Magic Bean Farm–Seattle’s Pioneer Market Garden

Urban Farm Hub is launching a series of articles addressing the long-term economic viability of urban agriculture. We know commercial agriculture enterprises might pencil in shrinking Midwest cities such as Detroit, Pittsburgh and Cleveland, but what about thriving metropolitan areas such as Seattle where there’s a shortage of developable land?

We’re interviewing small business owners, design professionals, urban farm entrepreneurs, and commercial developers in rapidly growing metropolitan areas to see what they have to say about reaping the green from urban agriculture. Today’s interview is with Josh Parkinson of Magic Bean Farm, one of Seattle’s first—if not only—urban market gardens. With nearly ½ an acre of land in production in West Seattle, Magic Bean Farm is ready to supply Seattle’s foodies with nutritious, hyper-local, gourmet produce.

What’s the story behind Magic Bean Farm?

I’ve been passionate about food issues and gardening for as long as I can remember.  I simply can’t stay away, and my passion for growing food and the biological approaches of cultivation will not let me go.  I’ve spent a lot of time fine-tuning systems for healthy, mineralized soil that support nutrient dense food, researching and experimenting whenever possible.

I’m originally from Rockford, Ill where I had an ever-expanding garden that included almost every type of fruit I could grow in that climate. More and more though, I kept being pulled towards larger-scale agriculture. I’ve always been a pioneering entrepreneur and wanted to figure out innovative ways to implement the systems I’d developed on a commercial scale.

I started my first market garden last year in Buckley, WA where I lived in a barn conversion that was surrounded by some of the original pastureland.  Unfortunately, my piece was flooded all winter and spring. The soil wound up being very poor and the nutrients were mostly gone. I added minerals and amendments for biology and worked the farm for the rest of the year, producing lots of vibrant vegetables and building the soil to a wonderful crumbly, living soil. The farm itself was a great success, but the marketing not so much.  I was too late to get into a Farmers Market and I found my location made it difficult to get the word out for CSA subscribers. But the subscribers I did have were very appreciative and left great comments for my farm on Local Harvest.

This past December I moved with my girlfriend Shabnam to West Seattle in the Duwamish Co-Housing development. There isn’t much land on-site for food production, but I’ve collected about 13,000 square feet (1/3 of an acre) from nearby backyards using online tools such as Urban Garden Share and Land Link. I am now working the soil, starting seedlings, and planting, with help from Shabnam when she can.  I feel really fortunate that my land partners are really enthusiastic about the project, and I hope to increase my land area within a close bicycling and walking distance.

What’s your learning approach been for managing an urban farm?

My experience is definitely grounded in research and the cultivation of whatever land I could get my hands on. I’d say I’m equally balanced between the artistic and the scientific. My original gardens had a lot of focus on visual appeal and gourmet varieties, which definitely informs the way I plant, cultivate and present food.

Now I’m focused on production for a commercial model without sacrificing the lush ecology and beauty I still employ. Science has always informed my methods, and a lot of research has developed my current practices, which I continue to evolve and fine tune.  I’m also working to gather data to prove my methods and present a replicable model of viable urban ecological farming, one of my main reasons for starting a commercial farm.

What do you foresee as the biggest challenges in getting your business off the ground?

Getting into farmers’ markets, getting CSA shares and restaurant sales. I recently sent out applications and am waiting to hear back on which farmers’ markets I get into. I’m currently accepted into the Lake Forest Park Commons Farmers Market, and waiting on Queen Anne Farmers Market, among other possibilities. I still want to do a CSA, but it takes a while to get a subscriber list going. Farmers’ markets are a great way to attract subscribers and get the word out about the farm. Since I don’t have another source of income as of February, I need to find a sustainable market for my produce.

Also, finding land has definitely been an issue, but it’s coming together. I hope to get at least ½ an acre cultivated for 2010 and am working on other land sources, hopefully larger parcels nearby.

Are you willing to share what Magic Bean Farm’s secret for success is?

Sure. My artistic side drives me to grow things that are a little more unusual, things you won’t find in the grocery store. Heirlooms varieties and gourmet products are my specialty, including lots of color. I focus less on those bulky, filler vegetables and more on things that are young and tender such as shoots, baby root vegetables, and center-piece vegetables.

One of my friends is a personal chef that will be helping me to create recipes for our CSA newsletter, blog, and Facebook page. His feedback is really important. We want people to really enjoy the food they’re getting. In addition to providing vegetables in our CSA share, I would like to provide additions such as custom spice mixtures, sauces, and vinegars that would all compliment one another. It’s important that we provide the tools and guidance for people to really appreciate good, healthy food.

Urban farming is largely an unknown market, what’s your strategy for reaching out to people?

My goal is to connect with people that care about nutrient-rich, flavorful, gourmet quality food and that want to buy produce grown right in their neighborhood. I plan to use a farmers’ market and various sustainability and neighborhood festivals to link with people directly. It would be great if I could keep things really local and get into the West Seattle Farmers Market, but that’s going to be hard given the established set of farms already in it.

I’ve also been working hard to build up an online presence using my skills in photography and graphic design. I want our relationship with CSA subscribers and the good food community to be dynamic. It would be great to use our website as a place where like-minded people organize and get involved in fun outdoor activities, whether it be building plant beds or going on a hike in the Cascades.

How do you plan to keep the farm up and running?

Right now I’m doing the bulk of the work, which is more than full-time, along with the help of Shabnam. Since I’m not really a solitary person and get a lot of energy from collaboration, I’m hoping to get things to a point where other people can be part of the business, either as employees or partners. Ideally, I’d be able to focus more time on pioneering and monitoring food production systems and less time on day-to-day garden maintenance. I have a very high standard for how things get managed though so it can’t just be anyone working the farm. There are definitely some things I’m not willing to compromise!

What would make your job as an urban farmer easier?

I’d love to see urban farmers create a cooperative to purchase and share resources. Urban farmers have relatively small supply needs so it would benefit us to join forces and order in bulk. It would also be great to develop a common marketing strategy and find ways to share tools, and cooking facilities for food processing. I’m already networking with a number of groups in the neighborhood to get collaborative projects off the ground. There’s the West Seattle Community Orchard project, a research and demonstration plot at the South Seattle Community College, Harvest Collective urban farming co-op, and a budding Delridge food security plan. The more we work together, the more we can get done.

It also wouldn’t hurt to have more micro-financing available for seed capital. It’s difficult enough navigating the labyrinth of rules and regulations, and licensing fees. The start-up costs of these projects can be really prohibitive without outside support.

Related posts:

1. Help Plan the Seattle Community Farm at Rainier Vista
2. Farm Boat Floating Holiday Market
3. Fun with Seattle Farm Co-op!

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