Clay Bottom Farm

Clay Bottom Farm We are a CSA farm in Goshen, Indiana. Home of the The Lean Farm. WWW.CLAYBOTTOMFARM.COM WWW. The farm has twice won Edible Michiana’s Reader’s Choice award.
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Lean Book: https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Farm-Minimize-Increase-Efficiency/dp/1603585923 Ben Hartman and Rachel Hershberger own and operate Clay Bottom Farm in Goshen, Indiana, where they make their living growing and selling specialty crops on less than one acre. Their food is sold locally to restaurants and cafeterias, at a farmers market, and through a community-supported-agriculture (CSA) progra

m. The Lean Farm, Ben’s first book, won the Shingo Institute’s prestigious Research and Professional Publication Award. Link to Lean Farm Book: https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Farm-Minimize-Increase-Efficiency/dp/1603585923/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_img_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=2DXZY6EGVAFEH3XZHYT2

09/05/2026

My favorite new tool this fall is this push w**der with a ridger element. It’s perfect for green onions, and I also use it to hill beans, cilantro, basil, and other crops. When it downpours, the rain falls into valley.

I added a Subscriber post explaining it in detail. Free 14-day trial, click Subscribe under my profile. Thanks for your support, it makes this educational work possible.

“Small farms make economic sense. They also produce more happiness, more beauty, more health—those things that aren’t so...
09/02/2026

“Small farms make economic sense. They also produce more happiness, more beauty, more health—those things that aren’t so quantifiable.” —Wendell Berry

Berry, who died on Aug. 31, was a farmer, writer, and tireless advocate for small scale, local farmers.

Rest in peace, Wendell.

08/31/2026

Our micro farm basil drying set up. Wet basil won’t last long. Dry basil can keep for weeks. We sell this basil to Maple City Market Goshen Brewing Co. Venturi The LakeSide

I explain details about the set up, including the food safe net, on the subscriber post.

08/29/2026

Gardening without Plastic. Previously I used copious amounts of silage tarps—sheets of plastic—to smoother w**ds. Now I’m looking for natural alternatives. The most exciting summer w**d suppressor I’ve tried is teff, an Ethiopian grass. It grew into a thick mat within weeks, and completely smothered w**ds. In this case I’ll leave the stubble to hold the ground over winter but one could also set fall transplants into it. If you’re interested in details subscribe on the profile page. Enjoy the fall garden!

08/28/2026

Our organization board is analog and old-school but very visual and tactile—and it works. We list produce on the left and restaurant customers across the top. As orders come in, we write them down. A green magnet means the item is being picked or washed. Red means it’s labeled and ready to go out the door. We deliver twice a week, and customers typically receive their orders within hours of calling it in—the goal is to beat the Amazon truck 🙂.

I explain in detail in my subscription post. Subscribe on the profile page. Happy fall gardening!

08/19/2026

Gardening without Plastic: Burlap shade cloth. All summer I cover lettuce transplants with 7oz burlap to keep the heads cooler. It beats plastic shade cloth on many levels. I typically uncover about two weeks after transplanting.

Sale: You can subscribe for 1/2 price through August. Subscriber see behind-the-scenes post and detailed seeding and planting information. Happy growing!

08/18/2026

Thai Basil loves this heat, and the burlap helps it by stopping w**ds.

You can buy burlap like this from landscaping centers, or Action Packaging . Must be plain/untreated to avoid chemical treatments.

You can now Subscribe for a behind the scenes look at our farm, and to be the first to learn about new tools we are testing and innovations we are working on.

08/17/2026

Gardening without Plastic: Clover as Mulch. We are replacing landscaping fabric with living mulches, in this case New Zealand white clover. End of season update:

—I haven’t watered the clover since June but it is hanging in there.
—The tomato yield did not suffer due to the clover.
—I plan to shallow till it soon, ahead of fall spinach.

I’m starting a new thing: Subscription-only posts for behind-the-scenes access. A backstage pass to our farm.

I offer deep dive explanations of our process, showing exact seed timings, tool settings, and more.

I show when things go wrong, and how we troubleshoot them with a lean mindset.

I’ll give you a first look at experiments and upcoming trials, and offers.

Grow healthy food at a low cost—to people and the planet.

For gardeners and farmers alike. First five subscribers receive 1/2 price.

Happy lean farming and gardening. 🧑‍🌾 🙂


First five to subscribe receive lifetime half price.

07/18/2026

Behind the scenes at the Goshen Farmers Market today. If you’re a Goshen resident, we also sell through direct email list, for discounts and special offers. DM me to be added to the list. Enjoy summer! Stop by the market.

07/15/2026

Free tool contest!

I’m using the new push w**der from . It features interchangeable heads. I especially like the micro hiller/furrower. I zipped around our gardens hilling up green onions, basil, cilantro, etc., to improve drainage and knock out w**ds. A lightweight, ergonomic tool for home gardeners and micro farmers.

And you can win one! Here’s how it works:

- Follow the , , and pages
- Like this post
- Tag one or two other vegetable growers or friends in the comments section

That’s it! Tilmor will randomly choose a winner and reach out to you. Contest ends in 7 days on July 22. You can buy the tool in the US from . In Europe, buy direct from . Good luck!👍🍀

Address

340 Hackett Road
Goshen, IN
46528

Telephone

+15745388741

Website

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