Patchwork Gardens

Story by Aric McBay

“Starting as a group is challenging, because everyone has their own idea of the way to go,” says Eric Williams of Patchwork Gardens. “Over time, you develop that shared vision. We’ve been pretty lucky, and we’ve worked really well together.”

Since its founding in 2004, Patchwork Gardens near Battersea has grown into one of the largest certified organic vegetable farms in our area. It emerged from a collaboration of three business partners: Eric Williams, Megan Joslin, and Ian Stutt.

The business partnership allowed them to pool resources and skills. It also meant that they could share the management and overcome some challenges of a farm built around a couple or a nuclear family.

“It’s tricky with a small family farm to take a break,” says Megan Joslin. “Having a small group spreads the workload.” The three business partners also have a mix of full- and part-time staff, employing six or seven additional people any given year.

None of the three Patchwork partners were raised on farms, but they all converged on agriculture as young adults.

“It’s an essential thing—everybody needs to eat,” says Megan. “I did a bunch of different things after university, and this is the only thing that really felt good at the end of the day.

“We’re really committed to producing high quality food,” Eric adds. “Organically grown in nutrient-dense soils. That originally was a reaction to large corporate food, and that’s what got me focused into agriculture.”

Ian Stutt explains: “It’s also about being a part of the overall community. That’s how we can contribute to it, is growing vegetables. It feels really good to play that role.

When they decided to buy their own farm, Frontenac County was a logical choice, says Ian. “Because of good water access, and the depth and quality of Battersea silt-loam soil.”

They’ve continued to build the fertility of that soil. In addition to a winter CSA, they now produce for many restaurants and independent grocers. “We grow a wide range of mixed vegetables,” says Ian. “Lots of seasonal greens and roots, and a lot of storage crops to carry through the colder months.”

The farm’s location near Kingston is also another reason they settled in Frontenac. “Other farms in Ontario are two hours from their markets,” says Ian. “Being close to Kingston is a huge deal for us, not just proximity to the market, but because of fun stuff going on in town! Restaurants, friends, hockey rinks and soccer fields.”

Those things are especially important now that the farmers have their own young children (Ian and Megan with each other, and Eric with his wife Julie).

“We work hard, but we also have a lot of fun,” adds Megan. “We don’t have staff on weekends. We try to have a good work-life balance.”

Balance is also part of the ecological approach on their farm. “We have a particular focus on soil and crop health,” says Ian.

They’ve planted 15,000 new trees on the farm in recent years, says Eric, and make space on the farm for nature. “Bobolinks, endangered rat snakes, turtles—we provide habitat for all those creatures.”

Sustainability, of all kinds, is important to Patchwork Gardens. “We’re in it for the long haul,” Ian explains. “We want this to be a long-term family farm, that’s here to be part of this community and region.

Minimal packaging: Patchwork is working to reduce waste in packaging. “We do package our products for retail,” says Megan, “but we’re trying at Tara Foods to allow people to buy in bulk and bring their own containers. We will do that anywhere! It’s the stores that need to accommodate customer habits.”

Climate change: Global warming is stressful for the farmers at Patchwork. As Ian says, it means “the uncertainty of everything, whether you are planning a year, or five, or twenty years. The idea that we could struggle all the time is daunting."

Where to get Patchwork Gardens products:

• Patchwork Gardens vegetables can be found at many different restaurants and local independent grocers including Glenburnie Grocery and Tara Natural Foods. For a up-to-date information, visit them on Instagram via @patchworkgardens_kingston and on Facebook. They also offer bags of pre-sliced coleslaw vegetables.
• Patchwork Gardens also offers a winter CSA with a monthly box of seasonal vegetables from November to February; you can sign up at their website at www.patchworkgardens.ca.