About The Farm

We are new to farming, however we both grew up “living off the land” in different ways. Isaías grew corn and coffee in the rural high Sierras of Oaxaca, Mexico and Monashee with hippie homesteaders in rural BC. We have found our way back and are committed to practicing regenerative farming techniques. This means we use natural farming methods and do not utilize chemical fertilizers or pesticides. We practice no-till farming, which means we layer compost and other natural amendments to the soil over a layer of cardboard. This means that it is taking us a lot more time to build the garden beds, however over time this will add to and improve the soil without disrupting the natural microbes and structure of the land. Our soil is heavy clay, and over the years as we continue to feed the soil with natural and beneficial additives, the heavy clay will relax and become more porous.

We also keep heritage breed chickens and ducks on our farm. Not only do they provide us with food and entertainment, they also contribute to the soil health further as they move about the property. This year we will have them in moveable tractors so that we can direct the attention to the land in a more intentional way. The ducks in particular can move about freely as they don’t scratch like chickens do, taking care of the slugs and insects that we would prefer aren’t in the garden. They can often be found in the shade of the Amaranth in the heat of summer.

In the beginning we required large quantities of quality compost, however we are working hard to create our own compost through our animals and using Bokashi (food waste fermentation with grains) composting methods with our own, and others food waste. This compost will then be put to work on our farm soil as well.

We currently grow, harvest and design all of our flowers and provide them to the local community here in Antigonish, Nova Scotia through our Subscription and custom options as well as at the Antigonish Farmer’s Market periodically throughout the season.

Farm Visits

The farm is not open to the public. While we would love to have everyone over to visit our farm, it is just not feasible for us. Our farm is our home and we are busy managing a lot of animals, a couple kids and our own selves. During the growing season we are busy working and need to stay focussed on our tasks. It is our goal to have some community events throughout the season and would be happy to welcome you to our farm when we do.

What’s Next?

We are going to be expanding our heritage chickens and ducks and will have beautiful rainbow eggs available for purchase and will also be bringing some curated garden collections to our customers so that they can grow their own cut flower garden. We have a few other exciting ideas in the works, and will reveal those as soon as we are prepared.

Why El Serrano?

The name “El Serrano” came about because people from the mountain region where Isa is from are referred to as “El Serrano’s”. Monashee is named after a BC mountain range and also grew up in the interior mountain region in BC.

Serrano peppers are also our favourite. Yes, we grow them. Yes, we plan to bring them to our customers at some point.