Family Owned, Family Grown - Meet the Johnsons
Candy and I (Aaron) were married in 2007 and in 2009 we began our family with the birth of our first son Isaiah. In 2012 we left North Carolina and moved to Blacksburg, Virginia where I began to study for my PhD at Virginia Tech. While in Virginia we were blessed with two more children (Nathan and Abby) and in 2016 we moved to Lincoln, Nebraska where I began a career as a university professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. While in Nebraska we developed a love for growing our own food and each year our garden (and harvests) got a little bit bigger and better.
With the onset of the pandemic and more time at home, our love for growing our own food ultimately inspired us to leave academic life behind and share our passion with others by starting our own market garden. Our desire to market garden, moreover, inspired us to get back to our roots in North Carolina and in 2021 we bought a 14-acre farm in Chatham County where we live today and grow delicious, nutritiously dense heirloom vegetable varieties for our friends and community. In 2022 we welcomed the birth of our fourth child, Graham.
Our Vision is Clear
At Clay Fish Farm, our goal is to...
1). Provide our customers with the highest quality organically grown vegetables without the use of any synthetic herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, or genetically modified organisms.
2). Maintain a sustainable infrastructure for our soil by only using locally sourced, organic amendments and using techniques/methods that minimize the disruption of soil microbes.
3). Provide our customers with a friendly, reliable, local source of organically grown vegetables.
"It starts with the soil and the process grows from there"
Clay Fish Farm Quick Facts
Where is Your Farm Located?
1135 Effie Welch Road, Bear Creek, North Carolina
Is Your Farm "Certified Organic"?
We are certified by Certified Naturally Grown (CNG), which means we follow CNG growing standards and procedures that are similar to those of USDA's NOP program. Click here for more info about the difference between CNG and Certified Organic.
Do You Use Synthetic Chemicals?
Never. Being certified by Certified Naturally Grown means we never use synthetic chemical pesticides, fungicides, or fertilizers on our crops.
Do you have a CSA?
Yes. Click on the "CSA Program" tab above for more info.
In addition to vegetables, do you grow other things?
Yes. We grow many cut flower varieties such as dahlias, zinnias, and sunflowers that we prepare as "farmhouse arrangements" for CSA members and market customers. Additionally, we do grow sugar baby watermelons and several pumpkin varieties. In the future we hope to expand our fruit production to include strawberries, blueberries, and figs.
Are You Participating in Any Farmers Markets?
Yes. You can find us each Saturday from 10am - 1pm at the Sandhills Farmers Market located at the Village Shops in Pinehurst.