Community Highlights: Meet Andy Rodgers of Grateful Roots Gardens

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andy Rodgers.

Hi Andy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I developed my passion for gardening while working in the nursery division at Indiana University Bloomington. I had an opportunity to move to Georgia in 2012 and began my journey of learning about organic farming by volunteering with local farms. I ventured into beekeeping, and building and teaching about aquaponics – a method of growing food in a recirculating system with fish – similar to hydroponics – and took a course on commercial system design and passive solar greenhouses in Dallas Texas. This led me to build systems for clients and dive deeper into permaculture as a way to fix a broken food system. When I came back to Georgia my opportunities really opened up- I started work with Ellijay mushrooms, helped to develop their composting operation, got connected with the ministry here in Talking Rock, and began working on a part time basis as the beekeeper and assistant garden manager to develop a CSA veggie box program. When I married my wife Brittany the ministry had arranged for us to live in a duplex apartment on campus while I took over as the full time manager of the gardens. Within three months of getting married, the ministry management changed hands and they had decided to move to Blue Ridge – the owner of the property however offered for us to stay on and continue running the CSA. And thus Grateful Roots Gardens was started

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road! When the ministry dissolved, we lost volunteers, community, and building access that were vital for our business survival. We had to hurriedly come up with a new building for pick-up, seedlings, cold storage, and bathrooms for our customers… in the middle of our CSA season! Just like any other farm, we’ve lost crops and livestock at the worst times. Raising small children is always more challenging when trying to start a new business. Everything so far has worked out as a blessing, and if we had to do it all over again, we probably wouldn’t change much.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are a regenerative organic farm in Talking Rock that specializes in quality plant starts for the backyard organic gardener. We host seasonal classes on mushroom cultivation, gardening, herbal remedies and more! We also grow a variety of seasonal fruits, veggies, and herbal medicine.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.GratefulRootsGardens.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gratefulrootsgardens
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/GratefulRootsGardens/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@gratefulrootsgardens