A Day in the Life of a Market Gardener

I always start the day with a hearty breakfast - knowing I won't get to eat again for a long time. I start at 7:45 am, printing our orders and making a route for our delivery driver. I pack the orders and prepare them to be picked up. 

Next, I check the farm store and stock what’s missing for store hours today. The orders get picked up by our driver and farm help arrives to cover the store. 

It’s time to get my sunhat and head out to the greenhouse to see if the tomatoes have finally started to ripen…Yes, they have! I harvest buckets of cherry tomatoes, while wiping buckets of sweat off myself. It’s 110° with high humidity in the greenhouse - but that just means I’ll work even faster. I realize that no one has harvested the cucumbers yet, grab more crates, and harvest these as well. 

I pile the produce inside the air conditioning to be bagged up later. I towel off, drink lots of water, then head back outside to the garden. 

I head out to the garden with crates to harvest zucchini and squash. SURPRISE! 50lbs of zucchini later and I start messaging all of our corporate accounts to let them know what's coming… and mentally start saving for a side by side so I don't have to haul all these crates by hand.

Time to harvest flowers for tomorrow's deliveries! I’m currently harvesting zinnias, sunflower, celosia and basil for greenery. I head back inside to arrange flowers in the air conditioning as I try to cool off for a bit… I fight the urge to lay down under the air conditioner.

Now back outside to the barn to check on the chickens. I fill some feeders, fill the waters, and scold the chicken who got out somehow and made a mess. The cows get fed all the weeds I pulled as I harvested today…they are quite happy to see me! 

I head back inside the farm building to bag produce and start this week's microgreens. Now it's 1:45 pm, time for a break and lunch in the house.

Next I’m off to tractor supply for chicken feed, bedding, and to stop by a local store for some green bean seed. I drive back home and unload.

3 pm - Shower, rehydrate and sit down with the laptop to do all the admin work and answer emails. I turn on all sprinklers and watering systems for a few hours.

We make dinner with the world's freshest veggies, your own grass fed beef, and fruit from farmers down the road.

Enjoy the beautiful farm with the family and sleep really well because you all work your hiney off!