Tianna began the tour showing two caterpillar tunnels that were built last year and walked through some of the early spring field plantings. Kale filled one house and the other was prepped for planting, while the field crops included snap peas, collards, lettuce, cabbage, and carrots.
Between her caterpillar tunnels, space is saved specifically for herb production. Herbs are a family affair; her sister’s passion lies in creating herbal tinctures, ceremonial preparations, and medicinal products.
Tianna went into detail about how she executes her bed preparation system. A plastic mulch layer attachment is used in the late fall/winter to raise the beds, but she chooses to leave out the plastic since the weed pressure is not as intense. Tianna took time to show the group two different field blocks in the same location. One block had not grown a cover crop while the other block had. After recent soil testing there was a noticeable difference in increased potassium and phosphorus along with other available micronutrients in the block that received the cover crop planting and acclimation. Cover crops are key factors in organic systems as they provide nutrients and organic matter for soil health, prevent erosion runoff, provide weed suppression, and create habitats for beneficial insects and pollinators.
Selling and Buying Collectively
Cooperatives can look like many things and work in many different ways. In 2023, Starlit Roots, the Adderson’s, Dface Farm, and Brown’s Place Farm established a buyer’s cooperative to organize bulk farm supply purchasing. This allowed them to get better prices and shipping rates on their orders and benefit from buying irrigation supplies, soil amendments, pest and disease management products, and packaging materials together. Their collective spirit didn’t stop there. Now the cooperative is entering year two in growing together on an additional 7.5-acre field, combining resources and labor to produce larger crop plantings in higher demand for retail and wholesale outlets in Augusta and beyond.
As a cooperative, each farm can sell their products through local farmers markets as well as The Common Market Southeast, where the produce is then distributed to local school systems and other institutions throughout Georgia.
