Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Galen.
Hi Kristen, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Bryan and I always wanted to start a business together after having worked at Run On! a local, running specialty store. We didn’t quite know what type of business we were interested in until we were perusing a local book store in Denton and stumbled upon The Market Gardener by Jean-Martin Fortier. We read the book and watched a lot of online content about this concept and decided to give it a go, especially since we both enjoy being outdoors.
We sold our house in Dallas when the market was hot in 2019 and bought a house with a little under 2 acres in Murphy, which is about 30 minutes northeast of Dallas. We dug right in and starting building out plots near the well after testing the soil and water. Every year, we have added on plots little by little to our production space. And every single year was a learning experience. We started our first market in 2020 and have sold at the Good Local Market White Rock Farmers Market in Dallas every year since.
We have learned so much about soil health, growing varieties, seed starting, composting, crop rotation and planning and more. Now we see it as an integral part of our lives and invaluable information we hope to inspire others to partake in.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Absolutely not. One of the biggest learning curves is crop failure due to weather, pests, disease, and more. You get really good a planning for this. For example, seeding twice the amount you think you. may need or just doubling down on another crop. Sometimes you have to let go and just reap what the garden gives you that year. Maybe you lost all of your cucumbers but your lettuce harvest was stronger and so on.
Another struggle is marketing. Growing is the easy part, selling is the harder part. You sort of assume people will be lined up to buy local vegetables and flowers, and understand the value in them, but that is far from the case. You have to educate and market a lot to get people to see the value.
Additionally, there is a big learning curve to the growing season here because of the heat. It is very difficult to grow things during August and September due to the heat. We have learned that you have to break it up into two growing seasons – Spring and early summer, and then Fall and Winter. It’s much easier this way but we learned the hard way.
We’ve been impressed with Maxwell Creek Market Garden, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Maxwell Creek Market Garden is an urban, regenerative market garden. We specialize in growing vegetables, herbs, and flowers by focusing on living soil and never using chemicals. This makes for vibrant, healthy, and delicious produce that you can see, taste and feel. We believe in principles working with nature as opposed to it, simultaneously providing a haven for pollinators.
We are known for our delicious vegetables that taste so much better than store-bought produce and our beautiful bouquets that brighten people’s homes and are beneficial for the environment.
We our proud to have a strong customer base in Dallas, where people return to purchase our produce weekly because they cannot conceive of only buying store-bought produce.
We offer a weekly farm stand at the Good Local Market White Rock Farmer’s Market in April through December. Customers may also shop on our website and pick up at the market, so that produce is held.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Bryan Galen, my husband, is the mastermind of growing and is very knowledgeable about growing practices. We have been heavily self-sufficient, learning on our own and attending a few workshops here and there.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://maxwellcreekmarketgarden.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/113973383638127/maxwell-creek-market-garden/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maxwellcreekmarketgarden/
