Prior to the twentieth century, synthetic chemicals for agricultural use virtually did not exist. Fertilizer was also known as manure, because it was the only practical way to add nutrients to soil. The methods farmers used had been proven over hundreds of years. The green revolution and the advent of using chemicals to enhance farming methods offered immediate solutions to age old problems of pest and disease control and certain deficiencies in soils. In other words, it was quick and easy. The main problem with this new method had to do with the long term effect that chemicals had on the environment.

During the Sixties, chemical agriculture began to manifest detrimental effects on the environment. Doubts about the long-term use of pesticides and other agricultural chemicals were intensifying. Rachel Carson's book, The Silent Spring, addressed the negative impact chemicals such as DDT were having on populations of birds and other organisms and was a call to arms for the "organic revolution" (and society, in general) of that era.

Having been a part of that organic revolution, we here at New Moon Farm continue on that path toward a healthier planet. Organic gardening is all about sustaining a balance between the plants we wish to grow and all other life around those plants. A physician takes an oath that begins "First, do no harm...". This tenet can also be applied to the organic method of growing food crops (or other plants).

"Organic gardening gives us an opportunity to regain control of one of the basic needs in life -- food." Organic produce is not just better tasting, it has more vitamins, minerals and other nutrients and is better overall for the human body. There are studies to prove it. Humans co-evolved with the plants we use as food. Those plants were grown by natural means, in the environment where we lived. Doesn't it make sense that the more naturally grown a food source is, the more our bodies will respond to that source with overall good health, a strong immune system and a harmonious existence with the physical world that surrounds us? At New Moon Farm, we believe so.