Honesty is good policy for Aitkin produce growers

By TIM KING The Land Correspondent

AITKIN, Minn. — Jay Rigdon and Erik Heimark started Maple Ridge Produce on a run-down farmstead south of this north central Minnesota community in 2015. Since then, Rigdon, a carpenter by trade, and Heimark, who is a baker, naturalist, and former Aitkin farm kid, have established a thriving retail and wholesale farm business. It not only serves their farm, but 17 other local farmers and vendors as well.

At the heart of their neighborly collaboration and successful farming enterprise is a wellstocked farm stand created out of a picturesque repurposed Airstream travel trailer. The farm stand is occasionally staffed by Rigdon, Heimark, or one of their employees; but it generally operates on an honor system.

“We can’t afford to sit here and watch the stand,” Heimark told the Brainerd Dispatch newspaper for a 2018 interview. “People are remarkably honest if you expect them to be.”

“The Farm Stand is the best story we have,”

Heimark said recently. “Our first year we produced so much extra produce we decided to create a little honor system stand at the end of the drive. It received so much attention we upgraded and built a cute little farm stand we cobbled together with random building materials we had around. We started buying and selling from other farmers to provide more farm products like eggs, meat and soap; and the stand became even more popular. Because of licensing, we needed to put our farm stand on wheels and Jay had the great idea of creating a farm stand in a vintage trailer. The stand still operates on the honor system. We are open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.”

Rigdon and Heimark also sell their produce at three farmers markets including in Aitkin and Brainerd, through two food hubs, and to several wholesale accounts from their roughly five acres of crops.

“Basically we grow A to Z vegetables,” Heimark said. “We specialize in broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, squash and pumpkins, but you can find a huge variety at our farm stands. We also buy local grains and sell freshly ground flour and pancake mixes.”

Every season brings its lessons on crops to add to the A to Z mix and on crops to subtract from it. “We have dropped green beans, brussel sprouts, sweet corn, and potatoes from our list of items and are very happy about that,” Heimark said. “This year we plan to grow popcorn instead of sweet corn and are excited about that.”

Heimark says the short growing season in north central Minnesota is a challenge for vegetable production; and, to some extent, defines what’s grown in the Maple Ridge gardens. But there are ways to extend the growing season.

“The short growing season is hard to work with,” Heimark said. “We like to grow our tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and other high-value, warm season crops in our high tunnel. We will be building another one this summer.”

Once out of the high tunnel, the tomatoes and peppers — along with other heat loving crops — will be planted through black plastic film and into raised beds. The black plastic creates a warm micro-environment, warms the soil below it, and also suppresses weeds. If a late frost threatens the warm season seedlings, they are covered with a lightweight spun polyester blanket called a floating row cover.

Heimark says one of his favorite tomatoes is Kathy’s Red Barn tomato which, like other tomatoes, is started inside in the middle of March.

“It’s a giant heirloom tomato that doesn’t split,” he said. “I once got a three-pounder.”

While working to extend the season for warm season crops, Maple Ridge is also putting emphasis on cool season crops that thrive in north central Minnesota’s climate.

“We are focusing more on carrots, radishes, onions, lettuce, herbs, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. We start all our brassicas,” Heimark said. “None of them would survive the cutworms if we sowed them directly outside. I use Gypsy and Blue Wind for my broccoli varieties and have been happy with both so far. Blue Wind is very early; but not as nice looking or tight as Gypsy. My favorite variety of cabbage is Storage #4. It’s a very heavy, tight variety.”

Maple Ridge features a wide variety of items from 17 different local vendors.

Heimark and Rigdon have tried diatomaceous earth to control cut worms but have had limited success. Other natural controls have been more effective.

“We manage the cabbage butterflies (larva) with BT, an organic insecticide,” Heimark said.

To manage insects, weeding, harvesting, marketing, and all the other work created by five acres of produce is more than enough to keep two people busy.

“We are always looking for more help,” Heimark said.

“We have had interns through various colleges over the years. We also have had one WOOFer so far. That’s a program where you can volunteer on farms all over the world in exchange for room and board.

The platform is called World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms.”

More information about Maple Ridge Produce can be found at its Facebook site.

The farm stand is at 29555 380th Ave., Aitkin and the farm phone is (218) 232-1303.

Author’s note: Seed for Kathy’s Red Barn Tomato can be obtained from North Circle Seeds of Vergas, Minn. Johnny’s Select Seeds and Territorial Seeds carry Gypsy broccoli. Blue Wind broccoli is sold by Seeds Day and Johnny’s also carries Heimark’s favorite cabbage. v