Les Bontés de la Vallée

12 acres300 Rang St-Charles, Havelock, Québec, J0S 2C0Mélina Plante and François D'Aoust

Regenerative agriculture is a way of feeding ourselves that puts us on a path towards abundance and respect for life!

Products

  • Garlic
  • Amaranth
  • Dill
  • Eggplant
  • Basil
  • Swiss chard
  • Beetroot
  • Bok choi
  • Broccoli
  • Chamomile
  • Cantaloupe
  • Carrot
  • Celery
  • Celeriac
  • Chervil
  • Ground cherry
  • Cherry
  • Chicory
  • Cabbage
  • Chinese cabbage
  • Cauliflower
  • Cauliflower
  • Kohlrabi
  • Chrysanthemum
  • Chives
  • Miner's lettuce
  • Cucumber
  • Coriander
  • Squash
  • Watercress
  • Cumin
  • Daikon
  • Shallot
  • Spinach
  • Fennel
  • Flowers
  • Beans
  • Kale
  • Lettuce
  • Lamb's lettuce
  • Melons
  • Mesclun
  • Onions
  • Sorrel
  • Parsnip
  • Pepper
  • Leek
  • Peas
  • Pepper
  • Purslane
  • Turnip
  • Radish
  • Herbs
  • Rapini
  • Arugula
  • Rutabaga
  • Tomato
  • Tomatillo
  • Zucchini
  • Greens

Regenerative Practices

  • Minimize soil disturbance
    • No-till (direct seeding, zero-tillage) 
      The soil is not worked at any point throughout the season. residue from the previous crop is left on the soil surface, and its root system is left intact. the following crop is seeded directly into the soil without tillage.
  • Keep the soil covered and maintain living roots year-round
    • Cover crops 
      Plants grown alongside, preceding, or following cash crops with the purpose of increasing soil fertility, reducing soil erosion, and suppressing weeds.
    • Organic mulch 
      Organic mulch involves covering the soil surface with a protective barrier to increase soil health, reduce soil erosion, and suppress weeds. the mulch can be composed of various organic materials such as straw, leaves, or compost.
    • Plastic mulch 
      Non-living, non-organic sheets of polyethylene terephthalate (pet) plastic applied alongside, or following, cash crops to protect the soil.
    • Intercropping 
      Simultaneously growing two or more crops adjacent to one another, on the same piece of land and within the same growing season. crops are paired based on their differing, yet complementary, space and resource requirements.
    • Relay (or double) cropping 
      Growing two or more crops one after another on the same field and within the same growing season. crops are combined in a relay to maximize the season according to the maturation or harvest stage of the crops.
  • Protect and enhance biodiversity
    • Companion cropping 
      Simultaneously growing two or more crops together in the same field so they complement one another by improving nutrient cycling, suppressing pests and weeds, and enhancing biodiversity.
    • Diverse crop rotations 
      Planting crops with different characteristics in sequence on the same field over time
    • Pollinator buffers 
      Patches or rows of diverse flowering vegetation that provide pollinators with permanent habitats and food sources. they can be planted as intercrops or at the edge of fields.
    • Habitat conservation/creation/restoration 
      The conservation, creation, and restoration of ecosystems to improve habitat value for wildlife. forests, prairies, riparian areas, or wetlands can be restored along farmland.
  • Optimize input use
    • Compost 
      Organic matter that has been recycled through a composting process into a form that can be used as a soil amendment.\r\ncompost is the stable, nutrient-rich product of decomposed organic matter—such as plant residues, manure, or food scraps—that has been biologically processed under controlled aerobic conditions.
    • Biostimulants 
      Any substance or microorganism applied to plants or soil to stimulate the plant’s ability to assimilate applied nutrients or provide benefits to plant development. biostimulants include amino acids, chitosan (biopolymers), seaweed extracts, and humic substances.
    • Minimal to no use of synthetic pesticides 
      Any product, device, organism, substance or thing that is manufactured, represented, sold or used as a means for directly or indirectly controlling, preventing, destroying, mitigating, attracting or repelling any pest (health canada, 2024).\r\nin canada, the most used pesticide active ingredient types are glyphosate, 2,4-d, glufosinate ammonium, and mcpa (all herbicides). then, there are also insecticides and fungicides such as chlorpyrifos, clothianidin, or chlorothalonil.
    • Minimal to no use of synthetic fertilizers 
      Fertilizers that are derived from synthetic sources. \r\nas plants extract nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur are the four most important nutrients) from the soil during every growing season, they must be replenished through fertilizers, manure, legume cover crops (through nitrogen fixing), and compost added to fields annually.
  • Preserve and restore natural ecosystems
    • Maintain living roots year-round (agroforestry and perennials)
      • Alley cropping 
        The planting of crops between widely spaced rows of trees.
      • Tree crops 
        Tree crops
      • Perennial crops (grasslands) 
        Crops that regrow each year in a specific climate without needing to be reseeded.
      • Windbreaks 
        A single row or multiple rows of trees and shrubs to break the force of winds.
      • Riparian buffers 
        Mixed woody and non-woody species planted along the edges of bodies of water (streams, rivers, lakes, or ponds).
      • Native perennial vegetation conservation 
        The conservation of existing—or reintroduction of—native perennial vegetation, those that occur naturally in a region in which it evolved. it includes grasslands, woodlands, wetlands, and coastal habitats.
    • Improve water cycles
      • Wetland restoration 
        Reestablishing the natural hydrology, vegetation, and ecological function of a wetland area that has been drained, degraded, or altered.

    Observations

    • Better water infiltration and retention in the fields even after a heavy rain
    • Presence of mushrooms on the crop beds
    • Less diseases in the crops
    • Notable increase in crop quality (vegetables are full of vitality)
    • Increased presence of beneficial insects
    • Increased yields
    • Increased presence of birds (including vulnerable species)
    • Less "weed" pressure
    • Less soil compaction
    • Increased presence of wild animals (in cover crops)
    • A more beautiful environment!

    Certifications

    • Organic (EcoCert Canada)

    How to buy

    • Organic produce baskets, Farmers markets
    Contact
    www.lesbontes.orginfo@lesbontes.org438-883-2401
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