Hi everyone! Our article in the paper has been written and will be published in print this week or early next. An electronic copy is below if you care to read it. We are so proud of it and love the name...Keep Calm and Garden On “Keep Calm & Garden On.” That’s the message on a decorative flag outside the headquarters of “2 Chicks & A Farm” in Dumplin Valley. Owners Kim Bryant and Jen Russomanno are living up to the order. In the space of under an acre and a half are currently about 1,900 tomato plants, 500 chrysanthemums for autumn sales, and row upon row of beans, peppers, zucchini, potatoes, okra, eggplant, and cucumbers. The “2 Chicks” are part of a growing contingency of women farmers who offer their fresh produce weekly at the Dandridge Farmers Market. Bridgett Johnson, who runs Bridgette’s Fresh Produce with her mom Melissa, has been active with the market for several years and has advanced agricultural skills despite her youth. Another duo of women farmers, Charlotte Johnson and Shirley Swan, whose business is called “Summer Blues,” also sell their vegetables at the market. “Sometimes people don’t believe we grow all the stuff we have for sale ourselves, but we definitely do,” Kim Bryant said. “Everything is grown naturally. Our motto is, ‘If we won’t eat it, we won’t grow it.’” Bryant, who is a behavioral therapist, grew up gardening with her father and always loved it. She and Russomanno, a New Jersey native and University of Tennessee employee who is working on a masters in public health, met several years ago while organizing boot camps — and found they had a common interest in gardening. Bryant’s 15-year-old son Zane was also looking for a way to make college money and joined their venture. “He told us the business should be called “2 Chicks, a Handsome Rooster, and a Farm,” Bryant said. “But we haven’t let him change the name yet.” Zane, who is interested in law school and is on track to obtain his associate’s degree when he graduates from Jefferson County High, and Kim were working in the tomatoes on a hot Tuesday afternoon. He was picking, and she was staking. “They’re doing really well and are actually a little early,” Kim said. “Celebrity, Empire, and Early Girl are beginning to come in, and we have six heirloom varieties that are not far behind.” The farmers started their tomatoes early because they planned to use grant funds for a cold frame house — but the government shut-down caused a delay. “We were able to do makeshift cold frames and did okay — though there was a dusting of snow at one point,” Bryant said. The 2 Chicks and Zane do most of the gardening work by hand. He invested in a rototiller and handles that chore. They compost their own mulch and grow everything as naturally as possible. Their favorite defense against pests is neem oil, made from the pressed fruits of an Indian tree. It repels insects without harmful effects. They also like to amend the soil with seaweed/kelp, pulverized limestone, and epsom salt. You can buy produce from 2 Chicks & A Farm at the Dandridge Farmers Market on Saturdays, from 9 a.m. until noon, at the corner of Gay and Meeting Streets.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 12:39:08 +0000
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