What began as a pandemic garden bed in 2020 made from a reprocessed swing and good Iowa dirt has become a Burlington enterprise called Adam’s Fresh Vegetables.
Adam Johnson, an energetic 16-year-old, ran the idea past his father, Brian, and they used the ladder and other boards from an old swingset to frame out a garden bed in the backyard.
“This is what started the madness,” Adam smiled as he talked to The Hawk Eye about his business.
The madness is when they expanded the first small garden and dug up a 30-by-60-foot plot in the far reaches of the backyard in 2021 to create his home business at 2228 Vineyard St. in Burlington.
“I had the crazy idea to sell vegetables, and I told my dad. And then we expanded to this area,” Adam said.
It started in the cold of winter, when they planted more than 300 tomato seedlings in pots in the basement using grow lights. When the dirt thawed, they measured out the plot and dug … and dug.
“That was hard, sweaty work,” Adam said. “The area was all grass. It was fun digging ditches for rows.”
He put mesh around the plants and used cardboard and mulch in between to keep the weeds down. He also dug a line to create a water system to feed the plants. He calls the backyard shed the “headquarters,” where he stores tools and supplies.
Then the Johnsons needed a shop to sell the product. Adam and Brian built an open-air shed to house the freshly picked vegetables, scale and bags. Adam said everything was hand-made.
“Last year, we did a lot together to set it up,” Brian said. “It has been good for us to do stuff together and good for him to learn.”
“He’s always been there when I needed help,” Adam said. “He makes sure the work gets done.”
Brian said the business works well with his son’s busy schedule. He is involved in Boy Scouts, sports and just started his junior year at Burlington High School. He can work in the garden we he needs to, between his activities.
“This year he’s been mostly on his own,” Brian said. “He’s his own boss.”
Adam said the inspiration came from his grandparents, Kenny and Joyce Johnson of Burlington.
“We have a small garden, and he would help me,” Joyce said of Adam’s younger years.
“It’s quite a deal,” she said of his garden. “It’s the best place to buy anything.”
That includes zucchini, cucumbers, green and hot peppers, cherry and large tomatoes. Adam hopes the green beans will mature after the first crop got eaten by rabbits.
“My favorite is the large tomatoes. They are big and easy to grab,” Adam said.
“I eat a little bit,” he said while biting into a yellow tomato to test his product and also because it tastes good.
Then he transported the crop by wagon to the shed next to the garage at the side of the house. A sign on the lawn by the road alerts shoppers to the fresh vegetables available.
Adam’s Fresh Vegetables is open during daylight hours and operates on the honor system. You weigh the product and deposit the money in a slot and off you go. Unless he happens to be there to help.
“I have a customer,” noticed Adam. Hi! Pull in.”
Norma Johnson, no relation, hopped out of the car and said she was looking for little tomatoes.
“I eat them like candy,” Norma said.
Adam looked in the shed and noticed he was out. Not to be denied a sale, he grabbed a bin and headed to the garden. In a few minutes, he returned with a smile and said: “That’ll be $2.”
Adam noted tomatoes is what he has the most of, and they are turning ripe in bunches.
“Tomatoes is my main industry,” he said.
The business has a Facebook account called Adam’s Fresh Vegetables and also a website (adamsfreshvegetables.com).
“We try to keep social media current about what has been picked.” Adam said. “We take photos of the fresh veggies.”
Customers said the prices are same or cheaper than at he store.
“There is no secret to the goodness,” Adam said. “They are grown from the seed up and give nothing but water and fertilizer from last year’s compost.
“We want all the freshness.”
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