Question 1

Where is Sassafras Creek Farm located?

Accepted Answer

Our farm is 1 hour south of Loop 410 (“Beltway”) around Washington, DC and just 10 minutes from downtown Leonardtown,(http://leonardtown.somd.com/index.htm) Maryland located in St. Mary's County, Maryland.

Question 2

Where can I buy your produce locally?

Accepted Answer

• California (“BAE”) Farmer's Market,(https://www.facebook.com/CaliforniaBAEFarmersMarket/) located at 22810 Three Notch Rd, Lexington Park, MD 20653 every Saturday, 9 AM – 1 PM, May through November.
 • The Good Earth Natural Foods (http://www.goodearthnaturals.com/)Company year-round in Leonardtown, MD
 • Chesapeake's Bounty (https://www.facebook.com/ChesapeakesBounty)in St Leonard, MD

We have achieved a happy balance in making our produce available at a farmers market, local natural food store, local farm stand and regional CSA farms and restaurants in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore through out of area farm partnerships.

Question 3

What is e-mail sign-up?

Accepted Answer

Each Friday afternoon from May through November, during market season, we send a brief email telling you exactly what we'll be offering at the farmer's market the next day, on Saturday.  This helps our customers prepare their food shopping list and take the guesswork out of what will be available from our stand.

Question 4

Do you sell directly from your farm?

Accepted Answer

At this time, we only sell locally at the locations listed above. We are too busy with our small crew growing and harvesting vegetables.

Question 5

Do you sell to restaurants?

Accepted Answer

Yes! We sell to restaurants through our partner farms. We are happy to support chefs who have a passion for featuring local and seasonal produce from Southern MD.  Please contact us for additional details.

Question 6

Do you offer a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)?

Accepted Answer

Over the years, customers have asked us to start a CSA “subscription service.” We understand the appeal and have considered it in the past, but do not have plans to start a CSA at this time.

Question 7

Do you have opportunities for volunteers?

Accepted Answer

We have occasionally had volunteers help on the farm with anything from harvesting potatoes to helping fix a tractor.  We started our career doing some volunteer work on farms. It's a great way to take a "test drive" to see if farming is for you.  Please send us an e-mail describing your availability and area of interest.

Question 8

Do you offer farm visits?

Accepted Answer

We like sharing our passion for small sustainable farming and do farm visits as our schedules permit.  Please e-mail us.

Question 9

Do you have any job openings?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it depends on the time of year. To find out if we are hiring now, please see our job openings page for current openings.

Question 10

How did you get into farming?

Accepted Answer

The farm grew from David & Jennifer Paulk's love of growing vegetables.  In 2011, our very large garden evolved into a small, market farm and a follow-on life style for David after completing a military career. David and Jennifer saw market farming as an opportunity to be self-employed and enjoy the outdoors, the camaraderie of like-minded farmers and help build a healthier more sustainable local food system.

Question 11

Why do you farm?

Accepted Answer

We farm for three primary reasons:  
1. We wanted to put down roots. After a Navy career of coast-to-coast relocations, we were eager to put down roots and become part of a local community.  St Mary's County became our community when we were stationed at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Though we're originally from Illinois and Ohio: St Mary's County became a good fit for us.  It offers a pleasant rural setting, history, natural beauty and close proximity to the big city. And BEST of all, our farm land has a lot of “Sassafras” soil, the state soil of Maryland, which is excellent for growing vegetables!
2. We needed a change. David, upon retirement from the Navy, was eager to get back to a simpler lifestyle.  For him, that meant being outside with nature, using his hands, and living a life more in-line with his environmental inclinations.
3. Be the change.  David and Jennifer saw market farming as an opportunity to be self-employed, enjoy the camaraderie of like-minded farmers and help promote small farms in Southern Maryland and contribute to a healthier more sustainable local food system.

Question 12

What does it mean to be a Certified Organic farm?

Accepted Answer

It means that our land and our farming practices meet the USDA National Organic Program standards. Our vegetables, herbs, and fruit are grown following strict rules set by the USDA (http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop)(Code of Federal Regulations, Title 7, Part 205)(https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/part-205). Certified organic agriculture relies on natural practices such as crop rotation, and use of green manure (cover crops), compost and biological pest control rather than synthetic chemicals or genetically-engineered organisms.  Being certified organic also means transparency and third-party verification. Our entire farming operation, from seed purchase to consumer sales, undergoes a rigorous annual audit of our crop planting and harvest records, and an extensive on-farm inspection by a USDA-accredited third-party certifier to ensure compliance. PCO (https://paorganic.org/)is our organic certifier who inspects us to make sure that we are following USDA National Organic Program standards. We selected PCO because they are recognized leaders in the organic certification field and sticklers for attention to detail  ̶  a good thing.

Question 13

Why is being Certified Organic important to you?

Accepted Answer

Being certified organic means using a holistic approach that promotes and sustains the health of our farm's soil and environment indefinitely without using synthetic chemical agricultural practices.  It also means recognizing that our farm is part of a larger local ecosystem that we have limited control over and thereby choosing to work with nature rather than against it.  For example, on our farm, we grow acres of soil-enriching cover crops and deliberately plant habitat for beneficial insects to help keep the destructive insects in check.  We also think organic growing represents good environmental stewardship, which is very important to us. For us, being certified organic is a natural fit. We can’t imagine growing any other way.

Question 14

Why do you grow cover crops?

Accepted Answer

We grow cover crops to improve our soil health, plant health, and crop yields.  Cover crops make use of the natural ecological processes to improve the soil.  Cover crops restore soil structure, recycle natural nutrients, and retain water in the soil.  Building healthy, naturally functioning soil takes a lot of time and commitment, but we think it's worth it.

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