Rural Missouri - July 2024 - 23

cold winter weather. But it takes
constant vigilance and much work.
As the temperature drops in the
evening, they add frost covers to
the rows of plants. The covers are
rated for different temperatures.
" Depending on the temperature,
it's one cover, two covers, three
covers, " Ancel says. " You fi gure
your math. "
The soil holds some of the heat
from the day. Adding the covers
can add as much as 30 degrees
to the environment on their own.
If necessary small heaters can be
plugged in. The temperature has to
be constantly monitored, resulting
in a lot of sleepless nights.
And then the sun comes up and
the covers have to quickly come
off. " It can be 85, 90 in here in a
hurry, " Ancel says. " There's no
sleeping in. "
As an organic farm, keeping the
plants healthy at Turtle Gulch Gardens is also a challenge.
They use organic sprays made from herbs or fl owers and
get help from the good bugs, frogs, lizards and salamanders
that frequent the area. The soil is routinely amended
with new compost, which these days comes almost exclusively
from their own farm.
The result of this attention to detail is healthier produce,
the two believe. " In the grocery store, a head of lettuce
is a head of lettuce, " Ancel says. " Do I want the one
that's been on a truck for two or three weeks and I'm not
sure how it was grown? Or do I want the one that was harOpposite
page, clockwise from left: Ancel keeps the soil free
from weeds inside the high tunnel houses. Melissa picks sweet turnips
from a bed in one of the tunnels. She grows plants from seed in a
nearby greenhouse. Melissa talks with a customer inside the retail store
in Bradleyville. Top: Seeds are planted in seed blocks made by Melissa
from their own compost. Above right: Ancel weighs cabbage at the
store. All of the produce sold here is fresh, organic and locally grown.
" Our goal all along was we
didn't want to be a tomato
farm, we didn't want to be a
lettuce farm. We wanted to
have Grandma's garden only
on a lot bigger scale. "
- Ancel Buff , Turtle Gulch Gardens
vested yesterday and hasn't
been sprayed with chemicals?
It's a different way of
doing things. "
Patrons of their store in
Bradleyville seem to love
the farm-to-table operation,
which considering the season
might offer melons, strawberries,
carrots, radishes, broccoli,
caulifl ower, tomatoes,
green beans, cucumbers and
the popular sweet turnips.
There's fresh bread, relishes
and dressings packaged for
Turtle Gulch and locally
sourced honey.
And because Bradleyville
needed a place for lunch, hot
and cold sandwiches, homemade soups and salads were
added to the business.
" We've watched them grow this farm down here and
everything they've done, " says customer and friend Frank
Thompson of Springfi eld. " They fi ght those high tunnels
through the winter and that takes work. But they do it.
And it pays off. "
His wife, Jayne, adds: " We enjoy the fresh produce. I
know it's fresh. The shelf life is unbelievable. It's really
been a great experience as we've watched their dream
grow. "
Bradleyville
The Turtle Gulch Gardens retail store
is located at 25862 State Highway
76 in Bradleyville. It's open Tuesday
through Saturday. For more information
you can call 417-543-8970,
visit turtlegulchgardens.com or
fi nd them on Facebook
JULY 2024 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 23
http://www.turtlegulchgardens.com http://www.RURALMISSOURI.COOP
Rural Missouri - July 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - July 2024
