Artisan Gartens

07/16/2016

One batch of the meat chickens got moved to the field! They are LOVING the alfalfa and clover!

06/22/2016

Waiting for a call from the post office saying our chicks are here, but no call yet.@ Jessie Street Java!

06/11/2016

New post added at Aritsan Gartens!

Hello, everyone and welcome to the beginnings of the new Artisan Gartens web page! This will be a slow process, but bear with us and we'll take you along on our journey creating a new farm!

We are now located in the beautiful Mississippi River bluffs and valleys outside of Winona, MN. We are eage...

04/08/2016

New post added at Aritsan Gartens!

Hello, everyone!

It's true...we have big changes coming. Artisan Gartens will be relocating to the Winona area in the very near future!

Zephyr Valley, tucked in the bluffs of the Mississippi river, is about 15 miles south of Winona. Here, we will surrounded by the beauty of the bluffs, as well as new friends and family. (A warmer gardening zone doesn't hurt either!)

For the 2016 growing season, we will be focusing on re-creating the raised bed/heavy mulch system that worked so well for us last year. Combine that task with moving our household 200 miles, starting new full-time jobs, getting to know a new farm and hometown and helping our animals get adjusted and settled in and I think we'll be pretty busy this summer!

We still plan to raise meat chickens and turkeys so stay tuned for cute baby chick pictures, as well as more photos of the valley.

Thanks for following along! We love having you visit!

03/29/2016

New post added at Aritsan Gartens!

We will be updating the web page in advance of a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! Stay tuned!

09/27/2015

We have pasture-raised chicken for sale! High-quality pasture diet with locally-sourced non-medicated supplemental feed. No hormones or toxic ingredients in the feed or sprayed on the pasture.

This year, we raised Red Rangers, and we're very impressed with them! Send us a message, or give a call if you are interested! $3.50 per lb. Sizes range from a bit over 3 lbs to 7+lbs.

08/10/2015

Can I open the lid for you?!?!

07/16/2015

New post added at Aritsan Gartens!

This weekend the Sandstone Farmer's Market opens! Hours are Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to noon.

It looks like we'll have salad mix, onions, peas and garlic scapes available! (If you're not familiar with scapes, be sure to come by and ask about them!) Harvest permitting, we'll also have limited quantities of carrots and new potatoes. A few dozen farm-fresh eggs will be available, too!

We'll also be taking orders for pasture-raised chicken and turkey, available later this summer and fall. Hope to see you there!

P.S. I'd say our broad-breasted white turkeys are living a pretty nice life!

07/10/2015

New post added at Aritsan Gartens!

I apologize for the lack of posts. We have had some technical issues, that, hopefully, are mostly resolved now!

A good portion of our gardening time is spent weeding these days. To many people, it is nothing but a chore. It can get to be overwhelming, especially when the weeds are growing faster than your wanted plants. But there are actually many advantages to hand weeding.

First of all, of course, is the lack of chemical herbicides. The benefits of not spraying our veggies are best left to another post on its own. There is the sense of accomplishment in hand weeding, also. It just feels good to look back at a row of veggies that are basking in the sun, not being challenged by weeds for nutrients or water.

Another perk, if you will, of weeding by hand struck me today as I sat among the tomatoes. When you are right there, sitting in the dirt next to your plant, you get a very good look at it. You can see if there are bugs crawling on it, and if they are, you can identify if they are good bugs, or bad. You can see if something has been dining on your plant's leaves. You can see how dry the soil is, if there are blossoms yet, or (joy of joys!) some fruit starting to form. You can also see the traits of each particular plant. For us, this is especially important because we are still in beginning stages of finding out which varieties are best suited for our farm.

All of this is difficult to see, even if you are standing, weeding with a hoe. And impossible if you are up on the seat of a tractor, spraying herbicides.

So, even though the amount of weeding I did today took a long time, I know exactly what's going on with our plants. It's a good feeling!

05/21/2015

The meat birds are here! I will post pictures on our website as soon as I can!