Heron Pond Farm
Meet owners Andre Cantelmo & Greg Balog
Who we are: In 1998 Heron Pond Farm began on a small 2-acre rented plot of land at David Bachelder’s farm in Stratham, N.H. The farm has been growing ever since. Through the help of The VanBokkelens, a more permanent home was found in South Hampton the following year. In 2000 the farm came into its current form when Walter and Blanche Syvinki retired from Valley Acres Farm and turned operations over to us (Greg Balog and Andre Cantelmo). We are friends from college [who] studied soil science and have been a team for over 20 years.
We strive to be biological farmers where we focus on maximizing biological activity in the soil. Our commitment to the health of our land and our customers is stronger than ever as a result of our sustainable practices. We like to say our produce is unconventionally grown. We have developed management plans that keep our air, land and water in mind as we grow a whole-farm ecosystem. We are one of the largest cover crop growers in the area.
We fertilize almost all of our crops with composted chicken manure and just like many organic farms we use biologically based pesticides. We use certified organic products including fertilizer for 90 percent of our crops. We don’t spray any leafy greens or our berries with anything, certified organic or not. We never use GMOs. Yes, even certified organic farms use pesticides. We are lucky to have a farm that has many fields far away from one another, which helps with pest control. We rotate crops out of the range of a particular insect or disease. The majority of our weed control is done with our flame weeder and tractor implements. We view the use of non-biological pesticides as a tool only to be used where nothing else will work or is practical. We don’t like doing it and don’t make decisions like this lightly. We have employees and families who live and play on the farm and their safety is paramount. Our farming practices are designed to be sustainable in every sense of the word: environmentally, financially, and mindful of making time for other things in life.
What we offer: Heron Pond is a four-season farm that grows over 250 varieties of vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers. Farming year-round has allowed us to grow and maintain an incredibly skilled and experienced staff whose passion brings higher yields, quality and flavor to our food all year long. Our Pick Your Own Blueberries and Cut Your Own Flowers are fun activities for community members of all ages in the summer.
Why you should try it: We produce biologically grown produce. At Heron Pond Farm, we are really concerned about the health of the soil, our staff and our community members. In doing so the measures we take and the systems we have in place lead to producing nutritious, flavor-packed produce. Healthy food and healthy environment are results of our whole soil ecology system, which you participate in and support even by just eating our food.
We also have a Children’s Garden right behind our farm stand. This is an area for children of all ages to explore and see how their food is grown. Families are welcome to spend time in the Children’s Garden anytime that the farm stand is open in the summer, daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where to find it:
South Hampton, N.H. – year-round farm stand
Dover, N.H. – year-round CSA pickup location
Portsmouth, N.H. – year-round CSA pickup location and summer farmers market
North Andover, Mass. – year-round CSA pickup location
Newburyport, Mass. – summer and winter farmers market
Somerville, Mass. – winter farmers market
We hope to return to the Seacoast Eat Local winter farmers markets next winter.
— Rob Levey
Photo Credit: Courtesy photo.