About Us

 

 

 

Pond Hill Farm is a small, bio-intensive vegetable and flower farm near Slate Lick, PA. We supply fresh veggies to multiple farmers markets in the Pittsburgh area and select specialty flowers to wholesale/florists. We're 34 miles northeast of downtown Pittsburgh. 

 

We (Isaac Porter and Jordan Sommerfeld) purchased the farm in 2017. The property had many functions including a nursery and Christmas tree farm in the past, but the property had restored back to nature over the last several years of neglect when we bought it. Fragments of what the property once was still are hidden in the forests and streams of the property. A pond forms at the mouth of a valley on the farm, so there really is a pond on the hill at Pond Hill Farm. It is used as a damn to slow the loss of water and nutrients from our fields. 

 

The farm was a realization that developed slowly over time. A homestead turned market garden that has grown from 1/10 acre to now 1.5 acres. Each year, the farm grows a bit more which is the only way that has felt right to us. 

 

I believe in the power of good food. Good food comes from good soil, so we make healthy soils our top priority. No synthetic fertilizer/chemicals use, cover crops,  limited tillage, and other strategies are used to encourage a healthy soil microbiome while avoiding contamination and erosion. I am blessed to be able to work so closely with Mother Nature, and intend to improve the environment through soil health and promoting wildlife of all kinds. 

In 2023, we became Certified Naturally Grown (CNG). CNG means that we are inspected annually which will keep us honest about our growing practices. It includes various criteria including no use of synthetic pesticide/fertilizer, no GMO, using organic seeds whenever possible, and other criteria on protecting the air, soil, and environment. We are so honored to be a part of the CNG family!

In addition to delicious produce, we also grow speciality flower crops like dahlias and ranunculus which mostly are sold to the greater Pittsburgh area wholesale and florists. The dahlia patch has been a passion project from inception (2018). We planted over 2000 dahlias and 2500 ranunculus in 2024, and only see growth with these crops for the 2025 season. It's an honor to get to grow these gorgeous flowers following the same principles as we do our vegetables. Everything is grown together and further extending our biodiversity.