News From MiVida Gardens

Passages and the future

Certified Organic Veggie, Herb & Ornamental Seedlings.

Drive one-half mile down Savary Road, off Washington Hill Road in Tamworth and just south of Monkey Trunks on busy Route 16, and you will find MiVida Gardens with it’s two greenhouses and owner/operators Ed Bickford and Sandy Brocaar. In 2013 we transitioned from growing produce for the Tamworth Farmers Market into focusing primarily on growing and selling certified organic young plants, aka “starts” or “seedlings” for food production. After a few years, we expanded into growing a few flower and perennial seedlings as well

When we started growing and farming in 2004, it was because we liked to eat – great tasting food with flavor nuances beyond what was typically available in supermarkets at the time. We appreciated knowing where our food came from and how it was raised. We understood, at a visceral level, what it takes to produce great tasting, fresh food. And thus, MiVida Gardens was born.

And so, we began by growing a full suite of produce for sale at Farmers Markets – first in Wakefield and then at the Tamworth Farmers Market when that opened. We have been there every year since. At the markets we offered multiple varieties of each crop – 4 or 5 varieties of peas, 6 or 7 of string beans or carrots, 8 to 10 types of lettuces, etc. etc. And of course – the tomatoes! At one time we had nearly 40 varieties. For example, exploring and experiencing the subtle and sometimes profound flavor, color, and textural differences between tomato varieties There are thousands of different tomato varieties with many different uses, colors, textures, flavors, and suitability to growing environment. What you prefer in a tomato may be different than our tastes. As we always respond when asked about “our favorite tomato”: it depends on your intended use, your individual taste buds, your specific growing environment, and even the weather in any given year!

Although it was hard work, we enjoyed the fruits of our labor and introducing neighbors and the local community to all the varied flavors.

It was very rewarding on many levels. It still is!

In time, we determined to do what we could to extend the sense of satisfaction and wonderment to others by focusing on producing well grown starter plants or seedlings for our local community.

Enjoy your own adventure, sense of self-reliance, self-sufficiency, and truly, wonder, as you nurture and care for the plants – feeding your body and the need for beauty around you.

Happy Growing!