At the Appleberry Farm we consider ourselves ''temporary caretakers'' of this land, and we always try to use growing methods that will sustain the natural balance of the environment. We hope to buildup a more vital ecosystem on our farm over each growing season by using compost and cover crops to improve the garden soil. It also involves using a program called Integrated Pest Management to monitor a variety of insects and diseases on our crops. We only spray if one pest or disease begins to take over and spread, otherwise we use many other ways to keep the balance. This is one reason we mow our orchard throughout the year. By keeping the grass cut short, it reduces the opportunity for pests to grow and hide. Also the pruning we do to the trees allows sunshine and the breeze to flow through the orchard which also helps reduce problems, and avoid spraying.