We were both falling in love with growing food before we ever met each other. Andie was nose deep in gardening books simply enjoying the trial and error of growing vegetables in the backyard. Meanwhile, between “guerrilla” gardening, urban farming and not-for profit work Ashley explored different ways to engage with growing food and feeding people. Our paths crossed years later in a local urban garden. The more time we spent together, the more we discovered our shared passion and values for the way in which we view agriculture. Somewhere between afternoon hikes and sipping craft beer on our porch, the two of us realized the opportunity to produce food together at the Sinsinawa Mound Collaborative Farm. We set out on an adventure of planning, researching, purchasing, and learning how we operated as a team. Our farming journey began on a shoestring budget and even today we still operate without debts or loans. Now in our sixth year of vegetable farming, we are grateful that our paths have converged and guided us to where we are now. Regardless of the financial and physical challenges, we genuinely adore our small scale vegetable farm. Each day brings its obstacles and opportunities which is truly unique about growing food. This is what inspires us to make the best of each season and pushes us to provide our community with the highest quality of fresh produce. 

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The two of us combined have a wealth of knowledge between the food industry, managing farmers' markets, and operating a vegetable farm. We have a love for growing and cooking food, and farming in a way that contributes to the earth. All of our work is done with hand tools and we minimize tillage as much as possible. We focus on intensive bed production in order to reduce the amount of land needed to grow. Our produce is sold at local farmers' markets and through various CSA's. Our drive for being vegetable growers stems from the desire to provide our family, friends, and community with fresh produce.