are certified organic since the very beginning. At Les Jardins de la Montagne, we grow for our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) members, in 25 gardens, 53 species and over 250 varieties vegetables, most of which are heirloom vegetables, herbs and fruits.

By joining our farm you will get a weekly basket of high-quality, fresh, organic produce grown locally and picked at peak maturity, on the day of delivery. It is like having your own garden. Every year, all our members are invited to spend a day on the farm with their family and friends… you might even want to come garden on this beautiful piece of land which, by subscribing to our CSA, you are helping to protect for future generations.

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OUR OBJECTIVES

Protect this piece of land entrusted to us while maintaining the viability of the farm as an entity. Supply living, vibrant and varied food to our members year round. Participate in the world’s wide effort to save and maintain bio diversity by growing the widest range of species and varieties possible. Offer our employees good working conditions and equitable wages and finally, offer internships to agricultural students for here and abroad.

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FARM HISTORY

In the summer of ’97, Joscelyne grows her first 10 food baskets during 10 weeks. The following summer, still alone, she does 42 baskets over 20 weeks. In ’99, she askes her husband and a friend to help her with the 84 weekly baskets. In 2000, our family grows to 192 members and, at their own request, we start the winter baskets. In 2002, we adopt, always at the request of our members, the yearly baskets formula from the end of June to the end of May of the following year. Since then, our family keeps growing, a little more, every year. A wonderful unfolding adventure!

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TEAM

Following the growth of the farm, and after being part of our team of apple pickers for 6 years, Enes, his wife Remzija and their two daughters, came to live in Rougemont in 2005 and are now invaluable members or our team. We salute their courage following their long journey of over 15 years which saw them flee the war in their native Bosnia, to go to Germany, then to come to Canada near Sherbrooke.

We are priviledged to be able to rely on a dynamic team of people from here and abroad. Throughout the years we’ve welcomed workers and interns from France, the US, Benin, Togo, Burundi, India, Nepal, Australia, Peru and Columbia. Even the animals contribute at Les Jardins de la Montagne: the dogs on gard duty, obviously, but they also patrol the entire farm to keep deers who take great pleasure in taking small bites here and there in the carots, salads, beets and many other vegetables. The dogs and the cats also take care of vermin (mice, field rats, skunks, racoons, ground hogs, etc.). The presence of the dogs and cats is indispensable on the farm since we do not use poisonous chemicals as part of our organic commitment to farming.

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GROWING METHODS

We work with Mother Nature and we try to maintain her balance. This is why we use plants (ex. Nasturtium flowers, to repulse colorado potato beetles) and various predatory insects, that we release, like ladybugs to control other insects. Floating row covers are used to create a physical barrier against certain types of insects like the stripped cucumber beetle. These row covers also help raising the temperature during the day and to protect against cold and frost in spring and autumn and to conserve humidity during dry periods. We also use biodegradable plastic mulches to support vegetables that need a lot of heat like peppers, melons, eggplants, cucumbers, etc.

Working with Mother Nature requires a certain level of compromise so has to give her the space she needs to create and maintain her balance. Consequently, we preserve certain areas for wildflowers and brush to provide beneficial insects and birds places to live and reproduce. We also leave the door to the old milk house open during the summer to let sparrows raise their youngs. We also believe that it is not only necessary but beneficial to share from 10 to 20% or our crops with insects because over time we have seen that this approach helps establish and maintain a balance between beneficial and ravaging insects.

Finally, the use of drip irrigation allows us to save up to 80% of the volume of water usually necessary to irrigate.

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