Rooted Acres

The idea of starting a vegetable farm was was born from a mediocre harvest from a vegetable garden. The irony, right? Allow us to expand a bit. In late 2020 our family bought a rural property outside of Niles, MI. The pandemic had changed our perspective and we packed up our house and life from an urban area in Illinois and made the move to Michigan. The property we purchased was full of possibility! Nature, wildlife, fresh air, and an opportunity to grow a vegetable garden in real dirt rather than containers. The options were limited for a spot to locate the garden due to surrounding trees, and we chose the only spot that had what should be decent sunlight. After clearing some brush and thorns and getting seeds in the ground in spring, things looked promising early on. Eventually it became clear that insufficient sunlight was going to be a problem. In the end, some vegetables performed well, but most? Very “meh”. Our property was mostly forest, and included an old barn and a small house which had sat vacant for at least 6 years, possibly more. It was in rough shape with mold and mildew but seemed structurally sound. We debated on what to do with the house, whether to rehab and possibly sell or rent it, or perhaps a place for family to stay in the future, but it eventually became clear that our ideas thus far weren’t going to pan out. On a walk one evening in late summer, with a realization the old house was just an eyesore without a real future, as well as an itch to better utilize the property, an idea was voiced: “What if we knocked down the house, cleared off some of this land, and started a vegetable farm?”. Now, as we enter 2022 having cleared an acre of land and torn down the vacant house in anticipation of building a new structure in the future, we are embarking on this new endeavor called Rooted Acres. Through this process skills will be learned, experience will be gained, and no doubt that patience will be tried. However, with this we believe our children will learn about growing from the land, and we have a unique opportunity to connect with and serve the Michiana community in a new way. So, here we go! Fingers crossed things grow well… (photo credits: Michelle Tara) Ellery (left), Frank, and Connelly