About Maple Springs Farm

We use environmentally sensitive farming practices to grow beautiful and healthful specialty fruits, vegetables and flowers for Pick Your Own, our  farm stand and the Portland Farmers’ Market.

History

Maple Springs Farm was established in 1998 on property that was for many years the farm of the Chute family. Maple Springs Farm is owned and operated by Mark Heidmann, who planted his first vegetable garden more than 50 years ago and for twelve years grew apples, pears, vegetables and raspberries in his small commercial orchard in Connecticut.

The first several years here were spent in building the first greenhouse, gradually expanding the plantings over about six acres, building the foundation for healthy soil, and establishing the initial plantings of crops such as perennial flowers, raspberries and apples. Maple Springs Farm opened for retail business in 2002.

Farming Practices

As the owner of Maple Springs Farm I believe in growing produce of the highest possible quality. To grow healthy crops we need healthy soil. Therefore soil-building is the foundation for everything else.

The health of the soil is improved by regularly applying manure, spreading rock powders and other natural minerals, and practicing crop rotations that include plants grown specifically for weed control and additional humus. All crop varieties are carefully selected for disease and insect resistance, as well as for beauty and/or flavor.

The best of traditional farming practices are joined with new research-based insights. As the soil improves it needs fewer artificial inputs each year. Because these methods reinforce each other, crops can usually be grown without additional chemicals. These practices constitute my understanding of environmentally sensitive farming for the 21st century.

Heirloom and Modern

Maple Springs Farm uses three main criteria for choosing our vegetable and fruit crops: beauty, flavor and diversity. Therefore, we carefully select varieties from many sources.

Some heirlooms have flavors, shapes or other strengths that are not found in hybrid varieties. So I grow many different heirloom vegetables and I save my own seeds for some flowers and vegetables.

But some modern varieties yield better, are more disease resistant, or have unique flavors. So I also grow new disease-resistant and productive varieties of flowers and vegetables of special merit.

Serving You

I enjoy providing friendly, knowledgeable assistance to everyone who shops at Maple Springs Farm. In addition to discussing farming methods or crop varieties I want to hear about your needs and interests – we have added new crops based solely on customers’ recommendations.

Nothing pleases me more than to have good conversation about good food, and that’s the experience I want to share with my customers. As part of those ongoing conversations, this website includes numerous pages of information selected to enhance your understanding and appreciation of good food and local farming. A recorded phone message (207-583-4698) containing current crop information is updated regularly during the season.

MY PROMISE TO EVERYONE:

SATISFACTION GUARANTEED. PERIOD.

Mark Heidmann, Prop.