Farmers Market Profile: Cindy Gardens

After working in the corporate world for over 15 years, Cindy Williams decided she needed something more gratifying.

So, she began planting seeds and farming at the Marana Farm Co-op. Her first crop – sweet potatoes – she credits as helping her fall in love with farming.

“Once I felt what it was like to pull the sweet potato out of the ground and take it home to eat it, I was hooked,” said Williams.

Soon, Williams had quit her job and started her very own farm, aptly named Cindy Gardens. Now, her days begin around 4:00 a.m. and by 6:00 a.m. she’s out on the farm, trying to complete the most strenuous work before the heat of the day sets in. Fridays are spent harvesting and preparing for the weekend farmers markets.

This time of year, however, Williams is busy preparing for summer and early fall. The seeds being planted are for heartier produce, like melons, squash and cantaloupes – things with a hard shell that can endure the summer weather. Williams also maintains a greenhouse which currently houses tomatoes and around 20 different types of herbs.

One of her favorite things to cultivate is leafy greens like lettuce, chard and kale. She has just finished the crop now, but she has enjoyed developing the healthy and nutritious plants.

Williams uses no chemicals. There are no pesticides, herbicides or sprays; instead she turns to alternative forms of pest control. She lets lady bugs into the field and when it comes time to fertilize, tills the soil instead of adding chemicals and pulls weeds daily.

Like many small farms, Cindy Gardens is not certified organic, but follows the required practices. She says it’s essential to know who is growing your food and their process.

“It’s really important that food be as natural and pure as possible,” said Williams. “It also seems to be important to the people buying from me at the market, which drives me to keep our standards high.”

For Williams, the farmers markets have allowed her to get to know the community. Customers frequently ask her questions about how her food is grown – which she loves – and where it comes from.

“If something is important to you in the way your food is grown, you should ask about it,” she says.

To Williams, it is important to support the local farmers. Though it isn’t a lifestyle that is particularly lucrative, farming is a labor of love, Williams points out, while also stressing the locality of her farm and greenhouse.

Since quitting her job to be a farmer full time, she says “I have not regretted it for even one day.”

You can find Cindy Gardens at St. Phillip’s Plaza on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as the Sycamore Park and Rancho Sahuarita farmers markets.

Keep up with Cindy Gardens on Facebook.