Our Story
Windy Heights is a 400-acre regenerative farm on the Northeast Avalon Peninsula, 15 minutes from St. John’s. Organic, sustainable processes are utilized to rejuvenate and build the soil and grow the farm products. The farm has been in existence for 50+ years and we purchased it in 2018.
We are Gerard Walsh, Anita Walsh, and Gerry Walsh, a father, mother, and son team. We are skilled trades and professionals in our own rights who love to farm.
We made a lifestyle choice to go organic and regenerative and designed an indoor mushroom operation to provide year-round production while building up a livestock operation in specialty northern climate-adapted heritage breeds and a vegetable market garden. The vision is to supply gourmet mushrooms, fine meats and vegetable supplies to the adjacent St. John’s Urban Market.
We hope you will join us in our adventure and look forward to being of service to you.
Regenerative farming is about agricultural practices that focus on the health of the ecological system and biological life of farmland.
Regenerative farming at Windy Heights is about growing clean food, organically.
It’s about working with nature instead of against it, feeding soil biological life to create healthier crops with nature. Located 20 minutes from downtown St John’s, the farm supplies an urban restaurant, and the consumer market is increasingly interested in sustainable, delicious local foods.
Windy Heights transitioned out of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, and reduced the chemical withdrawal shock by adding natural composts, local marine bioactives, and compost teas. A new 3-acre market garden was created with compost-rich soil.
Specialty livestock is usually a good choice for farms with extensive landholdings but pasture land soil is weak, decades of manure and synthetic nitrogen applications, like much of farmland, has out of balance soil chemistry and weak organic matter. So the Walshs are rotating the livestock around fields using an electric fence system. Belted Galways graze and manure through the fields, restoring biology as they move through. As the soils get healthier, natural beneficial insects and worms show up, pollinators improve, more diversity in plant species. Increasing organic content in the soil sequesters more carbon. Stewardship feels good.
Regenerative farming is about agricultural practices that focus on the health of the ecological system and biological life of farmland.
Regenerative farming at Windy Heights is about growing clean food, organically.
It’s about working with nature instead of against it, feeding soil biological life to create healthier crops with nature. Located 20 minutes from downtown St John’s, the farm supplies an urban restaurant, and the consumer market is increasingly interested in sustainable, delicious local foods.
Windy Heights transitioned out of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, and reduced the chemical withdrawal shock by adding natural composts, local marine bioactives, and compost teas. A new 3-acre market garden was created with compost-rich soil.
Specialty livestock is usually a good choice for farms with extensive landholdings but pasture land soil is weak, decades of manure and synthetic nitrogen applications, like much of farmland, has out of balance soil chemistry and weak organic matter. So the Walshs are rotating the livestock around fields using an electric fence system. Belted Galways graze and manure through the fields, restoring biology as they move through. As the soils get healthier, natural beneficial insects and worms show up, pollinators improve, more diversity in plant species. Increasing organic content in the soil sequesters more carbon. Stewardship feels good.
Experience the Farm
Windy Heights is the place for specialty mushrooms, affordable family packs wrapped up in brown paper and delivered, restaurant supply, and grow your own kits. You can rely on them for lion’s mane, oysters, chestnuts, and more. Great for special events and catering when you want something local and delicious.
Located on 374 Bauline Line Extension, with a kilometer plus driveway to the farm buildings, you arrive into an expansive southern view over Torbay and the North Atlantic, and into Windy Heights Farm, at 680’ above sea level. It’s usually…. windy…. almost alpine in feel. And yet crops grow well in thick soil in the new market garden, hay is harvested, sod orders cut and delivered. All while a herd of geese free range on patrol, honking at visitors, weaving and bobbing about, daring you to engage in a game of chase.
Indoors, the woodstove is on and the indoor mushroom grow and processing operation is in full. With 3-5 people preparing the grow mediums, pasteurizing, inoculation laboratory room where spores are developed, and three grow-out rooms maintaining humidity, temperature, airflow, and light. Regular deliveries of fresh mushrooms, produce, eggs to clients and restaurants keep the place busy.
