Farming From the Ground Up

To Our Readers: This is the latest in our series on the Montgomery Village Farmers Market. Throughout the summer, Patch is taking a closer look at each of the market’s vendors—who they are, what inspires them—to trace the path from their hard work to your shopping bag. (The market is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday through Oct. 29 at Christ the Servant Lutheran Church, 9801 Centerway Road.)

Story by Meghan Tierney; photos by Kim Grimes

William Mitchell and Leah Harner-Kerlavage are forging new ground with their farm in Damascus.

Although agricultural roots can be traced to their grandparents, the couple had no experience of their own when Leah’s passion for farming sprouted one day as she listened to a radio interview of a writer who had given up her career to start a farm in New York.

Leah, 27, quickly persuaded fiancé William, and the two devoted themselves to their fledgling farm, which went into production last fall. The couple painstakingly cultivates a wide variety of crops, including zucchini, cucumber, lettuce, tomato, cantaloupe, watermelon, sweet corn, carrots and wild flowers on 2.5 acres of William’s 20-acre property in Damascus—land they have dubbed Fellowship Fields.

They sell their produce at the farmers market that debuted this summer in Montgomery Village—at Christ the Servant Lutheran Church, where Leah’s parents are among the congregation’s leaders—and at food co-ops in College Park, Takoma Park and Silver Spring.

Despite the initial investment in equipment and other necessities, Fellowship Fields is already on track to exceed expectations for the year.

"This is our first season and now we’re preparing for next season," said Leah, a former University of Maryland field hockey player who grew up in Montgomery Village. "It’s been going pretty well."

They hope to add another acre into their cultivation cycle next year.

"At this point we’re seeing what’s manageable and what works," said William, 35, who grew up in Damascus and studied law. "… I like most things about it. It’s a lot different from an office job. It’s playing in the dirt, growing stuff, learning about bugs."

Fellowship Fields is pursuing certification as an organic farm, so William and Leah already practice several of the health- and environment-friendly techniques:

Crops are rotated to keep soil nutrients in balance. Pest-controlling insects are welcomed and encouraged. Rather than relying on herbicides, weeds are pulled by hand. The organic-approved, non-synthetic pesticide sprays are made from peppermint, garlic and hot peppers. Hay, yard clippings and manure get composted into their fertilizer. Genetically modified seeds are nowhere to be found.

"The organic piece makes it more difficult," William said.

The added burden means that William farms full time, while Leah, a social worker, spends at least three days a week tending the fields. It all adds up to more than enough work for them both. Thus, the farm’s name, chosen as "a trick on my part to lure my friends into helping," William said with a laugh. Their loved ones are proving to be up to the task; William’s mother is at the farm almost daily and their friend Shaun Smith pitches in every week.

"A lot of friends and family help out," Leah said. "It’s truly a fellowship here."