Why Do We Plant Specific Crops?
We plant a lot of lettuce, arugula, and other greens at Gaining Ground. According to Farm Manager Jared Kimler, greens take up the most beds on the farm and make up the largest crop by volume, although not by weight. At the heart of our mission to fight food insecurity is a carefully curated selection of crops, each chosen for a specific reason.
“I try to strike a balance between productivity, resilience, and varieties with unique characteristics such as flavor, appearance, or that have a compelling story,” says Jared, who, along with Director of Agriculture Mark Congdon, starts crop planning in the late fall or early winter.
In 2024, for instance, we grew and donated over 150 varieties of vegetables, fruit, herbs, and cut flowers. The top three crops distributed were the familiar trifecta of tomatoes, carrots, and lettuce. We’ve also made a concerted effort to listen to and be more responsive to partner feedback on culturally relevant foods over the past several years and are often adjusting what we plant.
We conducted a targeted, crop-specific survey of our partners last year, which allowed us to gather detailed information on which items their clients enjoy.
The survey results helped us be more strategic at the wash station on harvest days last season, allocating crops that partners and clients prefer to each appropriate channel. For instance, we learned that one of our distribution centers doesn’t love kale, so we dialed back the amount we provided to that partner. Operations Director Allison Goodwin communicates with partners weekly during the primary distribution season, regularly soliciting feedback about which crops are popular or unpopular and which crops their clients might request that Gaining Ground doesn’t currently provide.
“Partner feedback led us to start growing jilo, a bitter eggplant favored in Brazilian and West African cuisines, as well as several new varieties of spicy peppers, cassava (yuca), new Asian green varieties, ginger, and turmeric, to give a few examples,” Goodwin says.
During crop planning time, the farmers consider and integrate partner feedback before ordering seeds for the coming season. Beyond partner feedback, the farmers also prioritize crops that are well-suited to the local climate and soil conditions. By choosing crops that thrive in the local ecosystem, we can maximize yield. This season, for example, we’re cutting out sweet potatoes as they take up a lot of space and time, and their yield has been low.
“Sweet potatoes are great, but we could be growing two radishes and lettuces in the same space,” Jared says.
The crop plan is ever-evolving. Other new crops that we have trialed or integrated into our crop plan in the past several years include ginger, tulsi (holy basil), turmeric, dried beans, bunching broccoli, winter squash (delicata, acorn, spaghetti, and Mini Blue Hubbard), hot peppers (ají dulce, guajillo, habanero), Asian greens (yu choy sum, komatsuna, Tokyo Bekana, misome), collards, watercress, flour corn, cantaloupe, cassava, and jilo (bitter eggplant).
“Fundamentally, we prioritize dignity and respect for all of our clients. This includes ensuring that they have equitable access to fresh, nutritious produce and foods that they enjoy, know how to prepare, and are in line with their culture, traditions, and customs,” Goodwin says.