In the dead of winter, when most of the North Fork’s fields are barren and frozen over, Michael Chuisano grows bushels of vibrant vegetables at his micro-farm.
Chuisano is the owner of The Naked Farm, a one-man operation located on a small plot of land that he rents in the backyard of an East Marion residence. The farm’s name, coined by Chuisano’s wife, describes its pesticide-free produce, which Chuisano says is “as naked as when you were born.”
Brightly colored radishes, beets, carrots, arugula, lettuce, and spinach are planted in a 40-by-20-foot high tunnel hoop house, a greenhouse-like structure with a lofty ceiling. The space is temperature and humidity-controlled, providing optimal growing conditions all year-round.
In the warmer months, additional vegetables are grown on a small patch of dirt out in the backyard. In total, the micro-farm sits on one-tenth of an acre of land. It may be tiny, but its yields are mighty — Chuisano maximizes the farm’s space through a practice called bio intensive farming.
Read more at northforker.com
