Gardening has always been a way of life for our family. From the time the kids were babies they were out in the garden—whether in the baby carriage, the backpack or down on the ground playing in the dirt (eating a bit too). When they were barely big enough to use a baby mattock we started getting them garden tools for birthday or Christmas gifts. We always tried to find quality tools that would really work. And did they ever learn to swing those mattocks and hoes! And believe it or not there were almost no mishaps. Family was a priority to us and gardening was a perfect fit. Since we opted to do it all by hand it provided great exercise and each one could garden at his own pace. Before going to work at the hospital Mark would get his after breakfast exercise and we’d try to get out to join him. After lunch, the same. Evenings would commonly find him splitting wood by the light of a gasoline lantern or headlamp. As the children got older we recognized the need to have more time with their father. That is what brought us to the Collinwood area one cold January day in 2009. A dream became a reality when we moved to our present location and became full time farmers!
When Isaac, our youngest, was a toddler we succeeded in fulfilling Mark Senior’s dream of growing blueberry plants from cuttings. Isaac’s little hand was just the right size to hold the fertilizer that each plant needed. Each one had a little task according to their ability.
