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1969 - Small 2 acre farm was purchased.
1970 - We started growing vegetables in a typical back-yard
garden and started planting various fruit trees, grapes and blueberry bushes.
1976 -
Foothills Farm was started as a part-time farm in 1976 growing and selling
various farm produce such as tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, green
beans, squash, pumpkins, sweet corn, watermelons, cantaloupes, peppers and egg
plants. These small gardens were worked with small 5hp roto-tillers and
hand sprayers.
1980 - Foothills Farm brought its first tractor, a 1947 Ford 2N
along with other farm equipment such as 3 pt 2 bottom plow, 3 pt disk cultivators,
3 pt harrows
and 3 pt boom sprayers.
1981 - The farm next door was purchased expanding Foothills Farm
to forty acres.
1980's - Various vegetables was grown and shown at the Ohio State
Fair through the early 1990's with some bulk sales at the farm. During
these years showing vegetables at the Ohio State Fair, Virginia won many Blue
Ribbons and Grand Prize for the best overall vegetable tables.
1989 - Virginia went to her first gourd show at Mount Gilead
Ohio winning a few ribbons for her gourd crafts and green gourds.
1990 - Virginia continued showing at the Ohio Gourd Show winning four Blue
Ribbons. First addition was built onto our old garage which was to
eventually be our large farm pole barn.
1991 - Virginia started a long trend of winning the most Blue Ribbons (14) and
Points at the Ohio Gourd Show. Foothills Farm also started selling gourd
crafts and dry flowers at the Ohio Gourd Show.
1996 - The next addition to our pole barn was finished which is housing our
workshop.
1997 - After Gary retired from the Postal Service, the farm went full-time
raising the same farm produce selling at the Granville Farmer's Market including gourds and dry flowers.
Foothills Farm brought its first modern tractor, a 1997 New Holland model 1920,
34hp, four wheel drive, diesel engine with front loader and back hoe attachment.
Other farm equipment was also purchased including a 60" wide 3-pt hitch rototiller,
3 pt Box Blade, 3 pt Cultivator, 3 pt Rotary Mower and 3 pt Spreader.
1999 - A larger number of gourds was planted and with a dry hot
summer, a "bumper" crop of gourds was harvested. Went to the
first "gourd tour" showing gourds at Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky and
Florida Gourd Shows as well at the Ohio State Fair. Purchase our widest
3-point rototiller (72").
2000 - The very first sales of dry gourds started this year by mail order from
the Internet to a customer in upstate New York. Also, the first Greenhouse
was built to be used for starting gourd and vegetable plants inside helping to
lengthen the growing season.
2001 - In order to focus on Gourds, the other
farm produce was reduced with gourds becoming the
primary crop along with dry flowers. Four acres was several miles away to increase gourd production. Our first gourd drying rack
(60 feet) was built.
2002 - The same four acres was rented again for
more gourd production. Our Greenhouse Supply Barn was built next to the
Greenhouses. A longer (350 ft.) drying rack is built east of the
current greenhouses.
2003 - Our second Greenhouse was built to be used for storage of the increasing
amounts of dried gourds. This greenhouse is divided up into bins for the
different types of dried gourds.
2004 - Our first mechanical transplanter machine was purchased along with
a plastic mulch layer machine. Foothills Farm started renting five acres near
Hanover Ohio to grow even more gourds. Went on our second "Gourd Tour"
showing gourds at Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and
North Carolina Gourd Shows.
2005 - Foothills Farm bought its third farm tractor, a FarmPro
model 2025, 20hp, two wheel drive and diesel engine along with a 40" 3 pt
rototiller and 3 pt shedder.
2007 - We again started selling at three local Farmer's Markets
selling gourds, vegetables, flowers, fruit, herbs, dry gourds, gourd crafts,
gourd seeds and natural craft supplies. Foothills Farm bought a even
larger farm tractor, a Kubota model MX-5000, 50hp, four wheel drive and
diesel engine.
2008 - We have built
a third greenhouse (tunnel house) in early spring 2008 allowing to have tomatoes
for sale by early June and purchased a Kubota four wheel drive diesel 21hp
RTV-900 Utility vehicle.
2011 - We purchased our fifth farm
tractor, Kubota diesel 38hp four wheel drive tractor.
2012 - Started construction on two more
high tunnel greenhouses, planning on building an equipment shed south of the current barn and move
older small shed next to the greenhouse supply shed to house farm chemicals.
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