How We Grow Our Fruit

We grow 15 acres of mixed fruit trees here on our farm.

People often ask if we're conventional or organic. The answer is: we're neither.

Instead, we follow Integrated Pest Management (IPM)—an approach that manages pests in the most effective, economical, and environmentally responsible way possible. IPM combines prevention, careful monitoring, and a variety of tools, including cultural, biological, physical, behavioural, and, when necessary, chemical controls.

Our goal is always prevention before reaction.

We only spray when it's truly necessary to protect the crop.

Every single tree is pruned and thinned by hand each year. This improves airflow, helps reduce disease pressure, and often means we can minimize or even eliminate the need for sprays.

Because we sell directly through our own market, we're able to offer fruit with cosmetic imperfections at a discount rather than throwing it away. That means less food waste and less pressure to spray simply for appearance.

We're always looking for better ways to farm. For example, we've been experimenting with bark mulch around our sprinkler systems to help control weeds naturally.

Keeping our orchards clean is another important part of our pest management strategy. We remove dead wood, mow the grass, and mulch pruned branches to reduce places where pests can overwinter and to discourage mice from damaging our trees.

Labour is one of the biggest costs of growing fruit. To keep our produce affordable for our customers, we sometimes choose conventional methods that save time while still meeting our standards for responsible farming.

We're not certified organic because we use synthetic fertilizer, herbicide in some orchards, and conventional crop protection products when a crop is genuinely at risk. We make those decisions carefully and only when needed.

If you'd like to know more about how we grow a specific fruit or vegetable, we'd be happy to answer your questions. Please email us at info@payntersfruitmarket.ca.

Our Garden

We grow 15 acres of mixed vegetables, melons, and herbs.

Like our orchards, we're neither conventional nor organic. Instead, we focus on growing healthy food using practical, environmentally responsible methods.

We only use crop protection products in the garden if they're absolutely necessary to save a crop.

Many of our crops are grown on black plastic mulch. This helps suppress weeds, warms the soil, conserves water, and reduces the amount of cultivation needed throughout the season.

After harvest, we return as much organic matter as possible back to the soil. Crop residue is left to decompose naturally, and leftover straw bales are spread across the gardens to add organic matter and protect the soil over the winter.

Keeping the gardens clean is another important part of our growing practices. Removing plant debris and staying on top of weeds helps reduce disease pressure and prevents pests from overwintering.

We're always experimenting with new ideas to improve our farming practices. For example, we seed rye between some rows as a cover crop to improve soil health and help suppress weeds naturally.

We're not certified organic because we use non-certified seeds, synthetic fertilizers, plastic mulch, and, if a crop is at risk of being lost, conventional crop protection products when necessary.

Most importantly, it's our crew that makes it all happen. Growing vegetables is incredibly hands-on. From planting and weeding to harvesting and keeping the gardens clean, almost everything is done manually. Their hard work and attention to detail help prevent diseases, reduce the need for sprays, and produce the fresh, healthy food we're proud to grow.