Founded in 2001, Schurman Family Farms is a certified organic farm located in Kensington, Prince Edward Island. We grow delicious organic food all year round for our local community. Schurman Family Farms is committed to creating a food system that is respectful of the environment, the quality of the products we grow, and the local community we serve.
Marc and Krista Schurman along with their three children Ben, Quinton and Samantha own and operate Schurman Family Farm. Marc grew up on the family farm in Kensington, Prince Edward Island. After high school, he attended the Nova Scotia Agricultural College and headed home to farm with his father in 1997. Krista grew up in Truro and with a passion for animals decided to head off to the Nova Scotia Agricultural College where she and Marc met. She joined him on the farm in 1997.
They started the greenhouse business in 2001 as a way to diversify their farm operation. It was also to fulfil Marc’s passion for growing things.
In 2008 Marc, Krista and the kids left the farm and headed out on a life adventure to Mexico and Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley. In Mexico, Marc managed a 25-acre greenhouse where he gained a great deal of knowledge and experience in greenhouse management. He also gained an even deeper appreciation for local agriculture and organic production. In 2011, Marc and Krista moved back to the family farm in Kensington and introduced the brand Atlantic Grown Organics to the Maritimes.
Marc loves to grow things. Farming is in his blood. It is what he loves and always wanted to do. Observing a seed grow into a plant and feeling the personal satisfaction when you are able to harvest that red ripe tomato and see how beautiful it is and how great it tastes makes farming so fulfilling. As an adult, he now sees the value of what he learned while raised on the farm and wants to share that with his children.
Krista loves nature and simplicity. The feeling she gets when she walks into the greenhouse and experiences the warmth, sees the green vibrant plants, and smells the plants and soil, reinforce that she is a part of something beautiful.
Together, they both feel the importance of growing up on the farm teaching Ben, Samantha and Quinton about work ethic, life skills, and entrepreneurial skills.
So today, Marc and Krista and the kids grow 100% certified organic tomatoes, english cucumbers and a variety of vegetables in their 150,000 sq ft greenhouse.
They take pride in growing high-quality greenhouse vegetables which are sold on the farm, farm markets and other retail locations.
Look for the label Atlantic Grown Organics.
On the Farm
Our farm is both GAP and Organic certified, a reflection of our commitment to bring the highest quality and healthiest goods to our local community.
Most farms can grow from the early spring into the late fall, but we are able to grow year round due to our greenhouse and lighting. At any given time, we have around 2000 tomato plants and 1400 English cucumber plants. We also grow peppers (green and red), eggplant, grape tomatoes, spinach, lettuce, kale and swiss chard. While growing organically in a greenhouse shares many similarities with growing in a field, it provides a different set of challenges.
Growing sustainably with organic Ecosystems
Our pest control strategy is focused on prevention by establishing beneficial biology in the micro-ecosystem, healthy plants and the use of beneficial insects.
Our Soil – IT’S IN THE DIRT
As soil is one of the building blocks of organic production we focus on continuously checking and improving the microbiology and health in our soil. We grow in a soil medium of peat moss and compost with earthworm castings and perlite. For fertility, we use various organic fertilizers including crab meal, potassium sulphate, and chicken manure to meet the plants’ needs.
Heating our Greenhouse with the Environment in Mind
In an effort to be as respectful of the environment as possible we want to make sure nothing goes to waste. That’s why we heat our greenhouses by burning locally produced and GMO-free crop residues left over from others production. The boiler fire heats water and the water moves through the pipes along the floor of the greenhouse. The ash we get from burning these crops makes a great fertilizer. We have gotten it approved to use as an organic product and are using it in our soil and have started to sell it to other farmers.