Today we’d like to introduce you to Brenton Johnson.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Brenton. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Johnson’s Backyard Garden got its start in 2004 when Brenton Johnson transformed his East Austin backyard in the Holly Street neighborhood into a bountiful vegetable garden. Brenton used his experience slinging grilled cheese sandwiches at Grateful Dead shows and began selling his backyard bounty at the Austin Farmers’ Market downtown. This was the start of our farm!
In 2006, Brenton started a small CSA Program beginning with around 30 Austin families. The backyard garden eventually took over the front and side yards, too, leaving Brenton’s kids with little room to play.
In the summer of 2006, we purchased 20 acres just five miles east of downtown Austin on Hergotz Lane. Three years later, the entire 20 acres were full of vegetables and it was clear that we needed more land to keep up with Austin’s growing appetite for local and organic produce.
In the spring of 2010, with the help of our CSA members, we purchased land on River Road in Garfield, Texas, introducing us to what would become our home for years to come. Today, we farm on 186 acres, situated on the high bank of the Colorado River. We farm using only certified organic methods and focus on producing a diverse variety of the most top quality vegetables, fruits and herbs. We grow over 200 different crops! You can enjoy our produce delivered straight to your home or neighborhood through our CSA program– you know it’s a good day when you see our hand-painted delivery van! You can also find JBG vegetables at many local restaurants, grocery stores, and local farmers’ markets. The crew of just over 100 men and women that make up the JBG team take great pride in the quality of vegetables we produce and look forward to growing food for you and your family for years to come. We have been delivering our veggies to Dallas once a week for over eight years, and have many restaurant and community partners there, too.
GO TEXAN promotes the products, culture, and communities that call Texas home. Organic farming systems rely on ecologically based practices such as cultural and biological pest management, exclusion of all synthetic chemicals, antibiotics, and hormones in crop production.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Farming vegetables, especially organically, is rarely a smooth road. If it’s not the broken tractor, it’s the bug pressure, or the crop failure, or the flooding.. or tornadoes that ripped down the greenhouse. Or the broken down delivery vehicle. Daily obstacles aside, it’s been an exciting road. We’re lucky to farm in Central Texas – we’re so close to so many major hubs that have consumers who care about what we’re doing.
Tell us more about the business.
Our farm is one of the largest organic vegetable farms in the state! Our bread and butter of the farm is our CSA or Community Supported Agriculture program, and this.. in addition to our delicious carrots… is what we’re known for. Community Supported Agriculture is much different than going to the local grocery and buying your vegetables. It is a direct partnership between you, the consumer and our farm. CSA members pay in advance for a share of the upcoming harvest and are ensured high-quality local produce, and we the farm are ensured a consistent market. Produce is harvested directly from our fertile and certified organic vegetable fields located along the Colorado River, just East of Austin. Immediately after harvest, we deliver “CSA shares” directly to our members. We are so proud of our CSA Program and the adaptions we’ve made along the way to stay relevant for our members – folks can choose between box sizes, manage their schedule, and even customize their boxes. This may not sound like very exciting technology, but for a farm (and not a produce re-seller), this is pretty unique! We love that we’ve been able to continue our direct relationship with customers and deliver them a wide variety of high quality, organic vegetables.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Well, that’s a good question! My farm got started in my backyard, and when I quickly outgrew that space, I started to look for actual land outside the city that I could farm on. As a young man, formerly working for the government, I didn’t have the cash necessary to buy the property I needed… But I didn’t let this deter me from looking at viable farmland. One day, I found this beautiful piece of property that would be perfect for my needs. While looking at this property, I ran into someone there and began to tell them what I would do with this property I had it… All the food I would grow, and the community it would nourish. Come to find out. I was talking to the property owner. She decided to cut me an incredible deal on the property… Which is really what launched the farm on a larger scale. Are violent storms, flooding, and tornadoes bad luck? If so, I’ve had my fair run in with those, too, but I’d prefer to focus on all the good luck I’ve had, as well.
Pricing:
- Our CSA Shares range from $23-$42 depending on the size. All produce is grown by us!
Contact Info:
- Website: jbgorganic.com
- Phone: 512-386-5273
- Email: farm@jbgorganic.com
- Instagram: jbgorganic
- Facebook: jbgorganic
- Twitter: jbgorganic
Image Credit:
Scott David Gordon.
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