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Farm Beginnings Profile: Carol Ford & Chuck Waibel

The Door into Summer

By Brian DeVore
July 1, 2007

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On a January evening in western Minnesota, Carol Ford braves 20-degree temperatures and a wind that’s packing snow as she walks the few yards from her house to the garage. Once inside, she approaches a door with a colorful, hand-painted sign above it that reads: “The Door into Summer.” She opens the door and, sure enough, steps into an 18 x 24 patch of pleasantness that, although not quite summery, could pass for a decent day in early spring. Fat green rows of garden greens—arugula, mustard greens, spinach, kale, broccoli, pok choi, kole rabi— are growing on the dirt floor and in rain gutters dangling from the ceiling of a passive solar greenhouse attached to the south side of the garage.

Carol Ford

As snow hisses against the double-paned polycarbonate walls, Carol checks the thermometer on the wall: 50 degrees. That’s 50 degrees with no help from artificial heat. It is what’s left over from earlier in the day when the temperature in the greenhouse hovered around 80 degrees-plus. Super-insulation and small fans will easily keep the temperature above 40 degrees on this night. That means the 15 families that belong to the Garden Goddess winter Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operation will be getting another delivery of greens later this week.

“This is the result of thinking outside the box of the box,” says Ford.

That’s Ford’s diplomatic way of saying that a few years ago when she and her husband Chuck Waibel were first talking about the idea of growing greens in the middle of a Minnesota winter without the help of grow lights and supplemental heat, she was met with a bushel-basket full of skepticism. “The Door into Summer” is taken from the title of a Robert Heinlein novel. The novel is science fiction, and Carol concedes that when she was first talking about her idea some people thought she was from another planet. The Garden Goddess winter CSA may be based on a little science, but it’s far from fiction.

A lot of engineering, research, creative agronomic skills and business planning have gone into this winter CSA, which will begin its third season in October. Ford and Waibel credit the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings course with giving them the ability to get this unusual enterprise up and running. Twice a month during the fall and winter of 2002-2003, they made the 20-minute drive from their house on the edge of Milan to Montevideo, where established farmers and other ag professionals provided insights into low-cost, sustainable methods of farming. The course provides workshops on goal-setting, financial planning, business plan creation, alternative marketing and innovative production techniques. In addition, class participants have an opportunity to network with established farmers and utilize them as mentors.

“It was one of those things where it was the right thing at the right time,” says Ford of Farm Beginnings.

Ford, a master gardener, needed an enterprise that would allow Waibel and her to maintain their regular jobs while keeping their financial risk low.

“One of the things they taught us in Farm Beginnings was risk management,” says Ford. “And it felt safer to start something like this on a small enough scale that I wouldn’t have to quit my job.”

They struck on the idea of a small CSA operation that would fill a yawning gap in the local market: winter greens.

Through the course, Ford and Waibel learned how to research and create the kinds of information networks needed to develop an enterprise that is breaking new ground. They also learned how to create a business plan that would make it possible for a completely off-the-wall proposal to be taken seriously by lenders (Garden Goddess was rejected by three lenders before finally getting a loan).

Waibel has a collection of 1970s-era solar publications, and Ford used her computer research skills to track down every bit of information on passive greenhouses available. There were plenty of options that consisted of using gas heaters and grow lights. But they wanted to keep it simple and inexpensive and as low-energy as possible. They were told repeatedly—even by a Farm Beginnings instructor experienced in extended season vegetable production—that the system they wanted would not work. But the couple soldiered on.

They eventually combined thermodynamics and innovative organic vegetable production techniques to create a winter garden amidst thousands of acres of frozen corn and soybean fields. Greenhouse vegetable production is nothing new. But the design, operation and low-input nature of this one are fairly unique. Through the help of a clever system that utilizes insulation, heat storing rocks and fans, the greenhouse produces greens almost entirely without the benefit of supplemental gas heat.

“When I was designing this I was looking at it as if it was going to be on Mars,” says Waibel, showing a schematic that tracks the strength of the sun’s rays from early to mid- and late-winter. The key to the greenhouse’s success is the sharp angle of the southern-facing semi-transparent lean-to type roof. “We’re trying to gather every bit of sunlight available,” he adds.

Ford estimates they use about $50 worth of propane per season to heat the greenhouse during unusually long stretches of cloudy weather. The fans have raised their electric bill by about $60 per season.

Like a traditional CSA operation, Garden Goddess sells subscriptions to consumers. In return, they provide a weekly delivery of fresh, organic produce (deliveries are supplemented with root storage crops like potatoes and onions that they raise outside during the regular season). But that’s where the similarities end. Garden Goddess is starting its season just as other vegetable operations are shutting down for the year: deliveries are mid-October to mid-April. Don’t get the wrong idea: the winter CSA isn’t a 100 percent replacement diet-wise—cold-tolerant members of the brassica family dominate here. But an impressive variety of herbs and greens can be produced in such a system.

The Garden Goddess winter CSA system has garnered attention from people other than greens-craving consumers. Ford recently presented at the Homegrown Economy

Chuck Waibel

Conference, an event sponsored by Collin Peterson, Chair of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee. The focus of the conference was how local food systems can fuel local economies. Ford’s presence at the event was a sign that local food production enterprises like Garden Goddess are being taken seriously by those interested in rural economic development. Ford and Waibel are also working with LSP’s Montevideo office and a group of other Milan area farmers who direct market food on a proposal to convert the cafeteria of an abandoned school into a value-added processing center. The greenhouse has even attracted the attention of groups looking for ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by cutting energy use. Ford and Waibel are spreading the word on their winter system any way they can—they recently received a grant to write a guidebook on how to set up and operate such a building.

The operation demands about five to six hours of the couple’s time weekly. Both Ford and Waibel have other jobs and although the CSA is breaking even—the total price tag for the greenhouse system was around $18,000—it’s not their main source of income. They have no desire to do something like this on a mega-scale and supply all of western Minnesota with greens during the winter.

Ford and Waibel see this kind of enterprise as a perfect low-risk venture that could be dispersed throughout the countryside in a variety of forms. The simple, compact nature of their greenhouse design would be a perfect fit for farms that have other enterprises going. It could also work on the roof of a hospital or school, on the side of a nursing home, or in the back of a restaurant.

“This is obviously not something that anyone’s going to quit their bank job for,” says Ford. “But it could be one component of a diversified farm, and even at this size could provide enough income to make it so someone doesn’t have to go into town for an off-farm job. And that’s when it becomes exciting to me.”

Category: Farm Beginnings Profiles
Tags: beginning farmers • Farm Beginnings

Give it a Listen

LSP’s Ear to the Ground podcast episode 29 features Carol Ford talking about raising greens in the depths of a Minnesota winter.

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October 2025

Tuesday October 7

6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Book Event: We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy
Tuesday October 7
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Book Event: We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy
The Landing Market, 211 College Dr, Decorah, IA 52101, USA

The Johnson Center for Land Stewardship Policy is excited to share that one of our its primary pillars of work — a published collection of Paul Johnson’s writings —  is set for release on Oct. 2.  The book features a brief biography and a discussion of Paul’s ideas within the historical and future contexts of private lands conservation. Details on the event are available here.

For details on We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy click here.

 

Friday October 10

8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Weaving a Wider Community: Seeing & Countering Racism in Our Backyard
Friday October 10
8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Weaving a Wider Community: Seeing & Countering Racism in Our Backyard
111 N 1st St, Montevideo, MN 56265, USA

Join LSP and CURE for a community event at the Land Stewardship Project office in Montevideo (111 N. First St.), from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Friday, Oct. 10. This event includes lunch catered by El Mana; please register by Oct. 3 to be included in the food count.

You can RSVP here.

The Racial Equity Conference, organized by the Greater Minnesota Partnership of the Facilitating Racial Equity Collaborative, has been specifically designed to bring engaging content to local communities through a unique pairing of online speakers and in-person local sessions. The morning’s online content will include a conversation focused on seeing and countering racism in rural communities, moderated by Eryn Gee Killough, paired with two outstanding keynote speakers, Jenna Grey Eagle and Ron Ferguson, who have experience working in rural communities. 

This online content will be exclusively available to local community gatherings. Each gathering will gear their in-person activity to their specific community with the goal of extending the impact of the conference to others throughout the following year. Join LSP and CURE for this western Minnesota gathering, or if a different location works better for you, check out all the local gatherings on the FREC site,

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out. LSP’s Nick Olson can be reached via e-mail at nicko@landstewardshipproject.org.

9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Intensive Small-Scale Market Gardening Bus Tour
Friday October 10
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Intensive Small-Scale Market Gardening Bus Tour
Leatherdale Equine Center, 1801 Dudley Ave, St Paul, MN 55108, USA

Explore profitable small-scale farming (1–5 acres) and soil care. Visit a cooperative incubator farm and a thriving suburban market garden. Learn about cover crops, reduced tillage, high tunnel soil health, and support for growers.

This is the second tour in a three-part soil health bus tour series. Participants can sign up for just one, two, or all three tours. Register at https://z.umn.edu/vegetablebustours. The cost is $15 (flat fee, covers 1, 2, or 3 tours). There are more details in the attached flyer.

Saturday October 11

11:00 am – 2:00 pm
LSP-COPAL Visita a la Granja | Farm Tour
Saturday October 11
11:00 am – 2:00 pm
LSP-COPAL Visita a la Granja | Farm Tour
36919 County 57 Blvd, Dennison, MN 55018, USA

Building off the success of last year’s farm event with COPAL in Austin, Minn., this year Land Stewardship Project and COPAL members and supporters will gather at the Young-Walser Family Farm in Dennison, Minn. for a festive and delicious farm tour on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. We invite you to come and meet new folks, learn new skills, and try new food! 
 
This year’s COPAL-LSP farm event offers a little something for everyone: 
 
🍯 Honey sampling and the opportunity to purchase from Homestead Honey Farm. 
 
🍎 Apple cider pressing and tasting. (BTW, we’re still looking for an apple press if you or a farmer friend have one nearby we could borrow for this event!) 
 
🌽 Nixtamalization workshop and fresh, homemade tortillas, made with corn grown by LSP and COPAL members at the Young-Walser Family Farm! 
 
🍅 Salsa making and cricket-eating competitions! Yes, you heard that right —we’ll have the opportunity to sample crickets, a delectable crispy and savory snack commonly enjoyed throughout Mexico and Central America. Stay tuned for details on how to enter either competition. 
 
🥾 A tour of the Young-Walser farm, nestled in the beautiful Sogn Valley not far from Cannon Falls, Minn. Enjoy a tromp through the corn and squash fields and hike in the nearby woods. 
 
🌮 A shared meal and opportunity to hear from LSP and COPAL organizers about our participation in the Immigrant Defense Network. 

Let us know you can make it to ensure we order enough food and supplies! Carpools from Minneapolis and Rochester will be available to all attendees. 

________________________________________________

¡Únete a LSP + COPAL para nuestro recorrido anual comunitario en la granja!
Un espacio divertido para tod@s donde exploraremos la agricultura, aprenderemos sobre el campo y participaremos en actividades prácticas. ¡Uno de los momentos más especiales será hacer tortillas frescas junt@s!

Compartiremos un delicioso almuerzo comunitario, preparando tacos en estilo potluck (tipo convivio). Te invitamos a traer un platillo o acompañamiento para compartir.

También estás invitado@ a llegar temprano (desde las 9 AM) para ayudar a cosechar calabazas que sembramos. Puedes llevarte algunas a casa, y el resto se donará a un banco de alimentos local.

El Land Stewardship Project (LSP) es una organización aliada de COPAL que trabaja por sistemas alimentarios y agrícolas más sostenibles y justos. LSP y COPAL están unidas en su lucha por instituciones democráticas sólidas, comunidades saludables y acogedoras, y una ética de cuidado hacia la tierra y las personas que nos alimentan.

Tuesday October 14

11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Birds as Pest Control Allies on the Farm
Tuesday October 14
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Birds as Pest Control Allies on the Farm
Online

This 10-lesson Wild Farm Alliance virtual course teaches agricultural professionals and farmers how to support beneficial birds and manage pest birds on farms. By learning how to assess the farm’s avian needs and opportunities, farms can be designed to provide for a diversity of beneficial birds. 

If pest birds are a problem, they can be discouraged with specific practices during the shorter periods when they cause damage. The sessions cover the latest research, tools and resources, and are given by experts in avian pest control, entomology, ornithology and conservation. While many topics and species are specific to the Midwest, most of the principles discussed are applicable across regions. 

Continuing Education Credits have been requested and are expected to be approved from American Society of Agronomy.

For details and to register, click here. 

The Course Schedule:

LESSON 1

Why Birds Belong on the Farm: Biodiversity, Pest Control & A Thriving Landscape

Tuesday, September 23, 2 p.m. CT


LESSON 2

Birds as Pest Control Allies on the Farm

Tuesday, October 14, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 3

Birds in the Balance: Pest Control Services Across Crop Types

Tuesday, November 4, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 4

Integrating Habitat into Croplands: Prairie Strips and Bird Conservation

Tuesday, December 2, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 5

Birds on the Farm: Balancing Biodiversity and Food Safety

Tuesday, January 13, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 6

Beyond the Crop: Birds, Biodiversity, and the Power of Edge Habitat

Tuesday, February 3, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 7

Bridging Forestry, Farming, and Habitat

Tuesday, February 24, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 8

Perennial Pathways: Agroforestry for Birds and Biodiversity on Farms

Tuesday, March 17, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 9

Birds on the Range: How Grazing Practices Shape Habitat for Grassland Species

Tuesday, April 7, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 10

Birds at Risk: How Pesticides Shape Safety on Agricultural Lands

Tuesday, April 28, 11 a.m. CT

View Full Calendar

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