Welcome to Greentree Naturals

This site has been created to introduce you to Greentree Naturals certified organic farm and offer some perspectives of ways we feel have helped us become more successful as a small acreage farming enterprise.

We have added a few updates. Check out our Winter 2023 Newsletter, On Farm Research page, About Organic Certification page, the new Planning the Garden CD, new CSA newsletters and the What's Happening on the Farm page for workshops and events. We've also added new information about Visiting the Farm at the bottom of this page.

Please visit us on our Greentree Naturals Facebook page for frequent updates.

On this page, we also have added a link to a television program that our local Spokane, Washington PBS station filmed featuring Greentree Naturals in 2012.

We are receiving frequent information requests that are asking us how to do what we do. While, on the one hand, we do not want to give away the hard earned knowledge that we have learned about being successful small acreage growers, we feel it is very important that more people are exploring the possibilities of becoming small acreage farmers. We believe that our experience has value. We are proud of what we do. We hold a passion for this land and the whole process of nurturing our gardens. This is the stewardship of the land that we hope to encourage others to accept.

The large farms across the country are slowly being lost to over-production and high land taxes. It is the small acreage organic farm that will be the wave of the future. Populations all over the world rely on local farms for fresh produce. In this country, most of the food we eat comes from many miles away and the connection between the farmer and the consumer has been lost. We hope to educate our communities of the importance of supporting the local small acreage farmers and market gardeners and encourage others to do the same. 

Greentree Naturals Mission Statement

Our mission is to build community by offering educational opportunities utilizing organic and sustainable farming techniques, be a model of good land stewardship, and provide fresh, nutritious certified organic produce to our local community.

Mission Goals

We will provide an educational experience centered around sustainable organic practices. We provide a place for organic gardening workshops, hands-on learning through agricultural related activities, and on-farm research. We are committed to forging partnerships with other farmers and educators, working together to create a more sustainable future for our community. We assure a food source that is safe, affordable and accessible by providing vegetables and herbs at their peak of flavor and nutritional value. We hope to empower conscious eaters by connecting farm visitors with their local food system.

About Greentree Naturals

Greentree Naturals is a small acreage certified organic farm nestled between the Cabinet and Selkirk mountain ranges outside of Sandpoint, Idaho. Our farm has been certified organic by Idaho State Department of Agriculture since 1992, making it one of the oldest certified organic farms in the region.

Diane Green and her husband Thom Sadoski own and operate Greentree Naturals. Our farm produces a diversity of vegetables, herbs, flowers, gourmet garlic, hops, seeds and berries. Greentree's system includes growing and marketing over 130 different varieties of certified organic and heirloom vegetables. Much of what we grow comes from seed that we've been saving for decades here on the farm.

We recognize that growing healthy soil is the basis for growing nutrient dense food. We use a holistic approach to maintain the natural and harmonious balance of the land by replenishing resources that are depleted in the gardening process by using an assortment of methods that include composting, cover cropping, crop rotation, companion planting, planting habitat areas for beneficial insects, and vermicomposting.

Greentree Naturals products are marketed both wholesale and retail. We sell our produce on the farm at our Farm Stand on Thursdays from 3-5:30 during the peak of the harvest season (July thru the first week of October),through our CSA Farm Share Program, to local fine dining establishments, and WinterRidge Natural Foods. We ship our garlic and garlic braids all over the country. We sold at the local Sandpoint Farmers Market for 28 years and officially "retired" from there in 2018.

Greentree Naturals is home to many outreach activities including organic gardening workshops, summer farm tours, educational field days, school group visits, and on-farm research. We are passionate about being able to share our knowledge and provide unique learning opportunities through our mentorship program that will help create future organic gardeners and sustainable small acreage farmers.

Diane teaches a comprehensive series of on-farm organic gardening workshops and educational programs for both beginner and experienced gardeners that cover the philosophy and techniques of organic gardening and sustainable small acreage farming. She also provides consulting for organic gardening, small acreage farming, farm business planning, and sustainable agriculture through an assortment of educational venues (see Seminars & Workshops page for more information).

Diane is an experienced farmer mentor who has been offering education, guidance, moral support and encouragement through Greentree Naturals Mentorship program. She has been actively involved as a consultant and contractor with the University of Idaho Cultivating Success Program since it began in 1997(www.cultivatingsuccess.org) and developed the Farmer Mentor Handbook and training for Cultivating Success. Diane is a Cultivating Success certified Farmer Mentor and offers academic internships through UI.

This is a short video (approximately 8 minutes long) about Greentree Naturals, produced by KSPS Public Television, Northwest Profiles program out of Spokane, Washington 2012.

Donations to Greentree Naturals

If you believe in what we are doing and would like to make a donation or become a sponsor for any of our projects, we welcome your charitable contributions.  Your sponsorship and contributions help maintain the farm, gardens and animals, as well as support our school field trips, apprenticeship and mentorship programs, adult educational workshops, and more.  Please support our work by making a donation.

About Visiting the Farm

Greentree Naturals is a working farm, which means quite simply, we are working. Please call ahead to find a mutually convenient time for your visit.

We are willing to make an appointment for you to come out for a visit and encourage you to call or email to set a time and date that works around our farming schedule. We really love sharing the beauty of our place, it’s just that every time we stop to show what we are doing, we are no longer moving forward with what has to be accomplished to generate income to survive.

Visitors are welcome, but on the understanding that they use the area at their own risk and they assume responsibility for injury, damage or loss to any individual or their property. We ask you, for everyone’s safety and peace of mind, to respect and follow our procedures outlined below.

If you want to put on your grubby clothes and come out and help us work, we might be willing to let you have that experience (make an appointment). We might even consider hosting a private party on the farm for a fee and are willing to work with our local chef to make this personal affair an event everyone will remember forever! Otherwise, you might have a better chance of seeing the farm by attending one of the events listed on the What's Happening on the Farm page.

GENERAL FARM RULES:

• Please park in the areas provided.
• Come Prepared - Farms are not necessarily accident proof and definitely not weather proof. Come dressed for the weather, in clothes that you won’t mind finding mud or manure on at the end of the day. Wear sturdy, closed-toed shoes to protect your feet and make it easier to walk on the uneven ground. Bring your own water and a snack.
• Absolutely no pets -  Please be aware that Greentree Naturals does not allow dogs on the premises. We have farm dogs that take their job as protectors of the farm very seriously and want to ensure the greatest safety of all visitors to the farm. 
• Mind Your Feet – Stay on the paths. Be careful as you walk, as the ground is rough and uneven. Plant roots and the soil itself need air to stay healthy, and it is easy for them to get sick when the soil has been compacted. Don’t walk in the plants’ bed! Stay on the path and teach your children to stay on the path! Shoes are required on the farm. No barefeet! We advise against wearing open-toed shoes.
• Pick Only What You Are Invited To – Remember that the farm’s products are its income. It can be tempting to help yourself to the beautiful food you see. But just as you wouldn’t eat a box of strawberries as you stroll through the grocery store, it is also not appropriate to snack your way through the farm. Be a good guest, and remind your kids to do the same. Taste things only if you are invited to do so. There may be an opportunity to purchase something to take home at the end of your visit.

Your farm visit can be a wonderful opportunity for you to model the learning process with your children.  Make sure your children are respectful of the farms rules.  Be curious.  Wonder aloud.  Ask questions and listen carefully.  Take in this new knowledge and go home more connected to the land.

Contact Information

Greentree Naturals
208-263-8957
2003 Rapid Lightning Road Sandpoint Idaho 83864
General Information: info@greentreenaturals.com