Cultivating A Meaningful Life

Vegetable producers Jan and Tim King harvest two acres of organic vegetables and fruit on their 36-acre farm in Todd County, Minnesota. Both natives to Long Prairie, Minnesota, they began gardening together in 1970, and, after spending a decade in the Twin Cities, moved back to Todd County to live what they considered “a more meaningful life.” Today, the Jan and Tim garden and sell their produce at:

* farmers markets,
* threshing festivals,
* grocery stores,
* the local hospital and
* the Whole Farm Cooperative.

Tim and Jan plant both a subsistence garden, where they grow all their own vegetables for the year and 75% of their fruits, and a commercial garden. The garden is a joint partnership and project that they both enjoy. They have always gardened organically. It is a natural decision for them, as Jan asks, “why would I want to poison my food with chemicals?” They enhance soil fertility by adding leaves, composted pasture manure from a neighbor and green manure such as buckwheat. Tim finds the rejuvenation of the soil to be an especially satisfying aspect of gardening and believes that by maintaining a balance between the soil and the environment, pests will be kept at bay.

Environmentally Friendly

A row-tiller, hoe, and hand weeding controls weeds. They use environmentally friendly Bt (Bacillus thurengensis) to control the potato beetle and cabbage worms. Jan has a detailed mapping system that she uses to properly rotate the garden. Tim and Jan keep 10-15% of their garden fallow each year.

Customers are considered to be an extension of the King family. “Its fun to share your food with other people who enjoy good quality food,” Jan says. Garlic, green peppers, winter squash, tomatoes, apples, muskmelon, and dried flowers are just a few examples of what is offered.