>>About three years ago we transitioned to all heirloom tomatoes, so we've got some big slicer heirloom tomatoes, we've got cherry tomatoes, and a little bit of mixing in of other types of food that I kind of just grow for myself to eat.

(Mark laughs) >>Where does the food go?

>>We sell to a couple different outlets, so we have a wholesale account and like grocery store.

We sell to the Ellwood Thompson's here in- >>Oh.

>>Richmond, which is pretty cool.

>>Yeah.

>>They've always supported us over the years, which has been awesome.

Also to the north side, Food Access Coalition.

My friend Duron has a black farmer CSA that he sources from black farmers around the city, so I sell into his- >>Oh, wonderful.

>>His CSA as well.

>>And that's keeping the food miles really short, so that's good.

>>Exactly.

>>Can you talk a little bit about the value of keeping your food miles short and local?

>>Oh, definitely.

I think that from what I understand, eating food from around where you are is even more impactful than maybe buying organic food or buying exotic food from different parts of the world.

We got plenty of exotic stuff from right here, which is fun to help people learn and educate people about, but yeah, I think nutrient wise even, how short that time is in between the harvest and when you eat it, is so significant in how your body takes up those nutrients and those minerals, so I think not even just for the sort of future local economy aspect of buying from around, I think there's even a nutritional aspect that- >>Yeah.

>>Supports that kind of- >>Almost like you're stewarding people's bodies as well.

>>Yeah.

>>So- >>Farmer always has.

>>So this is a regenerative farm and to me that means high-quality inputs.

Can you tell me a little bit about your systems that you have in place here?

>>I think the main thing that we practice is extremely low disturbance in the soil, so we try to keep the soil as moist as possible.

We try to keep it covered as often as possible, whether that be some tarps and plastic things that people have seen, or different organic mulches, wood chips, leaves.

We're here in a beautiful deciduous forest, so there's no shortage of leaves at all, and then most importantly, is the low tillage aspect.

The way I like to think about it is if you were a chef and you were in a kitchen and somebody came in at the end of your shift every night and just destroyed everything in the kitchen, opened up all your cabinets, knocked everything out, it'd be pretty hard for you to pick up where you left off the next morning.

>>Absolutely.

>>The soil is very, very similar, so if you come in there and just completely disturb everything at the end of each season or year, then it takes a while for the organisms to recover and then therefore the plants to be able to feed themselves, so first and foremost, the soil, we keep it protected, covered, and treat it like it's a living thing itself, which it is.

>>You have a really unique vermiculture system here.

Can you tell me a little bit about where you get your worms from?

>>I actually harvest the worms in a way, directly from the native soil, so I will set up a small area, like cinder blocks kind of thing, real cheap setup, nothing fancy, and then I will literally feed (giggles) the ground with fruit pulp.

I'll dump those bad boys right in the open pit and then cover it up with a black tarp and basically wait, and after about a month or two, a lot of the native red worms will come to the surface to work that down and I'll just grab some handfuls of 'em- >>I love it.

That's genius.

>>Take 'em to the (laughs) to the hut and go to the next level from there.

>>So what's the next step in that process?

>>So after that, after I, I guess, I dunno, breed, harvest, collect the worms, I will have a area that I just do typical compost, a typical thermo composting, and then I will take that compost and add it to a second system, which is like an above-ground system that you can harvest from the bottom.

I'll add the regular compost in, I'll feed it with a different set of inputs, I'll add different rock dust, basalt, azomite, things like that to add the micronutrients, I'll add the worms' food source, so maybe more coffee grinds, something really dense, high nitrogen content, for the worms to eat, and then right over the top, I'll add the worms in, and then right over the top, I'll sprinkle like little oats 'cause worms like oats a lot and that helps 'em breed and reproduce.

>>That's really interesting.

>>Yeah, yeah.

>>I did not know that.

>>Yeah, they like oats.

>>Oh my gosh.

>>I dunno, I think it's that crude protein kinda thing.

>>Having grown before and after, how impactful do you think that is for your final product and your harvest?

>>Oh, it's huge.

It's basically the only input that I use.

I don't use synthetic fertilizers.

Even things off of the like OMRI lists that are technically organic, I still try to steer away from, not because they're bad or anything, but I've just noticed with the vermicompost that we make on site, using it at the transplant stage and then using it nice big handful in the hole when the tomatoes are planted, and then as an extract, a liquid extract throughout the season, between those three feeds, I've never really had a mineral issue or deficiency in the plant at all.

>>That's really amazing.

>>Yeah, yeah.

It's fine.

>>These are beautiful too.

>>Yeah, yeah, yeah.

>>Is this one of the heritage varieties that you grow?

>>That is, yeah.

So that's the Paul Robeson heirloom tomato there.

That's the Paul Robeson variety.

>>So, it's gorgeous and it's nice and firm too.

>>Yeah, which helps, 'cause normally heirlooms are finicky (laughs).

>>So what's your favorite thing to grow here?

>>I would say probably the slicer heirloom tomatoes.

Just like the validation of a one-pound tomato after you've worked for six months and all, doing a little bit of this, a little bit of that over an entire year, and then my grandma would eat 'em like a apple, you know what I'm saying?

So I pick it off.

You don't even really need the salt.

If you do it right, you don't really even need the salt, but it does, it's nice.

>>Yeah.

>>A little bit on there.

Boom.

Just what a feeling.

>>That is amazing.

(Mark laughs) It's so satisfying and it's beautiful that you're sharing it with the community too.

>>Yeah, there's a big aspect of the mutual aid that we have going on here as well, so just on the land in, a little bit about the land in general, we have a collaborative agreement, so I do share the land with a couple different businesses, but we have a area that we specifically dedicate to donation to the church that owns the land and their food pantry, and then different mutual aid outlets throughout the city as well, so we're just trying to show that even alongside a business and production, there can also be, and should also be, a community-based element where we know the food is free, it's supposed to be free, it's our birthright after all, so the closer we can get to that with every step, the better, you know?

>>That is beautiful.

>>So keeping that, keeping the free food close, not just 'cause we are not a charity, you know?

It's a little different, but keeping the reminder that the fact that we have to charge for this is a creation.

>>Yeah.

>>You know?

That's not the natural way, but we're getting there.

>>This is a really beautiful local farm and you have done an amazing job, and your whole mission and how you do what you do is something that people should aspire to, so thank you so much for having us out today.

>>Yeah, I appreciate y'all giving me a little moment to zoom in on some things.

>>Thank you.

>>It's been awesome.

Yeah.