From a Small Garden to a Regenerative Revolution: The Story of the Organic Compound

What started as a small communal garden has transformed into a thriving farm and homestead centered around regenerative living. The seed was planted when our founder Wil Crombie started tending the homestead where he was raised. By 2012 the land got its name and the Organic Compound was established. Friends began gathering and started a small garden in the yard, laying the groundwork for this seed to grow. Each year since has been filled with it’s own milestones of reclamation, transformation and deep connection. By 2014 the group had outgrown the garden and expanded to a 3.14 acre slice of pie, where we began implementing permaculture practices and exploring all that the land had to offer. As the community grew, Carly became another founding member - managing the annual gardens, organizing the events and weaving the web of community. Through beekeeping, saw milling, hide tanning, deep mulch gardening, water and land management, composting and food preservation we were able to catalyze our love for this regenerative lifestyle. These first few years really gave us enough depth and stability to establish our roots and commit to a perennial future.

The next layer of work began in 2016 when Regeneration Farms was born, a food business and network of farmers raising Tree-Range™ Chicken. Trusting in the momentum of this work, our family land became the first commercial scale site for this regenerative brand. This partnership was established with the vision of empowering small farmers to positively impact the food system, while building the health of their farmland and creating truly regenerative food products. For the people gathering at the Organic Compound, this new endeavor greatly magnetized the purpose, beauty and potential impact of our work. Over the next four years we transformed 40 acres of conventionally farmed cropland into a thriving ecosystem full of diversity. Together we planted over 20,000 trees and shrubs and began integrating animals along with perennial and annual alley crops - returning natural cycles to the once barren landscape. Our restoration work had begun. 

In the years following it’s conception the Organic Compound has become a true testament to what can happen when a community comes together around shared values. In 2017 Carly and Wil purchased the homestead and continue to gather with friends and family to co create this regenerative vision every season. With your support we have been able to host countless events, work with local schools, improve our on-farm infrastructure and bring healthy food to our communities. In 2019 the 40 acres of agroforestry became certified organic and the homestead became solar powered. We are dedicated to restoring our relationship with this land, this community and ourselves. Thank you so much for being a part of the Organic Compound.