Things were busy this week at the farm (see the photos here)- the Tomato Presale is under way (order here), CSA boxes are flying off the line, and our squash plants are really starting to put on fruit. The first of the tomatoes have even begun to roll in, inducing an all-farm feeling of giddy excitement and exhausted dread... all at once. If this warm weather keeps up, the 15,000 tomato plants that we put into the ground this year will soon be dripping with ripe fruit before we know it. 

There were several mechanical obstacles to overcome this week, including a forklift that finally was tired beyond repair. Our potato harvester also needed some sudden attention, which meant long calls to parts dealers and some serious bartering with local welders and machine shops .

Last October, our friend Bud Force shot parts of a commercial for Cavender's at the farm. We all-but forgot about this fun day, until this week when we caught a glimpse of the final product. Watch the short docu-style commercial here, and see if you can't spot a familiar farmer! Unlike most commercials, the men and women featured here are real ranchers, farmers, and cowboys.. not actors. 

Last, East Side Magazine recently published this story about the farm, and we thought we'd include it here for you to see! Thank you East Side Magazine and Jessi for shining a spotlight on the farm, we appreciate it! 

Thanks for reading, and stay well! 

 

Get Out in the Backyard Johnson’s Backyard Garden offers space to grow in community.

Words by Jessi Devenyns Photos by Scott David Gordon\



Brenton Johnson, East Austin resident behind Johnson’s Backyard Garden (JBG), has always enjoyed plants, but he didn’t always know how to grow them. It was in college that the future farm owner discovered his knack for cultivating houseplants, which set a domino effect into motion that led to him abruptly switch majors from mechanical engineering to agricultural engineering in the hopes of working one day on an organic farm on the West Coast. Instead of leading him immediately to life on the farm though, Brenton got a 9-5.

Working a desk job never stopped Brenton from getting his hands dirty. While working for the government in early 2000, Brenton began transforming his yard into a vegetable garden, which, in addition to growing produce, sprouted a community of neighbors and volunteers. “When I first started, I put an ad on Craigslist, and I ended up getting two volunteers,” Brenton recalls. “And those two volunteers ended up having a really long relationship with JBG.”

The farm today That relationship flourished as Brenton’s farm grew from an overflowing backyard full of chickens and vegetables in the Holly neighborhood to a 20-acre site in East Austin to now a commercial enterprise that is located outside the city limits, but still east.

Nearly 20 years later, JBG is a far cry from the neighborhood Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program that it started as. Today, Brenton’s vegetable patch is a sprawling 186 acres in Garfield, Texas, with 100 employees who range from greenhouse managers and farmhands to operations directors and delivery drivers. One thing that has not changed, however, is Brenton’s dedication to teaching agriculture to Austinites and developing gardeners out of volunteers.

Despite operating at a scale that allows for the provision of fresh produce to local restaurants and markets, volunteers are still a core force of the operations at JBG. Dozens of local residents trek to the organic farm on any given day to exercise their skills in gardening, preparing CSA boxes, or working at the markets.

Connection to nature and neighbor Besides the satisfaction of absorbing fresh air and sunshine alongside the plants, each volunteer has the option to indulge in the fruits of their labor with some veggies. Not only that, but the 20-minute drive to Garfield has the ability to transport Austin-dwellers into another realm: one that provides a purposeful connection to nature and neighbors.

Brenton says that’s exactly what makes time spent on the farm so idyllic. Vegetables require long hours of tending, but that careful attention allows for a thriving business and community to be built from the seeds of crisp rainbow chard and sun-ripened tomatoes.

Support a Farm & Eat Fresh Austinites looking for fresh produce can join the farm’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program where they can select from a variety of box sizes and delivery schedules to suit their culinary needs. Summer produce shares include crowd favorites like homegrown tomatoes, watermelon, and squash. Be sure to check their website for updates and availability.