About Spurgeon Gardens
Spurgeon Veggies was founded in 2007 by Eloise Spurgeon as a small CSA business and outlet for her ever-growing backyard garden. In 2010, we began attending the farmers’ market in Galesburg. growing from a small garden to a ten acre operation with an open-daily farm stand, more than 100 laying hens, hundreds of seasonal meat chickens, and a growing number of local restaurant patrons.
Our Philosophy
Sustainable farming is a way of life for us. What we put into our land impacts all of us, directly through the produce we consume or more indirectly through the environment. We keep our soil as healthy as we can by utilizing cover cropping and rotation, manure from our own animals and others nearby, and taking great care in timing our planting, tillage, and pest management. We utilize highly efficient small equipment, and do the majority of our harvesting and processing by hand.
As with any farming, pest management is a must; we keep our usage of controls to a minimum, only using them when absolutely necessary. We are not certified organic, but we do follow many of the guidelines, and limit ourselves to OMRI-certified pest controls that break down rapidly after application.
We believe eating locally matters. Our produce is grown, processed, and sold all within our little corner of western Illinois, which means we can harvest at peak ripeness and have veggies on your table within 24 hours of picking. This way, you get the absolute best-tasting, nutrient-rich foods that don’t come from hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Keeping our operation local allows us to grow a wide variety of specialty crops you’ll never see in the supermarkets, like fancy heirloom tomatoes, purple beans, rainbow carrots, and a plethora of others.
The well-being of every life involved with our farm (our families, employees, customers, and livestock) is always a top priority for us. We make great efforts to maintain the safety of our food from planting to washing, and our animals are treated with respect and allowed to live normal lives on the pastures. Our crew members receive fair wages and plenty of farm perks (lots of food to take home!). We’re all part of this farm because we love doing it, and want everyone involved to be positively influenced by what we do.