Johnson's Backyard Garden is a 20-acre certified organic farm just five miles east of Downtown Austin owned by Brenton and Beth Johnson. We have a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program which serves 650 families in Austin year-round with fresh, organic vegetables, herbs and flowers. Our members benefit from convenient neighborhood delivery locations and are invited to participate in U-pick days, farm tours, and other member events that take place throughout the year.

2009: A Year of Expansion, and More to Come

2009 was a year of growth at Johnson's Backyard Garden-and not just for the vegetables. This year, for the first time, JBG put its entire 16 acres on Hergotz Lane into vegetable production. At the same time, we've been building up our infrastructure, so we can both grow our high-quality vegetables and distribute them to as many Austin residents as we can. Allow us to reminisce...

Back in January, the farm crew finished the construction of our barn, where we wash, pack, and store our harvest every day. Soon we had enough cold storage space to grow and keep storage crops. In 2009, we stored onions, potatoes, garlic, winter squash, and carrots for our CSA members.

In February and March, we finished the construction and wiring of our large greenhouse, giving us a climate controlled home for our seedlings. This has given JBG more business independence, since now we can grow all of our transplants! To boot, JBG spent much of the beginning of 2009 digging wells and installing irrigation systems around the farm, to keep our plants healthy in the Texas heat. This might be our most significant development in growing quality produce year round.

But not all of our expansions have been in the field. This year, Aaron, our computer programmer, created a program that plans crop rotations, tracks seeding and greenhouse schedules, alerts us when seed inventory is low, and most importantly assists in calculating how much we need to grow to fill everyone's weekly share box. This program has gone a long way in helping JBG stay organized and running smoothly during our expansion.

But where would JBG be without our great members? In 2009, our CSA family increased from 400 to over 600 members. With that, our weekly CSA box shipments increased from an average of 200 a week to 450 a week! To deal with this demand, JBG added pick up days and sites (some of you must remember when we only had 2 pick up days a week. Now we have four!) And to deal with all of the excess veggies, JBG began attending 3 Austin farmers markets, and is just starting a wholesale enterprise. Right now, we are producing more vegetables than we ever have before.

That might sound like a lot, but we are not through yet. At the end of 2009, JBG signed a contract to purchase an additional 40 acres of farmland on River Road. In October and November, we prepared the soil to plant in 2010. This additional acreage is going to let JBG double its production, from 450 CSA boxes a week to 900! That's over 1200 CSA members! To boot, in December, JBG began negotiations to buy the entirety of the old River Road dairy-not just 40 acres, but 200! While the amount of land we have in vegetable production will stay around 40 acres, this extra land will allow us to practice more sustainable methods of farming, such as field rotation, cover cropping, and organic grain production.

2009 was quite a year. And with this new property in our sights, 2010 is positioned to exceed it. Even as we continue to expand, we always remember that our mission is to serve Austin by providing its residents with fresh, organic vegetables, directly from our farm to your table. We are excited to keep serving you, and gaining more relationships in the Austin area in the years to come. We hope to make JBG a serious staple in Austin's local food chain. With your continued support and enthusiasm, 2010 is going to be another incredible year.

"You get a lot of veggies for the money that you pay and the quality is great. I loved going to our pickup spot and saying 'hi' to the other subscribers. Plus, you get that warm happy feeling of buying from local farmers that do a fantastic job." - Rachelle

"I am always surprised by the variety, quantity and quality of the vegetables, and we have been inspired to start cooking all sorts of new dishes. I also make baby food from the veggies - how much better can you get than organic food that was just picked? I imagine this is how vegetables and eggs are supposed to taste." - Julie

"While it's a challenge to figure out how to serve so many vegetables in one week, I think it's a great way to get a more healthy variety of food in our diet, and the freshness just can't be beat. The eggs are heavenly." - Michellann

10 Reasons to Buy Local - Why Buy Locally Grown?

Help Spread the Word! (pdf) - Print this flyer in color or black and white and put up on any bulletin board: work, church, coffee shop, bagel shop, children's school, etc. Word of Mouth is our best advertising. Thanks for your help.

Press items - See links to our features in Edible Austin, News8Austin, and more.

Projects - What's going on around the farm