ABOUT US

The name Sandy Soil Gardens comes from the soil we grow in. Much of the land where we are located is very sandy. We began our first season in 2021 at Deleau, MB and in fall of 2021 we relocated to south of Virden, MB along the Gopher Creek. Both locations having a good amount of sandy soil. 

 

Many farmers will tell you sandy land isn't good land to grow on but growing up Maria always remembers how proud her father was of the sandy soil he managed to make fertile. When thinking of a name for the garden we wanted to honour our valuable soil that has gifted us so much and so that's how we got the name. Many don't realize the ideal conditions for a vegetable garden are water, sandy loamy soil and sunshine. So, weather permitting and some irrigation I think we will be set. 

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The idea for Sandy Soil Gardens came about from a need that was noticed in 2020 when the world shut down and local food became scarce. All our lives we had always enjoyed fresh produce in the summertime and the idea of that potentially not being possible made us pull up our pants and get to work. Maria grew the garden at Deleau in 2020, an 85 x 50 foot plot. Halfway through the 2020 growing season the wheels were already turning with plans for expansion the next year. 

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In 2021 we had our first official market gardening season, serving 26 weekly CSA members across Souris, Reston, Hartney, and Brandon and beginning to attend some farmers markets casually. 2022 also saw us expand in to livestock with eggs, meat chickens and pork sales. 

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Right from the conception of Sandy Soil, spray free has been a priority. We do not spray any synthetic chemicals onto our soils and gardens. We choose to use all organic methods of gardening. We can not classify ourselves as organic as that takes getting certified, but we don't currently feel going through the certification process will offer us any benefit other than being able to say we're organic. We are continuously learning and educating ourselves to work towards better soil health, in turn leading to more nutrient dense plants. We are always happy to talk plant and soil management practices. 

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When it comes to raising our animals, we try to give them the best lives possible and live by the "one bad day" principle. Meaning we raise them as ethically as possible, and their only bad day is their last. Our meat chickens are free range, roaming on an acre of green grass and finding their way back to the safety of the shed for night time. This is both beneficial to them and our grass. It does lead to a slower grow out time but a much healthier product to eat. We couldn't support such an endeavor without out big livestock guardian dog Ferguson. 

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The pigs enjoy the outdoors, and in the summer get access to fresh green grass and mud wallows as well as a shady shelter. After a few years of it getting increasingly difficult to find weaner pigs to raise, we decided to take the leap to farrowing pigs. We had our first litters of piglets in 2025 and it went okay so we continue on, farrowing 4-5 litters in the spring of 2026. 

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We do raise a few goats, mostly just to supply ourselves with some fresh milk. If you are interested in raising some goats of your own we will have some kids available in the summer. Our goats have also been living a free range life, but hopefully by this summer they will be confined to the 6 acres out front the yard. When people come to visit the farm stand they'll be able to stop and have a visit with the goats. 

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We hope to keep expanding at a slow and steady pace and we can't wait to see what fun awaits us in 2026!

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We hope to connect with you this season!!