<< Previous   of   Next >> Snohomish County Business Journal/JOHN WOLCOTT  (click to enlarge) Fresh, organically grown produce at Garden Treasures in Arlington is drawing a lot of attention, thanks to Mark and Patricia Lovejoy’s imaginative hard work. They’ve turned a former dairy farm into an oasis of healthful foods for area families.

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CONTACT SCBJ John Wolcott, Editor jwolcott@scbj.com

Cover story: From farm to table

Garden Treasures of Arlington offers tasty, organic crops

By John Wolcott
SCBJ Editor

Fresh from the farm, organically raised vegetables at Garden Treasures in Arlington are attracting growing crowds for a variety of farm-to-table produce.

“This is our third year of providing retail agriculture for Snohomish County, and we’re getting a good response,” said Mark Lovejoy, who owns and operates the former dairy farm with his wife, Patricia. Their son, Dante, who will be 4 in a few months, likely will grow up learning to love the land and farm crops just as his parents have done.

Lovejoy grew up working his father’s nursery farm in Arlington; Patricia grew up tending family crops in her native Mexico. Today, they’re part of a strong movement in Snohomish County to increase commercial agriculture and preserve farmland.

“For freshness and better taste, going organic is the only way to go. Every effort is made to maintain a greener and smaller earthy footprint in our farming. We balance our soils using manure, cover crops and science,” said Mark Lovejoy, who has a Western Washington University degree in business administration, management and production, plus years of experience in farming.

“I learned from working with my dad how to grow an agricultural business. Altogether, we’ve got around 18 acres to work with for our crops,” he said.

“Mexican farming is pretty much organic, too,” said Patricia Lovejoy, who also has a business degree from a college in Mexico. “There was never enough money for fertilizers. My father learned farming very young, and I worked with him while I was growing up.”

Their green-farming practices include using low-impact drip irrigation systems, nature-balanced pest controls and reusable harvest totes and other farm supplies. Even their grocery bags and product packaging are made from renewable and biodegradable corn starch and paper instead of petroleum-based products.

The Lovejoys are organic growers certified by the Washington State Department of Agriculture and are members of Snohomish County Tilth Association for organic farmers and the Safe for Salmon Program.

Along with selling a wide variety of vegetables at their roadside farm on Highway 530, a half-mile east of the I-5 and Island Crossing interchange, they operate a soon-to-be expanded gift shop, sell garden and yard decorations, and have large areas planted with berries to make the farm a U-pick destination later this year as crops mature.

“We’re also developing working relationships with area restaurants who want a supply of fresh, organic vegetables for the meals on their menus,” he said.

Mark Lovejoy also is president of the Saturday Farmers Market in Old Downtown Arlington. From early June through October he and other area crop farmers, as well as craft vendors, will be showcasing fresh produce and other products. He’s already recruiting other farmers and vendors to join him at the market.

“We knew from the start, when we were planting crops and getting the old red barn in shape, that to really be able to live this dream we’d need shareholders in the farm,” Mark Lovejoy said.

“That’s why we started our Community Supported Agriculture program a year ago. We got our first 23 members last year and expect to reach 50 this year. The CSA program gives people a personal share in supporting agriculture in Snohomish County and provides them with an abundance of fresh vegetables throughout the growing season.”

For a full-season share of $425 to $650, members will be able to pick up boxes each week filled with such crops as carrots, mixed greens, beets, green beans, large cucumbers, purple cabbage, green or red lettuce, herbs, dry onions, tomatoes, spinach, radishes, zucchini, corn, jalapeños and kohlrabi.

“People often think those prices are high, but divided over the season, it amounts to only $22 a week for some of the packages. Also, we price the packages by size to fit the needs of senior citizens, small families or large families. And we offer a four-week trial CSA plan for $100, which can be applied to the full-season price afterward,” he said.

The farm also provides cut flowers in season, farm fresh eggs, large custom planters and baskets for flowers, landscape plants, drought-tolerant ornamental grasses and shade trees, plus a variety of organic soils and fertilizers. To expand his marketing area for crops and other items, he also is part of a number of farmers’ markets, not only in Arlington but in Anacortes, Kirkland, Bothell’s Country Village, Lake Forest Park and downtown Kirkland during May through October.

“We bought this deserted farm in 2005 to help revitalize the small agriculture business in the Stillaguamish River Valley. We had a great location, fertile fields and excellent infrastructure, including the big red barn built in the late 1930s from cedar harvested in the hills around Silvana. We were very optimistic and believed in earth-friendly agriculture. The hardest part at first was waiting for customers to come in and enjoy what we offered. That was a challenge,” he said.

Today, there’s not as much waiting for customers. Instead, their challenge is providing more and more of the farm’s healthful organic products as news of their farming venture spreads.

There’s more information at www.arlington gardentreasures.com.