Allgood's Farm: Fresh, Local, Delicious
Bryan and Allison Allgood met at Longwood University in the music department. The pair bonded over their love of music, Jesus, and living the rural lifestyle.
After college, Bryan and Allison moved to the Evergreen community.
In Evergreen, they began raising chickens and they would sell their eggs at the former flea market building on 460 in Appomattox. They also started a small garden (20 x 30) on the property they were renting. They were just starting out, so they used hand tools to prepare the soil and plant the crops.
The couple dreamed of owning their own farm, and they began looking for properties for sale. They came across a nearly century old abandoned farmhouse with a gorgeous view and 9 acres of land. Not only that - the property offered sandy loam soil, which is perfect for producing crop!
“We bought this property for two reasons: for the view and for the dirt,” Bryan said. They worked to update the home over the next year before finally moving in. Thus, the beginning of Allgood’s Farm in Red House.
While Bryan and Allison own and operate Allgood’s Farm, they both work full time in local school systems. Bryan is the band director for Appomattox County Middle and High Schools, and Allison is a counselor for elementary age children in Charlotte County.
Both Bryan and Allison’s families include a long line of farmers. Interestingly, both Bryan’s father and Allison’s father ventured outside of their respective family farming businesses to pursue their unique callings. Bryan’s father is a band director - just like Bryan is, and Allison’s father dedicated his life to serving the church.
Bryan and Allison consider themselves first generation farmers; with neither of them having been raised on a farm, though Bryan says “I’ve always heard you can’t get farming out of your blood if it’s been in your family for a while.”
And so, they continue their family’s tradition.
Down on the farm
There are two things you can buy from Allgood’s Farm: Seedlings that were started in the Allgood’s greenhouse which you can plant in your own garden, or ready-to-eat crops grown from Allgood’s Farm fields.
Each year, beginning around March 15th, the Allgood’s begin to offer a variety cold weather crops including many varieties of cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage, as well as kale, collards, and beets. These are all plants that do well in cold weather and do not suffer if any frosts should take place. After the early cold season, they offer a full variety of greenhouse vegetables and flowers.
As summer begins to blossom, Allgood’s Farm continues to offer their produce, while adding other early summer variety plants including tomatoes, yellow squash, peppers, and zucchini.
During the latter portion of summer, the farm offers corn, watermelons, cantaloupes and sunflowers that they grow in their field, as well as cucumbers from their greenhouse.
To keep their soil fresh and full of nutrients, the Allgoods intentionally plant a cover crop of wheat in the soil after tomato season is over. They also add other nutrients to the soil, ensuring the produce you buy from them is full of the good stuff your body needs. When the soil is plowed over, the wheat turns back into the ground, providing even more nutrients. The fodder (root system) of the wheat goes into the soil deep enough that it naturally binds the soil back together, too.
“We do everything the organic way. We do not use chemicals to spray the crops. We have an antique tractor that we use for all of our cultivating. We call it ‘the old school farm fresh way.’ We do it the way it’s been done forever. We farm the way my grandparents did,” Bryan explained.
“Our beehive is proof, Allison added, “We have a running beehive and they thrive. If it wasn’t organic - the actually meaning of what organic is - the bees would die.”
Bryan feels that their farm pays homage to his grandparents, who were life-long farmers and whose farm Bryan would spend many days on during his childhood.
He also attributes his knowledge of greenhouse growing to Wade Baldwin of Evergreen, who was their neighbor and friend when he and Allison were just learning to garden at their previous home.
Ways to buy fresh local produce from Allgood’s Farm
The Honor Wagon:
Because Bryan and Allison have full-time jobs working with students, they wanted to have a way for their community to purchase fresh produce even while they are not home. They created the Honor Wagon. This wooden wagon sits on the side of the Allgood’s driveway, and friends and neighbors stop by at all hours of the day and night to buy their produce. It’s called the Honor Wagon, because people simply leave their cash in the dedicated payment box attached to the wagon and take the produce they need.
“I believe that if you give a person the opportunity to be honest, they will be honest,” Bryan explained. The Honor Wagon has been a real asset to the community!
Appomattox Farmers Market:
You can find Allgood’s Farm most Saturdays at the Appomattox Farmer’s Market, which is run by Allen and Laura Briceland. Bryan is grateful to be part of the market. Regular customers show up weekly, including families from Amherst and Nelson County! Be sure to keep up with Allgood’s Farm on Facebook, where posts are shared each week about the products they’ll be offering at the Farmer’s Market.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA):
“A CSA is just a great way to help farmers cover startup costs and it guarantees CSA members to receive 10 weeks of fresh produce,” Bryan explained. Their CSA runs from the end of May through the beginning of August. Appomattox CSA members can pick up their produce from the Allgood’s Farm truck located at Appomattox County High School or at the farm each week, and Red House CSA members can pick up their produce at the farm. Their CSA is popular and fills up each season …with a waiting list as well!
Starting in 2023, depending on the size of the different crops, they plan to offer produce boxes by the week to those who are interested.
Pick Your Own
Also starting in 2023, the Allgoods are offering for folks to come on out to the farm and pick your own produce. Bryan said there will be a discount on produce that you pick yourself from their farm, because it saves he and Allison the responsibility of harvesting it themselves.
At Allgood’s Farm, Bryan and Allison are the ones planting and picking. They have help from their three young daughters, and from a few other family members from time to time, too. So, they are looking forward to giving the community an opportunity to spend time in nature, picking their own produce from the farm!
Give a gift of healthy produce
Everybody eats, right? And everybody should eat vegetables, too! (Yes, this writer knows that not everybody does! But everybody definitely should!) Giving a gift certificate to a loved one to buy produce from Allgood’s Farm, or a gift certificate to join their CSA is a great way to show someone you care.
The Future
Allgood’s Farm is just in the beginning stages. Bryan and Allison have big goals and plans for the future, including helping educate the community in growing their own crops.
Bryan explained, “I just want to show people that small farming is great. I want people to grow their own stuff and hopefully we can help teach the future generations, because in the last 100 years, we have gotten so disconnected from agriculture. 100 years ago, every family grew everything they needed.”
Allgood’s Farm offers the seedlings you need to start your own garden, and fresh produce for you to enjoy while your crop is growing. They are located at 8634 Sugar Hill Road in Red House (Brookneal), Virginia, which is about a 15-minute drive down Red House Road from Appomattox County High School. To get a general understanding of what Allgood’s Farm offers, check out their website at allgoodsfarm.com, and to see what’s happening daily at the farm, be sure to visit their Facebook page too. The Allgood’s can also be reached at 434-610-5842.
Some photos provided by Allgood's Farm. This article was written by Teresa Davis and is a paid advertisement. If you are interested in promoting your business on the Appomattox Happenings website, email, and social media, contact Teresa Davis through the contact form below or email appomattoxhappenings@gmail.com
コメント