HISTORY

Grant and his former wife Chris purchased the undeveloped land in 1975. Through careful observation of the natural processes already present, they began to build the homestead one piece at a time. They built their home where it receives the best sun exposure for passive solar heating and cooling. They planted the orchard on the lower slopes where air currents would give the tendor blossoms better frost protection. They cultivated the first garden, enlarging it in coming years to sell vegetables at the local farmers market, and found the best locations for a barn, chicken coop, and other amenities. Every piece plays its integral part in making the farm work as a healthy organism in itself.

Many changes and lots of growth has brought the farm to where it is today; 4 boys have been raised, many community gatherings have occurred, unimaginable amounts of good food have been grown, and much has happened to make for many a good story. Presently two of Grant’s sons and their families have built their homes at the farm. Oldest son Woody's wife Danielle is now managing the market gardens, allowing Grant more time to focus on the orchards, grains, and mechanics.

GROWING PHILOSOPHY

Healthy soil drives sustainability. To achieve the fertile soil for the crops to thrive in, Gibbs Farm produces rich compost of manure, sawdust from the sawmill, and other vegetable matter that is alternately spread in a two-year cycle on the market gardens, orchards, and pastures. "Pig tractors," small moveable corrals for hogs, are moved between eight market gardens on a four-year cycle. Chickens move through the orchard in similar portable pens and cattle graze the pasture. The nitrogen from their manure makes the role of animals vital.

The hay grown in the pasture and orchard feeds cattle and also provide habitat for eight types of beneficial insects that fight off crop-damaging pests. A variety of grains are grown and harvested which are used to feed the chickens and hogs. Unsellable fruits and vegetables are also fed to the animals to supplement their diets, completing the beneficial circle between plant and animal.

Water is another key ingredient to a happy farm. To conserve water coming from two wells, a low-pressure direct application drip tape is used to irrigate the garden plots. To ensure the water quality of the farm's stream, a natural buffer of wild vegetation grows along its banks, thereby reducing sedimentation. Trees in the natural buffer shade the stream, creating cool temperatures for fish (including the threatened Bull Trout species), and provide nesting opportunities for local and migratory birds.

Different crops use and give off different soil nutrients and so garden crops are rotated each year to ensure balanced soil. Each section of garden is on a four-year cycle in which corn is grown the first year, followed by a tuber the next year, then a leafy green. The final year is a legume and also on this year a pig tractor is moved through the garden beds.

The forests on the land are selectively thinned and managed for sustainable use as lumber. The wood is cut with the on-site sawmill powered by a Volkswagen engine and used as building material for projects on the farm.