Organic tomatoes (courtesy Amy's Gerden)
Amy’s Garden: Charles City, 896-6446 or amysorganicgarden.com
History: Amy Hicks and George Ferguson started in the late ’90s with a 3-acre farm in New Kent and a mission to provide organic produce to the region. The husband-and-wife team and co-owners of Amy’s Garden soon found that the demand for their products quickly outgrew their space. So they purchased a 70-acre historic farm in Charles City County in 2003 and currently use about 12 to 14 acres for production.
Production Methods: Everything that Amy’s Garden produces is USDA Certified Organic, meaning it follows strict standards to ensure its produce is free of harmful chemicals. No toxic herbicides, synthetic pesticides or fertilizers are used, and Hicks says they keep the soil healthy by adding organic matter and maintaining a three-year crop rotation (the same crop cannot be produced on the same soil within three years).
Specialties: The farm grows multiple varieties of tomatoes. “That’s the thing that we take special pride in, but we do grow a little bit of everything, it seems like,” Hicks says. In addition to produce ranging from sweet potatoes to melons, the farm also grows strawberries, blueberries, herbs and flowers.
Where to get it in RVA: You’ll find Amy’s Garden at Birdhouse Farmers Market on Tuesday afternoons and South of the James on Saturday mornings, May through October. Select produce is available at Ellwood Thompson’s and Whole Foods.
