Phase 1 - Lucky Leaf Farm, COMPLETE

What seems like a long, expensive, struggle, has come to an end and we're now in our new greenhouse at the "farm".   We're having a hard time coming up with the appropriate name... it's always been the 5-acre "lot" that we bought a few years ago - it's not yet a farm, but it's so much more than just a greenhouse.   We've got a long list of plans for this site... our little micro-farming project.  But for now, it's a luxurious, self sufficient, fully operational greenhouse that we're proud of, that will allow us to quadruple our microgreen business if needed, while expanding our product line with small "pocket gardens".   Gone are the days of bumping into each other... gone are the days of "backyard" deliveries and pick-ups.   Though we have requests for other products already - and our "old" greenhouse will be reconfigured to fulfill those orders (flowers, winter tomatoes, baby lettuces and herbs).  All in due time...

Here's a chronicle of events for this project - goals for future, and accomplished tasks:
Step 1:  Build a new greenhouse, that can accommodate our projected growth and expansion needs.  CHECK
Step 2:  Design a landscape plan that will allow for optimal use of this forested property, with "pocket gardens"  and recreational uses... we have hills, we have a creek, we have natural flora (trees, ferns, bamboo, etc), and we have natural fauna (turkeys, deer, and many critters... don't forget Otis, but he spends his time in the creek).  CHECK
Step 3:  Develop a "phased approach" for reconstructing this property, one phase being our home-site construction (longer term goal).  The first phase of this plan will be to try to utilize the fall planting season (we're under the gun already). 
Step 4:   Find the team to help... running a microgreen business is full time - we're looking for labor, planting, clearing, moving dirt around, etc.

We have much to do!  But check out our greenhouse pictures - this was the biggest "step" since we had raw land, and brought in all necessary utilities, driveways, gravel/fill, etc.

BEFORE:   Used structure out of Shelby, NC

AFTER:   From 5-acres of fallen trees, to a sunny patch of zen.

Flowering Buckwheat in a sea of  "greens"

Everything is growing beautifully as you can see...

We love the results - refurbished structure out of Shelby, NC, and everything else was purchased locally - equipment, flooring materials, even the sidewall plastic and endwal polycarbonate.   The only thing t hat we had to acquire from afar was Eva, our highly intelligent greenhouse manager.  More on Eva later, she deserves a post all of her own... and the folks over at iGrow ought to pay me for spreading the good word.

Special thanks to RAFI-USA for helping us kick-start this project!   

Buy Local - It's Just Better!

Great article about the Farm-to-Fork revolution (I'm not comfortable calling it a concept when it's already so far beyond that...).  We love our customers that were mentioned in this article - great job!
http://www.gastongazette.com/articles/farm-58579-restaurants-farms.html

Microgreens in SavorNC Magazine

I got an email from Elizabeth... a writer for SavorNC Magazine.  She stated that their writing an article about Lucky Leaf and needed a quote from me.    My first thought was "just a quote?" - usually there's an interview, site visit, etc.  I asked her where the rest of her content was coming from and her response was, "there's plenty of info about Lucky Leaf already published for me to pull from".   Blushing...
I'm tickled that A)  People find my company interesting enough to write about, B) the name has spread further and faster than I had ever imagined, and C) I'm still having so much fun with my job, my customers and my team. 

Here's Elizabeth's write-up:http://www.savorncmagazine.com/blog/teenage-flora/

Cabarrus Couny - Leading the Way

I agree with my good friend Aaron... I'm witnessing the movement towards a more sustainable county first hand.  I'm a part of it as a food producer, as well as a food consumer.   We as a family have made great strides towards living and eating more sustainably - Encouraging our friends and neighbors to do the same.   Our children are growing up knowing where there food comes from (they're aware - not saying we're perfect, but they know when they've got a local carrot in their hands... they also look forward to our own harvest each week).   Great article, great book, great leader in the local food movement - thanks, Aaron!
http://www.cabarrusedc.com/index.php?cid=51433&src=news&refno=493&category=Government&curlid=5690

Light at the end of the tunnel...

Breaking Ground:   Started this weekend with heavy equipment, clearing a driveway, chopping cedars to be used for fencing, and clearing enough area for our greenhouse.   Punching a hole in the overgrown brush and dead trees makes room for ample sunlight to help our microgreens thrive in their new home!   

Greenhouse clearing at the end of a very long driveway

 
Some of these vines were 8" wide, wrapping around otherwise healthy oak trees.  We'll continue widening the driveway, and moving fallen trees around this week, then leveling the greenhouse pad - bringing in gravel and whatnot.   Then the greenhouse will be delivered - any takers on assistance with raising it???

This land was suffocating itself with overgrowth and vines

 

Almost see the  excavator at the far end, making it's way to the greenhouse pad

Also in our discoveries on this property - we've found that part of it was orchard (peaches and cherries)... we've managed to salvage a few, clear some room for them to flourish, and hopefully keep them around for future pickin's!    The peaches aren't very big (golf ball size) but I think we'll have a small crop this year... the cherries have been donated to the many birds though.   

And Away We Go!

Breaking ground on the expansion project next week!   We're moving our operation to the "farm" - a 5 acre micro farm in Cabarrus County.   Phase 1 - greenhouse construction... this can't happen soon enough - we've been growing at capacity for some time now, putting new customers on a sort of 'waiting list' until we have more space to grow for them.    Taking out fallen trees, low cedars and brush, and clearing a driveway and a construction pad for the 2500 square foot hot-house. 

 
Phase 2 - perenial crop production, mushrooms, and cold crops in the fall (low tunnels, baby lettuces mainly).   Phase 3 - laying hens (though I'm not nuts about dealing with animals, this will have to be Marc's project), and Honey Bees.  We're working with Cultivatis for planning and design...and all of this is being supported by RAFI-USA - we were awarded a grant to assist with preliminary construction costs.   More details as they come!

Lucky Mix : Because You're Lucky To Eat It!

This sums up our Lucky Mix Microgreens.  Our Lucky Mix is our flagship mix - it's what we hit the streets with, it's what we sell the most of today.  We sell to 30 restaurants/hotels/grocers in the Charlotte area and almost every one of them orders Lucky Mix every week (amongst the other 40 microgreens we offer).    Microgreens, when done correctly, are delicious, and more nutritious than any other vegetable combo out there.   It's estimated that one ounce of our Lucky Mix is the nutrition equivelant to 3 CUPS of cooked broccoli.   Yes, 3 Cups!   More details here:
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/livinghomefamily/916195-224/microgreens-can-pack-even-more-nutrition.html