Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 24
COURTESY 3 PORCH FARM
3 Porch Farm's core mission statement is "Principles before profit,"
and concern for human rights, fair wages, clean water, clean air
and nature guides decisions and activities.
OC
IST
/
OM
K .C
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SA
HO
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Steve and Mandy O'Shea pose with dahlias at 3 Porch Farm near Comer.
my grandmother grew this' or 'This
reminds me of my childhood.'"
Flowers not only awaken sleeping memories and decorate the world
around us but also help us celebrate, lift
our spirits and honor loved ones.
"We've become close to many of our customers at the farmers markets," Williams says. "One lady
shared with us that she lost her 13-year-old daughter. We see her often, and she usually buys one large
bouquet of flowers and a second, smaller bouquet to
place on her daughter's grave."
The Williamses grow their flower crops in the
same dirt Rita Williams' ancestors cultivated for
seven generations.
"My grandparents, Clifford and O'rita Morgan,
raised their family here," she says. "Not only do we
feel a strong connection to the land and a responsibility to be good stewards of it, but we are raising our
kids here and teaching them how to work hard and
create opportunity for themselves."
The family learned about the locally grown
flower movement after attending a Georgia Organics
Conference in Athens and touring 3 Porch Farm.
24
Georgia Magazine
September 2019
"After the tour, Mike looked at me and said: 'This is perfect
for us, Rita. Our family can do this,'" Williams says.
They joined the Association of Specialty Cut Flower
Growers, a community of like-minded flower farmers willing to
help them get started. They planted their first seeds in March
2015 and produced a beautiful crop of sunflowers, zinnias and
celosia. The following year, the family hauled its flowers to the
Saturday markets at Augusta's Riverwalk and across the state
line to the farmers market in Bluffton, S.C. Today, they also offer
their blooms at the Statesboro Main Street Farmers Market and
a few local grocery stores.
"The kids are involved in every aspect of the business-
operating the tractor, making bouquets, selling at the farmers
markets and posting photos on social media," she says. "My
mother-in-law [Renee Williams] is involved, too. It's hard work,
but I love it, and I love being together as a family."
Principles
In September 2011, Steve and Mandy O'Shea began working the soil of their Madison County farm with a walk-behind
tiller.
"The first few years, we tried to do and grow absolutely
everything," says Steve O'Shea, co-owner of 3 Porch Farm. "But
after an intense seven years filled with 90-hour workweeks,
Georgia Magazine - September 2019
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - September 2019
Contents
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - Intro
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - Cover1
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - Cover2
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - Contents
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 4
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 5
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 6
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 7
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 8
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 9
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 10
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 11
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 12
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 13
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 14
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 15
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 16
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 17
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 18
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 19
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 20
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 21
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 22
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 23
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 24
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 25
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 26
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 27
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 28
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 29
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 30
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 31
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 32
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 33
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 34
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 35
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 36
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 37
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 38
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 39
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 40
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 41
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 42
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 43
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 44
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 45
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 46
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 47
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 48
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 49
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 50
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Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 53
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 54
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 55
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 56
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 57
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - 58
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - Cover3
Georgia Magazine - September 2019 - Cover4
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