“We dug our sweet potatoes in September and we’ve sold a lot of them and we’ve got quite a lot stored in the barn to have for sale during the winter,” Dubose said.
But, the patch of collards is what makes Dubose most proud. The brothers have nearly three acres of collards planted on land they have leased near the Josie Community on Highway 29 north of Troy.
“That’s a lot of collards,” Dubose said, with a proud smile. “A lot of collards.”
About 40,000 plants to be exact.
The brothers use the plasticulture method of farming on their vegetable farm for most of their produce.
“It took a long time and lot of backbreaking work to transplant that many cabbage plants in the plastic,” Dubose said. “But, it’s worth it because it keeps the weeds out and keeps the dirt off the plants.”
Between some rows of collards, the brothers planted patches of turnips and mustard.
“All-in-all, we’ve got about an acre of turnips,” Dubose said. “We use a drip irritation system that we put in ourselves. So, our collards look real good and they taste good, too.”
This summer, the Dubose brothers diversified their vegetable farm to include a roadside stand.
“The stand has been good for us,” Dubose said. “We sell our produce to grocery stores and at the Farmers Market but we sold a lot out of the stand this summer and we’re doing good with our collards, turnips and sweet potatoes.”
For the winter months, the Dubose brothers have enlisted the help of other family members in packaging the produce for sale.
“A lot of people don’t have the time to cut up their greens or they just don’t want to fool with it,” Dubose said. “So, we’re doing that for them. We chop up the collards and package them. So, all you have to do is wash them and put them in the pot. People really like that. A lot of people see our sign and stop and a lot of people hear about us and drive over. We’ve had people stop from Phenix City and some people came from Eufaula the other day. If word keeps spreading, maybe we can even grow a little.”
And, as their business continues to grow, the Dubose brothers will continue to depend on the Pike Farmers Co-op in Brundidge and Troy to help them produce the best vegetables possible.
“We depend on the Farmers Co-op,” Dubose said. “We get herbicide from them and 13-13-13 and, if we need to know something, they always know what to tell us. If we didn’t have the Co-op to depend on, then I don’t know where we would go. We’ve been using the Co-op for 10 years. We used it when we were planting cotton and corn and we’re using it now. Those people are good people to know because they’ll help you out.”
Jaine Treadwell is a freelance writer from Brundidge.
|