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Our Farm Plan
Soil Types and Land Use Go Hand-in-Hand

As we strive to make La Basse Cour a diversified family farm once again, we are working with the soils, not against them. Today, our vegetable market garden is located in WmC (Willowemec Channery Silt Loam), which is classified as prime farmland since it is very deep, moderately well drained, of medium texture and moderate permeability. With lime to overcome its naturally strong acidity, this type of soil is ideal for crops, hay and pasture. More information about the soil types on La Basse Cour can be found here. include the large fields to the north with LhB (Lewbeach Channery Loam), VIB and VIC (Vly Channery Silt Loams) type soils. All of these soil types are ideal for crop, pasture and hay because they are moderately deep, well drained, medium textured, gently sloping and moderately permeable.  With lime they should produce bumper vegetable crops!

As we bring grazing animals into our plans, we will rotate these fields between pasture and crop production in order to maintain their health and enable us to control weeds and pests naturally.

A creek which drains the uplands above the farm and once used to power a grain mill—you can see the old stone wall near the chicken house—runs through soil classified as OeB (Onteora Channery Silt Loam) and is deep, moderately textured, strongly acid, moderately permeable and somewhat poorly drained.  Our woodlot is developing nicely in the northwest portion of that soil plus in the section classified as WnC (Willowemoc and Willdin Soils), because it contains excessive rocks that make it impractical for tillage but ideal for pasture and woodland.

So, you can see we are working in tandem with the natural attributes of our soil, just as those who first settled this land did in the mid 1800’s.  We  have the benefit of the scientific classification of these soils by the soil conservation professionals.   Those who came before us had to rely on their observations and experience as they made decisions about how to use their land most productively.