Grow Dat Youth Farm

Grow Dat Youth Farm is both a farm and an agro-ecological project guided by biodiversity, waste repurposing, and minimal ecological intervention. Produce is grown without toxic herbicides or pesticides. Over 50 crop varieties are grown at once, and crop rotation manages pests and protects soil nutrients. Intensive cover cropping, organic amendments, and minimized tilling have raised average soil organic matter to 7% in its fields. Cover crops such as cowpeas, sorghum sudan grass, and sunn hemp are grown for two to three months each year, then integrated into the soil. Tractor use is limited to twice a year, a spader replaces heavier industrial equipment, and one field has been converted to no-till. Instead of fossil-fuel-based nitrogen fertilizer, the farm uses organic amendments and makes its own compost from locally sourced bagasse and horse manure from local stables. Weeds are managed by hand and by keeping soil covered with landscape fabric or natural mulch.