How we grow

Drawing a line in the soil.

Since the earliest days of Juneberry Ridge, we asked ourselves, is there a way to farm without depleting natural resources? And since that time, we have been hard at work developing strategies that leave an increasingly smaller footprint. The work is never done, of course, but we’re deeply proud of, and committed to, the progress we’ve made.

Beyond sustainability.

Sustainable farming demands that we not take away anything that won’t be replaced (to oversimplify it.) Well, we say that’s a good start. But we’ve been working on ways to work even more holistically: considering not just what we take from the soil, but what we can add to it, or improve in it, naturally. In 2019, we landed on regenerative agriculture, or permaculture, as a 360º approach to growing planted crops (since some foods can’t be grown aquaponically; see below.) And we haven’t looked back:

  • Increasing water infiltration and retention of moisture in the soil.
  • Adding organic matter by pulling carbon out of the atmosphere and into the soil, to feed animals and people.
  • Creating more food and fiber from the sun’s energy by increasing land productivity.
  • Improving wildlife habitat and developing ground cover, which in turn helps heal the environment and reduce erosion.

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.

– Albert Einstein

Deep blue innovation.

The other way we’ve been able to grow more types of food sustainably—whether for sale, our guests or ourselves—is aquaponics. It’s a farming method that combines hydroponics (growing plants without soil) and aquaculture (growing fish), and it uses energy, water and growing spaces more efficiently and symbiotically. It’s all in line with our vision: as we refine how our aquaponics system works, we’re working to change the ways the world grows.