Meet the Farmers!
The Farm Philly Team
Annie Tickell
What made you interested in farming?
A few years ago, I transitioned from traditional teaching after nearly a decade in the classroom. It was a massive shift, and I found myself drawn to growing to ground myself and reconnect with family traditions. After spending time at community gardens around the city, I started to recognize that these spaces provided healing and connection in ways that most schools and institutions are not set up to do in our current system. That’s when it clicked – these are the types of learning spaces that I want to cultivate. That is what inspired me to pursue farm work and what continues to motivate me to grow as a teacher and land steward.
How did you get access to jobs in this career path?
I started spending time at local community gardens and taking free classes through Penn State Extension, PHS, and Bartram’s Garden. That helped me get a sense of people’s different paths to farming. From there, I started looking for opportunities that didn’t include more expensive school or training programs. Along the way, someone told me about the PUFN Google group (Philadelphia Urban Farming Network), and I started applying to the flurry of job postings posted there every fall. I was most interested in Farm Philly’s position because, at the time, it was part of PASA’s Diversified Vegetable Pre-Apprenticeship program, which is a stipend program that provides on-the-job training within a supportive community of growers.
How long have you been farming?
Two years
Challenges and/or information you wish you knew before becoming a farmer?
Farming can be all-consuming, and I wasn’t aware of how easy it is to self-isolate – especially during the height of the growing season. Meeting other farmers and visiting farms around the city has been a real balm for me. I now feel a deep sense of community with other growers and know so much more about listening to and caring for our land than I would’ve without their insights. Community and reciprocal relationships – with plants and with each other – are the seeds of resilience.
What is your favorite crop or crop to grow?
Companion plants! All plants are in relation to each other (and to us!) and I’ve enjoyed learning and experimenting with different beneficial plant relationships. My favorites this year were the 3 Sisters (corn, beans, and squash) and marigolds with just about anything.
If there is one thing you can tell the general public about farming, what would it be?
Farming is immensely skilled labor! The people growing our food are experts in soil biology, climate science, food systems, community organizing, and much, much more. Through the delicate art of cultivating plants, they are stewarding and actively adapting generations of agricultural knowledge.
Avery Allen-Johnson
What made you interested in farming?
I grew up in a household that was highly nature-centered. My mother thoroughly enjoyed gardening in her garden at home, which started when I was around 8 years old. Watching my mother cultivate her garden, going on hikes with my dad and my aunt, and discovering new plants outside piqued my interest consistently. I always felt a connection to the Earth but never really had an outlet to cultivate my interest.
How did you get access to the jobs in this career path?
In my freshman year of high school, I was given the opportunity to get a summer internship at Sankofa Community Garden at Bartram’s Garden in Southwest Philadelphia. The whole experience opened my eyes to just how beneficial having open communal spaces for learning benefits our underserved communities. Knowing that when you grow your food and have access to fresh foods, it allows so much room for teaching and opens the space for healthy conversations. Conversations about how self-preservation can be a skill anyone has, and it doesn’t have to be paid for. Once my internship was over with Sankofa, I was able to join Farm Philly through one of my former coworkers from Sankofa.
How long have you been farming?
Five years
Challenges or information you wish you knew before becoming a farmer?
I wish I knew how physically and mentally taxing it can be sometimes. Physically, it’s constant walking and squatting, and it requires more strength than I think people may realize. The mental part is that plants need a certain level of attention and care, which our climate has been making it difficult to achieve correctly. When trying to meet a quota or even just upkeep certain crops, the knowledge needed might end at one thing and become a task to figure out further. Even crop planning in our climate has become an extensive mental task.
What is your favorite crop or favorite crop to grow?
I enjoy growing any member of the cucurbit family, specifically watermelon and cucumber. The way they can conserve energy and draw water is such an incredible quality in plants. I enjoy how they change from being so tiny and almost insignificant looking to large, juicy, sweet melons or cucumbers, a crunchy, refreshing snack.
If there is one thing you can tell the general public about farming, what would that be?
I would tell them that it’s relatively easy on a small scale and also super rewarding. It opens so many learning opportunities. Knowledge of plants will always be beneficial whether we know it or not.
