Today we’d like to introduce you to Joni Albers.
Hi Joni, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
When I was six, my grandmother Phyllis signed me up for 4H in my tiny hometown of Hoxie, Kansas. That summer, my mom helped me to create my first garden, and my green beans won a blue ribbon that year at the county fair. This experience, along with many others that 4H provided me, set the foundation of my fascination with what nature could produce.
Fast-forward 33 years: I had been living in NYC during a 12-year career in Media and Technology and was ready to leave the city. I landed in Sun Valley, right at the entry to La Tuna Canyon. The only requirement for where we would live was that it needed to have a large space to build a garden. Little did I know how big that garden would grow! I broke ground on the urban farm in January 2020, not knowing what was looming ahead. I started a batch of 2,500 tomato plants for sale to raise money for operations. Then COVID hit and I had nowhere to sell my seedlings. Slowly markets started returning, and I sold out at the Altadena Farmers’ Market two weeks in a row. I knew I had something special. Over the course of 2020, I expanded to many different types of heirloom produce and began selling produce to local neighbors and the surrounding communities on my website. The demand was exponential. It didn’t seem to matter how much I grew—we were always sold out.
My specialty is growing over 45 varieties of heirloom tomatoes. I source rare and unique seeds that are suitable for our area, along with veggies that I grow that you can’t purchase in stores. Everything is seasonal. Right now, we are growing oyster mushrooms in our greenhouses right alongside our seedlings. The mushrooms produce carbon dioxide as they grow, which boosts air concentrations of CO2 for the tomato seedlings to absorb. Everything on our farm focuses on the complete cycle. For me, it’s not just about “doing no harm”—it’s about restoring the balance of life. In late 2020, I approached a local retirement community that owned a vacant lot near my home. I offered to farm the land and provide fresh vegetables for their residents, and also for the local community. We are just about to complete the expansion to just under an acre of farm ground. The new farm will be home to over 85 varieties of heirloom tomatoes and many other specialty veggies.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Ha! Well, as I am sure for most everyone on the planet, COVID has presented some serious challenges. As a small business owner, I had to get creative. For much of the beginning of the farm, we were in a lockdown. So I built an e-commerce website in a matter of days and got to selling, offering contactless drive-through pickup. It worked great and attracted as many customers as I could handle. One of the biggest challenges for farmers has always been educating your customers on how to use the produce they receive—especially what I offer, since much of it is new to many. I tapped my previous experience in tech and came up with a system to make it easy for people. Our farm boxes come with tags that customers scan with their smartphones that link them to a webpage that offers recipes, preparation guidance, or interesting facts about that particular produce. We want our customers to feel like they are supported and have options to prepare their foods and enjoy it. We offer online ordering, contactless pickup, and delivery for our zone.
Thanks—so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an Urban Farmer. A farmer of the city. This type of farming offers a unique set of challenges, but also greatly enhances the neighborhoods around it. I am most proud of the quality of the food we grow. Customers know that their food was grown using the best growing methods to ensure that it provides the most nutrient-dense foods possible. We grow organically and biodynamically. And as everyone knows, building the soil is at the heart of all delicious produce!
How do you think about happiness?
For me, happiness is being a shepherd of the land, working hard to restore it. And at the end of the day, washing off the dirt knowing that I get to do it again tomorrow!
Pricing:
- Farm Box – $45
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.HungryGardens.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehungrygardens/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hungry-Gardens-URBAN-FARM-110353060611854/
