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Polka Dot Hen Produce

It can be hard these days to find food you can trust.

We are all looking for food that will best nourish our bodies while least harming the environment. Food that hasn’t been sitting on a truck for days on end while its nutrients diminish to nothing.

We had the same difficulty finding the delicious fresh vegetables that we grew up eating, so we started growing our own.

Summer squash Bird's Nest Garden Farm — Summer squash thriving in the no-till garden at Bird’s Nest Garden Farm

We are entering our 29th year of growing vegetables from seed to plate, proudly entering our sixth year of selling those vegetables to our local community.

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Last year saw us pivot the way we sell our produce. Here’s how 2021 is shaping up.

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Food and Community

Polka Dot Hen Produce is the market garden enterprise located at Bird’s Nest Garden Farm. Bird’s Nest Garden Farm is our off-grid homestead located about 20 minutes north of Wiarton.

pasture lambs chicken Birds Nest Garden Farm — Lambs and chickens roam the pasture at Birds Nest Garden Farm

With our friends and visitors, we love to exchange great ideas about cooking, gardening, small-scale farming, permaculture and off-grid living.

Visitors experience a beautiful regenerating landscape while breathing the fresh air of the countryside. The Bruce Trail is nearby for excursions into the forest.

Longterm, our farm goal is to be a hub for folks to:

buy excellent food
learn about growing their own food
learn about cooking with fresh local ingredients
meet others in the community interested in seasonal eating

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Our Methods

Bees, butterflies and birds are welcome partners in the gardens.

We create and improve habitat for our wild neighbours through the use of pollinator gardens and the planting of native tree and shrubs.

hummingbird moth on chive flower birds nest garden farm — A hummingbird moth enjoys the nectar of chive flowers

We use no synthetic fertilizer, herbicides or insecticides on the farm.

Our growing methods encourage soil health. We rely on compost, minerals and no-till growing methods to feed our soil biology.

chicken mobile coop polka dot hen produce — Starting the season in the mobile coop. Chickens are loving the fresh grass.

Each summer sees a different group of livestock moving across the pasture to enhance the soil biology and diversity.

The Piggies of 2020 enjoying windfall apples.

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Visit us

Summer blooms at Bird’s Nest Garden Farm

2021 tours are in July and August.

We are open in July and August as part of the Rural Gardens of Grey & Bruce Counties .

Tours are guided and by appointment only, Saturdays and Tuesdays, 1-4p.m. $20/hr per couple/group of up to 4 people.

We are a working farm, so appreciate your understanding that appointments are necessary for us to offer farm tours.

Give us at least a day’s heads up if you are hoping to visit. We have a lot going on! Some weeks are more flexible than others, so get in touch and we’ll see what we can do.

If you would like to visit our off-grid farm, please get in touch through email at erin@polkadothenproduce.com. We’d love to meet you!

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