
Gardening is about
enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil,
getting dirty without feeling guilty,
and generally taking the time
to soak up
a little peace and serenity.
~Lindley Karstens
Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet
and the winds long to play with your hair.
~Kahlil Gibran
Sustainability at Majestic Nursery and Farm
At Majestic Nursery and Farm we take the time and effort to assure we are good stewards of the land, removing generations of environmental damage and minimizing present and future impacts by conserving an area for wildlife, growing responsibly, composting, recycling, and paying attention to the effects we are having on the environment around us. We are always looking for ways we can better our effect on the environment and community.
We purchased our little piece of paradise, our nursery and home in 2001. We were so joyful and appreciative of our find, a neglected farmhouse on 5 acres of potential along the Fox River. Much of the property was infested with garlic mustard, invasive roses and poison ivy, and everywhere a generous distribution of car parts, tires, glass and other trash from generations before us laying about the property, it was not as conducive to the wildlife, the birds and the butterflies we had hoped to be there. After many years of much intense effort, and ongoing hauling, scouring and hand pulling, our property is becoming a fit paradise, providing the healthy habitat for the birds and butterflies we wanted to see, as well as for the insects, frogs, ducks, heron, deer and more.
We have encouraged a balance of biodiversity on our land, maintaining a portion for human enjoyment and well being, and a portion for earth and wildlife. It is important to us to care for ourselves, our earth and our community in keeping a healthy, safe and beautiful environment for all.
As we grew our nursery, we reserved the portion of our property which lies along the river to be left unfarmed. Now it not only acts as a natural buffer between our nursery and the river, but it has recovered beautifully. Native plants regenerated throughout the area, providing not only peaceful, lovely surroundings for ourselves, but also the food, water, and shelter needed by the surrounding wildlife. We have especially encouraged birds to visit and stay, we leave our fallen hollowed trees, along with installed bat-houses, birdhouses and such, because not only are birds beautiful and one of our joys, but they help control many of the pests we would otherwise need to contain by other more invasive means.
The plants we grow and install help cleanse the air and water, reduce noise and control erosion. We have a diverse variety of fruiting and flowering plants, the whole property rich with food and shade for many a beneficial predatory and pollinating insect to live well. The perennial plants we grow are kept healthy and chosen for their strength and disease resistance, as well as for their beauty.
We mulch and use compost throughout our property, which not only helps conserve water, but requires little weed maintenance, and reduces the air pollution and gas consumption involved in mowing those areas. It also helps reduce our waste; in composting we are able to reclaim much of our organic material for the land. Both of these actions helps transport and create an abundance of microbial life within the soil, factors that contribute to our little need for additional pest and disease controls. This also contributes to our soil being balanced, fertile and rich in nutrients. We make the extra effort so that we don't need to resort to synthetic chemicals for our fungicides, herbicides and pesticides. We never use synthetic chemicals on or around our herbs or vegetables.
We recycle and/or re-use many of our pots and plastic materials and the majority of our organic wastes are composted. We consume responsibly in the first place creating little waste and advise our suppliers of our packaging preferences in the hopes that they too will help in the reduction of waste.
We continue to seek and employ improvements to further our care in a positive way, and we continually strive to understand what best we can do to be true caretakers of our little piece of paradise.
We hope you enjoy your visit.
If we can help you further please contact us
by email or phone (630) 553-9924
Majestic Nursery and Farm