What's Happening on the Farm?

You can find current information about our summer workshops, events, current and future happenings on this page, so check back frequently or visit us on our Greentree Naturals Facebook page for updates. If you want to visit the farm, please read the section About Visiting the Farm on the home page.

NEWS UPDATE - Gift Certificates!

Gift certificates now available! A gift certificate to one of Greentree Naturals workshops makes a unique and special present. Do you have a friend or relative who talks about putting in a vegetable garden, but never quite manages to begin? Greentree Naturals workshops will provide the incentive and skills to get them off to a flying start. Perhaps they’re already a gardening fanatic and can’t get enough information. A gardening workshop makes the perfect gift.

Why not give the gift of healthy, fresh, local, certified organic produce? Greentree Naturals Gift Certificates available! You can purchase gift certificates to be redeemed at our Saturday Farmers Market Stand in Sandpoint. Market Gift Certificates can be purchased in $10 amounts.

You can purchase a gift certificate for one week’s CSA bag ($35.75) or a month share (4 weeks @ $143.00) or a season share (14 weeks at $500.50). CSA Gift Certificates must be redeemed during the 2013 CSA Season and at least one week notice is required before redeeming a CSA Gift Certificate.

Purchase your gift certificates by sending us an email to info@greentreenaturals.com! Market Gift Certificates may also be purchased at our produce stand at the Farmers Market at Sandpoint on Saturdays during the growing season!

Click here to jump to the Organic Gardening Workshop Series information

Thursdays On the Farm / On-Farm Stand

We are a working, active, productive farm dedicated to bringing wholesome organic food to your table. We’re proud to tell you that over 20 years after its founding, Greentree Naturals is still rooted in to the organic values we’ve always believed in. Greentree Naturals brings fresh, certified organic produce from our fields to your table during the peak of the harvest season. We always strive to offer the best in new selections of certified organic vegetables, berries, herbs and garden plants.

The main purpose of opening up the Farm Stand was to provide an opportunity for our local community and regular farmer's market customers to be able to come to the farm and see where their food is grown. During the growing season, Thursdays will be a day that Greentree Naturals is open to the public for self-guided garden walks from 11:00a.m. till 4:00p.m. We will have to wait and see what the 2013 growing season brings for bounty before we can commit to having the Farm Stand open on a regular basis.  

About Visiting the Farm

Summer 2013 CSA Program

It’s hard to believe, but it’s time to start thinking about this year’s CSA and dreaming about those big bags of veggies that will start coming weekly in the spring and summer.

Over the last twenty years, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from your local farmer. Basically, we offer a “share” of our gardens, which is one way for us to know what our market is going to be like before the field season begins. We have been working with the CSA model on our farm since 1995 and have one of the oldest successful CSA’s in our region. Having a CSA has helped us be more self-sufficient and sustainable as a small organic farm. As a consumer, the advantages of becoming a CSA member are significant: you get to eat ultra-fresh, certified organic food with all the flavor and vitamin benefits, you will learn to eat new vegetables and new ways of cooking, and you will develop a relationship with the farmer who grows your food and learn more about how food is grown.

Most of our customers have been with us for many years, which tells me that we are doing something right. (See the CSA page for comments from our members.) We offer a limited number of shares, so if you are interested in signing up for our 2013 CSA season, let us know so we can get you on the mailing list! We encourage early commitments so we know how much to grow for the CSA, however, we do offer a month-to-month option for shares as well. When you support a CSA farm, you are supporting agricultural diversity and a local community farm. For more details and pricing, please visit the CSA page.

ON-FARM WORKSHOPS - SUMMER 2013

Season Extension Workshop – Date to be announced (likely in April or early May)

Spring and fall season extension techniques work primarily by providing frost protection. In addition, most early and late-season vegetables benefit from the increased soil warmth and protection from wind and pests that many protectors offer. A wide range of techniques are available, from simply planting heat-loving crops in a particularly warm and sheltered spot, to complex greenhouse culture. There are numerous non-greenhouse options suitable for home and market gardeners — primarily cultural practices, plastic mulches, and row covers.

We will review ways of extending the growing season using an assortment of different kinds of materials for extending the growing season and include review of cloches, cold frames, floating row covers, slitted row covers, and hoop houses. Greentree Naturals has been reviewing a wide variety of season extension methods over the years and will share their well tested methods with you.

Date to be announced! We like to have this workshop as early in the spring as weather allows, but always have to wait for the snow to melt away and the earth to be ready for us to be in the fields to begin the season. My goal is to host this workshop on a weekend in Late April or early May. Come prepared for any kind of weather as due to the busy spring planting schedule on the farm, we only have one day that we can have this workshop, so it will happen rain or shine! Class size is limited! We will only host this workshop if we have enough people signed up for it. Please plan and call ahead to reserve a space! Cost is $25. Call 263-8957 or email info@greentreenaturals.com

Autumn 2013 GROWING GREAT GARLIC WORKSHOP (date to be announced)

Fall is the ideal time to start your garlic for a summer harvest next year. Join Diane & Thom in exploring the best ways to maximize your harvest, and grow excellent garlic. We will only host this workshop if we have enough people signed up for it. Please plan and call ahead to reserve a space! Cost is $25. Call 263-8957 or email info@greentreenaturals.com

Greentree Naturals 2013 Organic Gardening Workshops

Greentree Naturals is excited to announce an amazing summer of on-farm workshops! Learn the basics of organic gardening, including propagating seeds, testing soil, making compost, natural pest and weed management. You will learn useful information about sustainable and environmentally friendly gardening in north Idaho. Take the principles from Greentree Naturals gardens and learn how to transform your own backyard into a food forest, whether it’s a tiny garden or a small acreage. Diane Green has been providing on-farm workshops since 1995. Greentree Naturals is dedicated to promoting organic and sustainable agriculture by providing gardeners and small acreage farmers with the information and skills needed to have a bountiful and successful northwest harvest. We can help you grow a successful garden!

The Organic Gardening workshop series is scheduled every other Monday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. during the growing season beginning May 6 through July 29. Sessions will cover all aspects of organic production and management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony in a rural farm and garden setting. You can sign up for the entire series (and save 10%) or pick and choose individual workshop topics.

We are aware that this timeline may be prohibitive for people with regular work schedules, however, because we are a working farm, Monday is the only day that we can work this into our calendar of events. Plan ahead with your employer for time off!

These workshops take place outside on the deck and in our gardens, rain or shine. Please be prepared to inclement weather and review our policy about visiting the farm on the home page of this website.

May 6 – Direct seeding: Gain a solid understanding of seed starting, and in doing so create the best environment for seedlings to thrive; learn what crops should be direct sown and why; review optimal environmental considerations for seed germination; preparation of seed bed; seeding methods, seed depth and seedling care. *New to the workshop series this year!

May 20 — Planning the garden: Preparing the soil for planting; direct seeding and transplanting; companion planting; intercropping and crop rotation; record keeping, garden maps and succession planting are all a part of planning for a successful harvest. If you can’t make this workshop, check out our Planning the Garden Workshop on CD! Available for sale on our website!

June 3 — Fertilizing organically: Fertile soil is the first step in increasing yields; examine your soil and its needs; learn how to amend your soil and improve its structure; review organic amendments, compost, manures, organic matter and foliar feeding; learn how to take a soil sample. Participants will test soil from their own garden to determine basic NPK and receive a composting chart.

June 17— Natural weed control: On any organic garden or farm, particularly newly cultivated ground, it is likely that weed control commands a major part of the gardeners’ time over the course of the season. We will look at using different types of organic mulches and weed prevention strategies used to control unwanted plants.

July 1— Pest management: Learn to assess pro-active control practices, identification, natural pest formulas, trap/catch-cropping and plant-pest relationships for natural pest control. Learn how to make your own insect traps and natural insect sprays.

July 15 — Harvesting the bounty: Discover techniques for optimum yields for vegetables, herbs, cut flowers and post harvest handling; how to get the most out of your garden harvest. We will also cover post-harvest handling to assure food safety guidelines are met.

July 29 — Seed Saving: By saving seed from your garden, you can produce plants best suited to your specific site and micro-climate; we will discuss plant selection, hand pollination , seed cleaning and seed storage.

Later in the season, we may offer a “Putting the Garden to Bed” and “Growing Great Garlic” workshops. Let us know if you have an interested in either of these events.

All workshops require pre-registration & pre-payment is requested. To find out more and reserve your spot, email diane@greentreenaturals.com or call (208) 263-8957. All workshops are at Greentree Naturals Certified Organic Farm outside of Sandpoint, Idaho. Class size is limited. Sign up for all seven sessions for $157.50 (10% discount if pre-paid) or pick and choose for individual workshops for $25.00 per session. All workshops include comprehensive written handout materials.

We wish you a bountiful gardening season!

Organic Wine Tasting on the Farm - Date to be announced

Greentree Naturals has been working with Pend Oreille Pastas since they opened in 1996. Planning for this type of event takes quite an investment of time for all of us during the busy summer season. The wine tasting only happens if we have a sufficient amount of people participating. If you are interested in joining us for a wine tasting this summer, plan ahead and let John and Valerie Albi at Pend Oreille Pastas know so they have your name on the event list. When a date is set for the wine tasting, they will be sure to email you and let you know the date and time.

We always feature an assortment of regional organic wines and fabulous appetizers created from our freshly harvested organic herbs, edible flowers and tender baby vegetables. Chef Valerie Albi is a true culinary artist and uses only the best our gardens have to offer, paired with organic wines that bring out the best of fresh flavors.

For details and reservations contact Pend Oreille Pastas at (208) 263-1352 1352 or email them at albi_pop@frontier.com. Planning for this type of event takes quite an investment of time. The wine tasting includes a tour of Greentree Naturals beautiful organic gardens. PLEASE plan ahead and contact Valerie as early as possible to get on the list for this event. Space is limited and fills up fast so plan ahead! (Read an article about the 2007 Wine Tasting)

U-Pick Pumpkin Patch

Frontier Girls 2011                                Waldorf School 2010

A traditional fall ritual is the search for the right pumpkin by taking a drive, enjoying the changing foliage and celebrating the change of season by walking through our small acreage farms colorful pumpkin patch. Grocery stores have piles of pumpkins, but there is nothing like wandering a pumpkin patch on the farm to get in the mood for the harvest season.

This autumn is the sixth year that Greentree Naturals will be open for our U-Pick Pumpkin Patch.  Pumpkins are ripe for harvest in October when the seasons change and there is a crisp fall breeze in the air.  We wait until after the frost is on the pumpkin to assure they are ripe and ready for picking, which is variable every fall.

We have sold out every year, so plan ahead and get on the call list so we can contact you when the pumpkins are ready! Pumpkin harvest is by reservation only as we are a working farm and need to work around pumpkin patch visits.  Make your reservations early for the best selection.  We are happy to host school tours and other groups by appointment.  Pumpkins $5.00 each any size.  Give us a call at 263-8957 or email diane@greentreenaturals.com to find out when the frost is on the pumpkins! We also have corn stalks and Indian corn for sale for fall decorations.