Garden Spotlight Barren Fork Farm grows thousands of tomatoes, peppers, squash and other veggies for area’s commercial markets


Christie Vauter looks over the farm’s lush squash patch. Jack Vauter says squash is his favorite vegetable to grow.

This table shows one day’s picking.

Gardeners’ names: Jack and Christie Vauter of Barren Fork Farm off County Road 831, just below Woodpecker’s Farm (Q&A filled out by Jack)

 

Describe your garden: We grow in three different garden spots. One spot is approximately 50 by 200 feet. Another is 25 by 300 feet, and the last is approximately 60 by 300 feet. 

We use plastic mulch with drip tape irrigation that allows us to irrigate as well as “fertigate” (feed and water) from the ground, which cuts down on disease. 

We plant during the first of May (frost allowing). This year we were delayed two weeks due to low temperatures. 

We plant 200 zucchini, 200 yellow squash, 250 poblano, 250 jalapeños, 400 bell peppers, 360 cherry tomatoes, 400 Roma tomatoes, 500 slicing tomatoes and 50 cucumber plants. 

After our initial planting, we then plant another 500 slicing tomato plants every 15 days for about another two and a half months, up until July 15. 

We grow a determinate type of tomato that grows on a bush and tends to produce all its fruit in a three- to four-week window, so we have to plant in succession to always have a supply coming ripe.

Throughout the season, we add or replace plants as needed.

This year we planted another 100 zucchini on the first of August due to hot, dry conditions in July, causing our production to fall off. We will also add a crop from time to time to see how it sells. We added about 50 okra plants this year in the middle of July. 

We are extending our season this year with fall beets, turnips, lettuce and spinach. It’ll be our first attempt at these items, so we’ll see how it goes. 

 

How long have you been gardening? Are you inspired by anyone? This is our fifth year growing commercially, but I’ve always liked to grow and had a garden most years since high school. 

My dad always gardened, and my mom spent summers canning. When my dad was a kid, he worked on the tomato farm at James River and Highway 60 by Nixa. He said he worked 40 hours suckering and tying plants for a dollar a week.

 

What is your favorite thing to grow, and how do you use it after it’s grown? My favorite thing to grow is squash. They are a big, beautiful plant and a challenge to keep alive all summer. 

We grow everything for market. 

The last two years we’ve only sold to wholesale dealers. We provide product for Big Cedar Lodge in Branson and Mama Jean’s grocery in Springfield. 

When covid hit, Big Cedar didn’t re-open its Mexican restaurant, so we lost our main buyer of Roma tomatoes and peppers. Instead, we’ve been taking them to the farmers market in West Plains. To find out more, search for GO FARM Farmers Market of West Plains on Facebook. 

We still provide to Mama Jean’s, and we’re hoping to expand. We’re working on a setup at a large trucking company in Springfield for next year. We had planned for it to happen this year, but everyone is working from home due to covid. 

We also sell to drive-up folks if they stop at the farm. 

Covid has hurt us this year in some ways, and it’s helped us in others.

 

Tips and tricks: The biggest tip I could give on gardening is to walk your rows every day and inspect your plants. Everything from soil moisture to disease to insects needs to be addressed daily. If you see something you don’t know how to address, Google it. 

Try to use university studies for direction. 

If you are planning to grow to make money, the growing is the easy part. You’ll need to learn to be a salesman pretty quickly, because that’s the hardest part.

 

Favorite part about gardening? Least favorite? My favorite thing about growing is the view, I think. I love to see rows and rows of big, beautiful plants all kept neat and tidy…. Not all our rows are ideal. It’s just my wife and me, so it can get out of hand pretty fast.

We pick on Tuesday, go to market on Wednesday, pick again Wednesday evening, deliver to Springfield on Thursday and pick Friday for market Saturday. That gives us Sunday and Monday to do housekeeping on the rows. We stay busy.

The least favorite thing, for me, is picking. Although my wife likes to pick everything but tomatoes. Why? Beats me.

It’s been a struggle, but it’s also been a blast. We learn so much every year, and each year has been more successful than the last. We’re looking forward to next year. We have a big goal and are anxious to see if we can exceed it.

Ozark County Times

504 Third Steet
PO Box 188
Gainesville, MO 65655

Phone: (417) 679-4641
Fax: (417) 679-3423