PEI Organic Farmers

• Nova Scotia Farmers
• New Brunswick Farmers
• Barnyard Organics - Island Organic Lamb, Chicken & Grains!
• Elderflower Organic Farm - "I thought I'd never even own a houseplant"
• Emmerdale Eden - The heritage breed and heirloom seed farm!
• Hallaig Organics - Blueberries and maple syrup from land rich in history.
• Hughes Hill Farm - Flavour First ... Nutrition Naturally!
• Jen & Derek's Farm Fresh Veggies - "Try something new!"
• Kentdale Farm - One of the region’s largest organic potato producers.
• Laura Leigh Organic Farm - An organic family with a little bit of everything
• Matheson Garden - This fifth generation family farm has U-Pick sunflowers and over 30 varieties of squash!
• Nature’s Bounty - Organic is in their blood!
• PEI Gourmet Mushrooms - Shiitake mushrooms grown on a year-round basis.
• Reg Phelan Farms - This organic pioneer is optimistic for the future of organics.
• RJC Farms - A father and son team.
• Shepherds Farm Organics - This busy family farm offers fresh, quality produce and naturally grown proteins to the local community.
• Springwillow Farms - Home of the Island Sunshine potato.

Matheson Garden

 “I like growing up on a farm,” says Jake, the youngest son of Paula and Brent Matheson, owners and operators of Matheson Garden.  “When we travel, we all realize that we’re country folk,” acknowledges Paula smiling warmly at her son Jake, “we definitely prefer the rural outdoors!”

            Back in 1999, their oldest son, Brady (at the time only about 8 years old) took an interest in his parents’ gardening hobby.  The kids started selling their parents’ produce at the farm gate, and helping out with the weeding and planting.  Paula and Brent slowly expanded their modest garden until it grew to over a 1-acre rotation.  With the encouragement and inspiration of their two boys, their little gardening hobby quickly became a big hobby farm despite the fact that both Paula and Brent have full-time off-farm jobs. 

            Neither Brent nor Paula are new to farming, as they both grew up on small farms on PEI.  In fact, Matheson Garden is actually located on the family farm where Brent grew up, and his parents’ house can be seen clearly from his new home’s window.  When asked if they’d ever thought they would consider themselves farmers, they reply,  “Well, we’re not really farmers, we’ve simply succumbed to the temptation of trying new varieties from the catalogue every year!” 

In an attempt to cut back on farm inputs, the Matheson’s noticed that they didn’t even need the chemicals to grow a good crop. The vegetables kept growing and the soil only became richer. They became certified organic in 2005, which has been much appreciated by their customers who were concerned about where their food comes from and how it is grown.

The Matheson’s found organic agriculture to be the type of operation that suited their style. “We had been moving in that direction anyway, and we finally made a conscious decision, and it felt absolutely right. We knew from the beginning that we wouldn’t get too big – although I think we’ve outgrown our expectations – and so we knew organics would suit our scale of operation.”  Now they have 7 certified acres surrounding their home where they proudly sell from their roadside stand. They go on to explain how it warms their hearts to involve their children in the garden and provide them with this environment to grow up in.

            With over 30 different varieties of winter squash, it’d be tough to say that Matheson Garden’s specialty is anything but – however they do grow many varieties of vegetables.  They’ve built up their repertoire of produce by adding new varieties every year, testing out the catalogues’ prime selections, and keeping any that are a success - which explains their splendid squash situation.         

Paula and Brent will likely continue to expand their farm, “That’s what seems to be happening naturally at least,” says Paula.  They might need to expand their 7 certified acres too, and Paula explains why:   “People are always thrilled to find that there is something grown organic right here in PEI, from the land, not from the Supermarket. We have some loyal customers who drive from Charlottetown to visit our stand and attend the 70-mile yard sale because they know we’ll be there.  That’s why we do this and why we want to keep doing this,” she says.