In 2016, while teaching high school math in Baltimore City, I bought a small jade plant to put on my desk. That single jade plant soon turned into a deep love for all things green: houseplants in every conceivable location, herbs on window sills, and cherry tomatoes in pots on the back patio. 

We moved to Freeland in 2020 while working remotely at the height of the COVID pandemic. Suddenly, I had access to land, time to work and learn and make mistakes, and a desire to connect with nature. That first plot had fewer than ten crops—though my obsession with interesting basil varieties was already going strong—but I was hooked and immediately dreaming of more. 

Fast forward a few years and the small plot that first gave me the thrill of digging through soil hunting for potatoes has grown to something capable of providing for my community. I have over 250 unique varieties of flowers, herbs, and vegetables in my plan for this year, and a rough timeline to expand from 3,000 square feet to ½ an acre.

Getting my hands dirty, seeing things grow and blossom, and building a relationship with the land and life around me brings me a sense of calm and purpose. Getting to share the literal fruits of that labor with other people is a dream come true.

-Farmer Brian