While the sale of organic
food is a big industry, for DeLand resident Nize Nylen organic
farming is a way of life. The owner of Planted Earth Vegetables,
Nylen spends her days tending to her organic farm.
“This place is paradise and
I want to keep it that way,” said Nylen, whose four-acre organic
farm has been in business for about three years. “I learned how to
grow organically in Brazil. I grew up on the family farm there where
my father organically grew coffee, beans, corn, sugar cane
and vegetables.”
Nize moved to DeLand in 1990
and began growing her own organic food before beginning to sell to
customers.
“I have wetlands, dry lands,
goats, chickens, fruit trees, gardens, edible flowers and more,” she
said. “It’s a farm and it’s a learning place.”
Nylen spent a recent morning
hosting 15 home-schooled children on a field trip to her gardens. “I
loved having them and I think they loved the farm,” she said.
As a very small farm,
Planted Earth Vegetables cannot afford a labor force or a sales
force.
Accordingly, Nylen gets plenty of help from others who share her
passion for organic farming.
“I have plenty of help with
the business and the farm from my husband, Dr. William Nylen, who is
a professor of political science at Stetson University,” she said.
“Stetson students have been helpful in marketing and others from the
university come and help with the gardens and the animals. I even
have some people who like to relieve stress by coming to the farm to
pull weeds!”
The farm has gained a
following locally, with individual consumers accounting for much of
the sales. People who love organic products have
become loyal customers and Nylen even sells to two restaurants that
offer organic fruits and vegetables.
Planted Earth Vegetables has
been the subject of articles in various publications which have
generated interest and sales. The farm also is
affiliated with Local Harvest, an online community that helps
organic food enthusiasts find farmers’ markets, family farms, and
other local sources of
sustainably grown food.
