Another summer has come and gone!

Another summer has come, and that means it’s time for another article from your favorite farm-centric non-profit blog. Before we dive into the meat and potatoes, or rather the flowers and greens, of this article, I’ll do a quick recap of some new faces and flora. Let’s begin with the latter. Legacy has expanded its already impressive catalog of greens to include garlic, potatoes, red onions, yellow onions, asparagus beans, and strawberries. All of these are being used in Legacy’s new CSA, the Summer of Wellness. The Summer of Wellness box is a monthly produce package sent from Legacy Farms to a central location where CSA members can pick it up from. The CSA includes a variety of seasonal veggies and herbs along with a little something extra from Legacy’s partners. The Summer of Wellness runs from June to September and while, by the time this article rolls around, it should be August and subscriptions for this year will have closed, if you want to receive a nice box of freshly harvested greens from Legacy–along with some other artisanal goodies–you should be prepared to sign up when we open subscriptions in early 2024. 

Now, let’s meet some of the new mentors working at Legacy, cultivating our garden and making the Summer of Wellness possible. I got the chance to speak to three new mentors about why they took on the job and what they enjoy about working at Legacy. The first of these new mentors is Thai. Thai is a former teacher who used to teach middle school science and worked as a teacher’s assistant for the neurodivergent. Combined with her past experience as a teacher, her horticultural degree makes her a great fit for this job which combines agricultural work in a neurodiverse environment. Thai’s favorite part about working on the farm is encouraging her apprentices and watching them grow as people. 

The second mentor I got to speak with is one Diane Geiser, who works as an assistant farm manager. Diane may be more than a mentor, but she still works hands-on with the apprentices on the farm. Before moving for her husband’s job, Diane used to live in Texas where she was a school garden teacher and master gardener. When I asked why she became a mentor, Diane had this to say; “I think it was the ability to connect with apprentices and help them grow through gardening and farming. It’s best to learn through experience, it’s nice to know the apprentices want to keep growing their skills and abilities to provide for customers. It’s kinda like working with a school garden, you grow alongside your crops but at Legacy we get to sell what we make.” 

Our third and final mentor had a much more active role in the production of this article, since she’s my co-writer. I’ll let her introduce herself; 

Hi readers! My name is Kendra and I am excited to start working with Colin to help get more of this great blog content out. As a William & Mary student studying Psychology and Anthropology, I joined Legacy Farms this spring as an intern and mentor to get experience working with the neurodivergent community and be a part of this growing organization. I have absolutely loved the supportive family that the apprentices and mentors have created within such an efficient and encouraging work environment and I can’t wait to share this growing season with all our readers! 

With introductions out of the way, let me direct your attention to Legacy Blooms CSA.

Legacy Blooms is a vocational program that sells seasonal subscriptions of weekly flower bouquets grown and designed by Legacy. When Blooms was initially created, it served as a program for apprentices to learn about flowers and entrepreneurship skills. That way, they could continue to contribute to Legacy while also developing skills like web design, marketing, and budgeting to take out into the business world. This goal changed after the first two years when the folks at Legacy realized that Blooms could be transformed into a steady revenue stream to begin self-funding the non-profit’s vocational program. This shift led Legacy Blooms to expand and become its own branch of Legacy, with its own employees separate from Legacy Farms (the vegetable side of our operation). Legacy Blooms has since expanded its selection of flowers, employees, and workspace to compensate for the change. 

Something I don’t believe I’ve ever really touched on in any of my articles this far is that Legacy’s funding comes almost entirely from donors. Legacy has staff to pay, land to maintain, supplies to buy, and several other expenses that come with the nature of a farm-centric nonprofit. While myself and everyone at Legacy is extremely gracious for any amount of money sent our way, what happens if donations dry up? The answer to this question was the new and improved Legacy Blooms. Now, by signing up for our Blooms CSA, you not only contribute to Legacy’s operations, but you also get a nice bouquet of flowers to take home each week in your choice of our three floral growing seasons. 

Legacy Blooms has not been without its share of challenges throughout its development, namely seasonality. If Blooms is going to function as a sustainable source of revenue, it needs to be in effect year-round. I spoke with Legacy’s executive director and head of Legacy Blooms, Laurie Young, who had this to say; “We’re actively seeking support to develop a high tunnel/greenhouse. With it, we’ll be able to grow flowers earlier, and we can extend the core vocational program throughout the winter.” 

Now that you know what Legacy Blooms is and what its goals are, I implore you to get involved, sign up for fall bouquets through the Legacy Blooms CSA subscription, or provide support where you can. If the idea of tending flowers using skills you’ve cultivated in order to fund a non-profit sounds appealing to you, then join up with Blooms. 

I asked three Blooms employees why they joined the team, what they have learned from their time with Blooms, and their favorite part of the job. The first employee I spoke to of these three was Ethan Roe. Ethan came to work with Legacy because he liked the idea of working with flowers, and the positive work environment that Legacy fosters. Ethan was actually a former apprentice at Legacy’s gardens, so he’s been with Legacy for some time now. While working for Blooms, Ethan has learned about irrigation and growing flowers, and he got a bit of a confidence boost; when Ethan was younger he had a hard time figuring himself out, but has since found his place at Legacy. His favorite part about working with Legacy is the people; “They’re what makes it special. You can go to different farms, different flower services, and whatnot, but only at Legacy can you find the people who make you feel welcome.” The second employee I spoke to was Lisa, a former educator and gardener. Lisa became a member of Legacy because of the organization’s mission to support neurodivergent individuals in our community which really

struck a chord with her. While working for Blooms, Lisa learned that “people can be different and that makes Legacy even more special, as it blends so many unique backgrounds and talents to make it a unique force.”. Her favorite part about working at Legacy is watching her hard work pay off. She loves the process from planting seeds to harvesting them while she works alongside amazing individuals. Our third and final employee I interviewed was Faustina, a longtime member of Legacy. While Faustina isn’t officially a member of the Legacy Blooms team, she still works on the CSA with a focus in marketing. I asked Faustina what this focus on marketing for Blooms looks like and she relayed the following; 

“Right now, we’re focused on training other apprentices to have a more entrepreneurial mindset. The development of a product, how to market a product, and how to find leads to sell at markets. Inventory is a big part of blooms. From where the customer picks up their orders, they work on the scene for inventorying from how many bouquets go to each location, sign out rosters, sending emails, they do everything that a manager would do but as an apprentice team.” 

While working at Blooms, Faustina learned how to design and evaluate programs for nonprofits, as well as neurodivergence and understanding our differences. Faustina’s favorite thing about Legacy, much like Ethan and Lisa, is the people. She told me that interacting with the apprentices and mentors allows her to build connections at the same time as learning how to grow crops. 

If there’s one thing I want you to take away from this article, it’s this; go support Legacy Blooms. Check out the Legacy Farms Virginia website for information on Legacy Blooms, our CSA boxes, and Legacy’s many programs and initiatives. By contributing to Legacy through donations and subscriptions, you’re supporting the neurodiverse community in Northern Virginia, and that’s something to be celebrated.