Posted on 06/27/2008 2:15:14 PM PDT by Gabz
Clint Brown began planting vegetables at age 4. His then babysitter, a retired gentlemen with an interest in gardening, got him started.
Now 17, Clint has his own gardening business -- a venture that began four years ago with a bumper green bean crop and success at the Le Mars farmer's market.
"He sold them so fast,"said Audrey Brown, Clint's mom. "I think that's what got him hooked."
Clint's gardens are on his parent's Audrey and Steve Brown's farm west of Merrill.
In April 2006 Clint got serious about his gardening business by building his first high tunnel structure, which is a large, hoop building covered in plastic, to plant his vegetables inside.
"If they were outside the would get blown by the wind," Clint said.
The sides of the high tunnel roll up and down, but the temperature inside is not regulated like a greenhouse.
"When it isn't sunny out there, it isn't warm in here," Audrey said.
Clint's two high tunnels, the second one being completed this year, are a total of 3,744 square feet in size. They house 400 tomato plants, 290 pepper plants, green beans, leaf lettuce and snow peas to name a few.
Having the high tunnels for protection from the wind allows Clint to extend the growing season for his vegetables.
For example, most people plant their tomatoes the third week in May and can eat them around the end of July through September.
With the wind tunnels, Clint's growing season for tomatoes begins about the third week in April. Tomatoes are ripe in June and last through mid-October.
This year's growing season has been a little different.
"This year we are behind," Audrey said. "We haven't had consistent days of sunshine."
And that phenomenon is affecting many vegetable producers around the state.
Even the more than 6-foot-tall tomato plants growing inside one of Clint's high tunnels have been slow to yield their fruit.
And the ones growing in an outside garden are about 1/3 as tall as the others. Steve wanted to see the production difference between the indoor and outdoor plants.
"We're experimenting," Audrey said. "We're seeing what wind really can do."
Even though the growing season has been stunted, Clint has had success selling other vegetables like carrots, lettuce, spinach and radishes at the farmer's market in Sioux City.
"He was selling in Sioux City the first Saturday in May," Audrey said. "Most of these crops are already gone and these are the second crops."
Clint plans to bring some items to the Le Mars farmer's market opening day this Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at the Olson Cultural Event Center. The market will also be open from 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays throughout the growing season.
Audrey said most of their offerings this Saturday will be items like rhubarb and jalapeño jellies along with minimal produce.
But that will change as the summer progresses and the days warm because in addition to Clint's indoor gardens he also tends an additional about 3,700 square feet outside.
"It's amazing what can be produced in the square footage he has," Audrey said.
Audrey and Steve help, but the business is Clint's and each year his profits have exceeded his expenses.
"I am the tomato connoisseur," Audrey said. "These two don't eat tomatoes."
Throughout the years as Clint's interest in planting vegetables grew into the booming business it is today, Audrey couldn't be more proud of her son's accomplishments.
"I think it's exciting," Audrey said.
Clint will be a senior at Le Mars Community High School this fall.
He has already taken some agriculture classes and plans to take more along with business courses to learn as much as he can to help his gardens continue to grow.
Clint likes his gardening business, but he doesn't know for sure what the future holds.
"It's a hobby," Clint said. "And to make some money."
Is this the Weekly Gardening post?
If it is you forgot the ping list.
And who says today’s teenagers are all lazy layabouts!!!!!
Good luck to him is right!!!
I didn’t forget the list.....but got called away before I hit post on the list!!!! LOL
Ping
My gardening thoughts . . . . IT’S JUNE!!!!! The apples are ripe. The peaches are ripe, The various berries are ripe. The corn is looking great. The flowers are up. The roses are at maximum bloom. The zuchinnis are ripe. This is for me in southern California. I hope all of you are having great gardens too!
But, but, but.........public school kids can't do this.....or so we are continually told.
There was no 4H available for me when I was growing up in NYC, hopefully my daughter will take an interest in it because she is interested in the garden.
Contact the Cornell Agricultural School in Ithaca. They have had 4H Extension Programs in NYC in the past and I’m pretty sure there are at least two in the city that are functional.
YUp, it’s JUNE all right!!!!
I was just checking our fruitcocktail tree, boy is it loaded with fruit. YIPPEE!!!!
Thanks, but it’s not needed. I left NYC 25 years ago and now live in rural Virginia.
I really like the Arkansas Travelers. Nice pinkish color with a great flavor.
I have been sharing my cukes and tomatoes with the neighbor, an elderly lady and her family. She planted 3 or 4 tomato plants. But they got neglected and I think she gave up on them. I just know she had hopes for fresh home grown tomatoes.
A tomato should not ship more than 50 feet or so. Right from the garden to the kitchen sink. I've got some beautiful Romas this year. And basil. A little sauteed garlic and pasta, and I've got a fine meal. Healthy too.
Fruitcocktail tree?
I don’t have anything to pick yet ***SIGH***
I put in a container salad garden for my friends down the road, their lot is mostly trees but their deck has wonderful southern exposure.
LOL
LOL -- aI wouldn't go to that extreme, especially sin my garden is about 2 football field from my kitchen!!!!
My daughter is in charge of the herbs this year, she'll be 10 next week, and she has really been on my case about me having run out of catnip seed.
Yes, that is what it is called. It is a dwarf tree that supposedly bears peaches, apricots, plums, and nectarines.
This is the first year we just might actually get ripe fruit from it. So far nothing has attacked it.
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