Jacob Hartman has spent 17 years growing a variety of vegetables in his Callaway County garden - while maintaining school, extracurriculars, and selling wood in the winter.
Hartman has been helping in a garden since he was old enough to walk. He got into gardening through his father, Pat Hartman, who grew up gardening.
He primarily grows cabbage, broccoli, beets, cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans, onions, potatoes, watermelon and cantaloupe.
Hartman enjoys growing food for his family and selling produce at the New Bloomfield Farmers Market.
"I really enjoy talking with customers and with all the vendors at the market," he said
Q. How did you end up growing the types produce you have?
A. "I grow a lot of what me and my family primarily eat, and I think it's good to have a little bit to sell. But since I primarily grow a lot for my family, that's how I ended up growing so much."
Q. What is involved in producing it?
A. "You need a lot of land, equipment to work the ground, and you've got to have patience to grow a garden. Mainly you need to know how you grow and how to deal with weeds."
Q. How much do you produce in a year, on average?
A. "Well, I don't really know how to answer that question. We don't have a whole lot growing here, and the things that we do all mature at different times."
Q. What has this season been like for your produce?
A. "I think the season's been pretty good. The weather's been good the past couple of years. It's been a good, rainy year, and I believe Mother Nature has been cooperating well."
Q. How do you sell your produce?
A. "We primarily just sell to customers at the farmers market."
Q. How is fresh different than store-bought?
A. "The flavors are a lot better because it's fresh and you can pick it as soon as it's ripe, and when it's store-bought it's usually picked before it's ripe and it's shipped around a lot before it's actually out on the shelves to sell. But here it's home-grown; it's growing where you can see it, and it just doesn't have that fresh taste when it's from as store."
Q. What is you're favorite way to use your produce?
"I like using my own tomatoes to make salsa. When you do it yourself, you know what's in there instead of when you buy it at the store and you have no idea what you're eating."