What fuels you?

I’m passionate about riding horses. I love to hike, travel and watch live music.

But my passion for growing good food fuels me daily.

The love for seed in soil started so long ago… 

 

I never tire of fulfilling the potential a piece of land holds to provide nourishing food.  Not any food. Ultra flavorful, fresh home grown food.

Which is why as I pass the torch of Oak Spring Farm sometime this year I will begin anew on a new plot of land….I will never stop growing…more on that later. 

Food brings family and friends together.

Moreover, I don’t take for granted the bounty we can coax from Mother Earth — from a healthy bed of baby arugula to the first summer tomato.  It’s a miracle. 

Do you know the feeling of your hands in cool, earthy medium, the scent wafting from the soil as it sifts through your fingers?

It’s meditative.

You know that chore in the garden, the one you can get lost in and mediate the day away?  The one that will suck all your time up (and you have other things to do) but you LOVE to do?

For me?  It’s weeding carrots. That’s my ‘wander in the garden’ Sunday alone time. My hands know what to do and I slip into a moving meditation.  

To this day I never tire of harvesting the first summer field tomatoes.

Nothing equals the experience of growing, harvesting, and eating food from your garden.

These are the experiences I want to pass on to you.

It’s the beautiful bonding experience you pass on to your children (no matter their age), who learn how to grow their own snacks. Nothing tastes better. 

Whether you are a CSA member or a market goer, you directly connect with your farmer and your food.

But when you garden, YOU are the connection. 

Even though I raise tens of thousands of seedlings each year for the Oak Spring farm CSA , we raise extra to be able to supply you with the healthiest plant starts around.

Truth be told, one way or another, I just want to get good food in your body!

 

Why Grow A Garden?

1. Improved Diet

You’ll eat more quality, nutrient-dense foods like hard-to-find delicious heirlooms and off-the-beaten path varieties not found at the grocery store or your local garden center.
Different vegetables have a variety of unique health benefits. Peppers contain capsaicin, which has anti-inflammatory properties and can reduce heart disease. Tomatoes are high in vitamin C and potassium. They also contain lycopene, an antioxidant that may reduce prostate cancer risk. Sweet potatoes are high in beta-carotene, an antioxidant that may help slow the aging process and reduce the risk of some cancers. Spinach may boost your immune system and broccoli protects your body’s cells from damage. 

2. Increased Exercise

A busy day in the garden can be a good form of exercise. While tending a garden, you’ll perform functional movements that mimic whole-body exercise. You perform squats and lunges while weeding. Carrying bags of mulch and other supplies works large muscle groups. Digging, raking and using a push mower or weed eater can be physically intense activities.

You may burn as many calories as a workout in the gym. Gardening also can improve your balance, strength and flexibility.

3. Family Fun

It’s a fun family activity that shows your children where their food comes from. When kids help grow and harvest the fruits of their labor they find their favorite snacks grow right outside. Gardening with kids is a great way to get them to eat more veggies and it provides productive, enjoyable outdoor bonding time. 

4. Reduces Stress

It’s a FUN, relaxing & stress-reducing activity where you use your whole body in the fresh air and sunshine.

Nearly all forms of exercise can reduce stress including gardening. It’s been shown to lighten your mood and lower levels of stress and anxiety. It’s very gratifying to plant, tend, harvest and share your own food.

Routines provide structure to our day and are linked to improved mental health. Gardening routines, like watering and weeding, can create a soothing rhythm to ease stress.

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So what started as a way to help neighborhood gardeners by selling our “overstock” has now ballooned into our annual Spring Plant Sale

So know that Oak Spring will be growing extra plants, just for you, just like always. 

We have tried and true varieties that thrive right here in Maryland. We sell the same varieties we’ve been growing for over a decade. Plus they are hand-tended and babied by us from day 1. 

I could never have imagined how far my farm has come in the simple mission to share good food raised with love.

And to think, this all started with the simple desire to see what I could grow for my family.

Let’s see how I can help you grow your own. Reply to this email for a 15 minute consult. Let’s see how I can help you start the garden of your dreams this year. 

And stay tuned for info on the 2026 OSF veggie transplant sale.