Tobacco, peanuts, okra, celery among products of Carpio organic garden

northstar farms"People told me, ‘You can’t grow tobacco in North Dakota,’" said Marvin Baker, owner of North Star Farms, a certified organic garden operation in Carpio. "They told me, ‘You can’t grow peanuts in North Dakota. You can’t grow okra in North Dakota.’"

His wife and business partner Ilene smiled as Marvin stood next to their 80- x 140-foot garden plot on the outskirts of town and points out rows of healthy peanuts and okra. Twenty-seven tobacco plants border one side, and the sweet fragrance from the white-flowering Brazilian variety wafted across the cooling air of the summer evening.

"It’s his passion," said Ilene, describing how Marvin read extensively about organic gardening methods and researched information found on Internet websites from institutions across the country like the University of California-Davis, Cornell University, Washington State University and more.

"It takes some knowledge," Marvin agreed. Then he looked at the garden. "We’re growing 121 celery plants this year. That’s something that takes knowledge."

"And I can’t wait to take it to market," Ilene said. "I think people are going to be blown away!"

The Bakers started North Star Farms four years ago, after purchasing a lot from the city of Carpio that had been uninhabited for at least 12 years. "It was mowed by the city of Carpio, but not sprayed with any chemicals," Ilene said. The couple also has a smaller 24- by 65-foot garden plot there, and they plan to tear down the old house on the property to make way for a greenhouse.

For Marvin, the garden initially represented a return to an interest developed as a child, watching his mother at work with her vegetables. That interest surfaced again in college when he actually helped his parents with their garden. "There’s a picture of my mom with a 13-pound cabbage in the Emmons County Record," Marvin said. "She loved raising onions and potatoes."

The couple is adamant about growing chemical-free vegetables. "We use no chemicals or synthetic fertilizers," Marvin said. "I don’t know any different. We just believe this is a better method."

North Star Farms was officially certified organic in 2006 by the International Certification Services (ICS) Organic Certification Program, based in Medina, ND. The Bakers host inspectors annually to maintain their garden’s organic status, and access certified organic seed sources across the nation.

"I’ve got cucumbers, potatoes and carrots," Marvin said, pointing at each section of the garden in turn. "We’ve got peas, which we planted from April 23rd to June 15th. We staggered the times so we’d have peas to pick all season."

The Bakers grow most of their produce to sell at farmers markets in the area. They are regular vendors at a market in Minot on Saturdays and in Carpio on Wednesday nights, and they have taken their produce to other farmers market events, such as Church’s Ferry over Labor Day weekend and to the state capitol grounds in early August. "I sold $130 of garlic that day," Marvin said about the trip to Bismarck.

"So far, that has been the best one day sale we’ve had," said Ilene.

The Bakers have introduced some of their unusual vegetables, like fresh okra, to customers. "It’s the elderly and the young 20s-college age who really like the organic produce," Marvin said, adding that North Star Farms enjoys a following among returning customers from the Healthy Lifestyles group in Minot, Minot Air Force Base, Donnybrook and Berthold, as well as their neighbors in Carpio.

"[The] Carpio [market] is pretty consistent," Marvin said. "It’s been good for us."

The relationships they’ve built over three years of selling have added to the success of North Star Farms, especially as they’ve listened to comments and requests from buyers. For example, a few customers asked to buy garlic scapes, which the Bakers typically threw into their compost bin. "We ran an ad in the paper for garlic scapes," said Marvin. "Now, we sell them four for a dollar. People use them in stir fries and omelets, or have sauteed scapes."

He continued, "We had a request for beet greens, so now, we go into Minot and sell beet greens!"

"That’s the neat part about doing this," Ilene said, "the people we meet and their stories. We learn from them. We used to plant our garlic in the spring, but after talking with people we met at farmers markets, we do it in the fall."

Garlic has become one of the most prized commodities from North Star Farms, and the Bakers struggle to keep up with the demand.

"The garlic is already harvested and curing in the greenhouse," Ilene said, referring to a small greenhouse the couple erected near their own home a few blocks from the garden. "We’ve almost sold out of three varieties, and we planted three times the amount for this growing season. We have to put some aside and keep it for the Garlic Festival in Minot."

Onions have been a popular item, but this year’s crop did poorly. "We planted 1300 onions on May 2nd," Marvin said. "We got 55. The dirt was like talcum powder, and we didn’t get any moisture until May 9th." He pointed at a partial row of onions remaining in the garden. "They’re all sold," he said, adding that Ted Quanrud with the North Dakota Department of Agriculture had already ordered those onions.

The Bakers discuss their failures as freely as their successes. They lost many of their turnips to flea beetles this year. They struggle with growing cabbage, broccoli and kale for the same reason. "And we quit growing iceberg lettuce," Marvin said. "It tends to bolt and tastes bitter."

But problems only motivate the Bakers to find solutions. After just one tomato plant grew during their first gardening season, the couple started seedlings in a greenhouse during the early spring months so the plants were substantially more mature when the time came to move them to the garden. Now, the Bakers raise and harvest five varieties of tomatoes.

For 2008, the couple added irrigation, after obtaining a permit to draw water from the Des Lacs River, which borders one side of their property. "We had to have the water tested and be certified," Ilene said. "I thought it would be full of nitrates."

"But it’s really light, actually," Marvin added. "We’re more concerned about the sodium in the water."

The couple made the decision to invest in irrigation equipment following the 2007 season, when they recorded no rainfall on their garden after the middle of July. July 2008 proved to be another dry month, but the Bakers irrigated four times and kept their plants growing until August storms brought rain.

They’re hoping to add a high tunnel greenhouse next spring, which would allow them to try cabbage and broccoli again and improve the yield on sweet potatoes. A high tunnel doesn’t offer precision temperature control like a conventional greenhouse, but the top covering does provide increased air and soil temperatures for the plants below, as well as some insect control and wind protection. "You have to irrigate," Ilene said, "but we’ve got that set up now."

Another step forward for North Star Farms will be the addition of a certified organic greenhouse, which would become a commercial venture for them in partnership with Minot State University-Bottineau. "We would be private sector partners," Ilene said, "and do research and keep data for them."

The Bakers would start certified organic seed in the new greenhouse, then market the seedlings. "It’s almost impossible to find certified organic seedlings," Marvin explained, "and we’ve found out that people would be willing to buy certified organic seedlings."

North Star Farms participated in the Innovate ND competition last year using this idea and was named among the top ten finalists. A survey of potential customers across the state indicated plenty of demand for certified organic seedlings, whether individuals buying for their own gardens or other producers growing organic vegetables on their market farms.

MSU-Bottineau has been received preliminary approval by the state Centers of Excellence Commission for a $400,000 grant that would fund an Entrepreneurial Center for Horticulture. The certified organic greenhouse project for North Star Farms would benefit from the grant and serve as a private partner for MSU-Bottineau’s Horticulture Center, along with the North Dakota Farmers Market and Growers Association and the International Peace Garden.

Before the Bakers advertise on the Internet and ship certified organic seedlings around the country, however, they plan to start small by growing seedlings for their own use. "Maybe we’ll sell some seedlings in the local area," Ilene said, "but this is our five-year plan."

Both the Bakers currently hold full-time jobs, with Marvin serving as the editor of the New Town News and Mountrail County Record, and Ilene working for Community Action Partnership-Minot Region as the Finance/HR Analyst. However, they are excited about the prospects for North Star Farms. "We can’t afford to quite our full-time jobs yet," Marvin said. "But we want to build the business up and see what happens."

"I married a journalist, and he turned into a farmer!" Ilene added.

Success begins with dirt
For the Bakers, the success of their garden begins with the dirt. "We’ve been certified organic for two years," Marvin said. "We take good care of the soil. This is clean dirt. Part of being organic is building the soil up."

That means tilling weeds and unused components of their crops, such as leaves or stems, back into the soil to break down into organic material. The Bakers have also seeded rye in their garden each fall. "It goes dormant and grows back in the spring," Marvin said. "Then we plow it under as a ‘green manure.’ It also contains a natural chemical that inhibits weed growth."

"It holds moisture, too," added Ilene.

After seeing the effectiveness of the rye, the Bakers are going to plant hairy vetch across the plot this fall. As a legume, the vetch should fix nitrogen, a critical nutrient, back into the soil after it sprouts early next spring.

The couple laughed as they discussed the amount of time they spent on the garden. "In May, we’re busy planting, then it’s quiet until the second half of July," Marvin said. "In August and September, it builds up, with September as the peak of the season. Then we put in a lot of work in October, to put down the garden."

"Every night, you’re out here," Ilene said. "And it’s not just the time in here. There’s also the time needed to wash everything up and bag it, and time at the market for set-up."

"Well, last Friday, I was out here from 8:30 am to 6 pm," Marvin said. "I dug 29 pounds of carrots for Saturday’s market and sold all of it."

Marvin has stories to tell about each of the crops growing in the garden. The tobacco is one of his favorites, having started during the 2005 season. This year, he has Brazilian and Argentine varieties in bloom. "I’ve got to have something odd," he said. "I planted seeds in peat pots in the greenhouse and watered them just like we did the peppers and tomatoes. [Tobacco] is toxic to grasshoppers and cutworms."

The Bakers save the best leaves at the end of the season and cure them to give to friends who appreciate fine tobacco. The remaining parts of the plants are dried and crushed, then mixed into the soil to continue working as a natural pesticide.

"It’s his fun crop," Ilene said.

Tobacco and sweet potatoes are the only two crops in the Bakers’ garden that do not originate from certified organic seed. "People are just so excited about the sweet potatoes," Ilene said.

The Bakers plant the 90-day Beauregard variety. "We like sweet potatoes and so do our customers, so we’re going to keep growing them," Marvin said.

For all their planning and work, the Bakers actually keep very few of their own vegetables. "We eat stuff along the way, but at the end of the season there’s nothing left for us," Ilene said.

"We sell it all," added Marvin.

Picking, washing, packaging and other market preparation can occupy between six and ten hours before each market day, so the Bakers have no time left for freezing or canning any of their produce. "What we eat is usually just fresh," Ilene said. "Right now, I’m trying to eat all the cucumbers I can before he sells them!"

More information about North Star Farms and certified organic gardening in general can be found at the Bakers’ website www.northstarorganic.com.

And even as the Bakers wind down the 2008 season and make plans to expand, Marvin continues to dream about the next crop he wants to try that supposedly can’t be grown in North Dakota. "He bought a peach tree," Ilene said. "They didn’t even want to sell it to us. We planted it extra deep, between our house and a metal building where it’s warmer."

Marvin looked up from the tomato plants he was checking. "I’d like to grow cranberries," he said.

No doubt, once North Star Farms rests for the winter, Marvin will be seeking methods to establish a cranberry bog in northwestern North Dakota.

 

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