About Nerdy Turnip
A farm based on regenerative practices and a nerdy love of farming. Our goal is to nourish our community and our land through vegetables grown using low-till, hand-cultivated and science based growing techniques. We grow over 60 varieties of vegetables in fields chock-full of compost, care, and loads of microbial life.
The Property
We’re a small-scale urban farm located about a mile from downtown Rochester. 123 Franklin Street is a mostly wooded 9.5 acre plot with an historic house dating back to 1832. We grow on just under 1/4 acre of land, with hopes of growing in future seasons. The property has been home to a market garden, chickens, and pasture raised sheep & pigs in years past.
About the Nerdy Turnip Farm Crew
Nerdy Turnip Farm is run by first generation farmers, Sam and Caleb Monohon. It was established in 2022 and will have its first growing season in 2023!
Farmer Sam
Sam’s interest in plants came from a background in plant biology and soil microbiology. She’s fascinated by all that plants & their microscopic soil friends can do for themselves, for the Earth and for us. Her curiosity in the sciences, love of good food and a yearning to connect with her community, pushed her into the world of farming. She bounced around from the field, to the lab, to the classroom, teaching and learning along the way. Her journey ultimately led her to the goal of creating a life and a career out of vegetable farming. Sam farms with a great enthusiasm and deep appreciation for the plants, the land and of course, the food (particularly her favorite vegetable, turnips)!
Caleb
Caleb has a day job as a project manager, and loves working on the farm in his spare time. He brings nerdiness to the farm from areas outside of plants and soil, with a love of board games and music. Caleb is the property manager of the farm, always building or fixing something on the property. He started out with legos, progressed to building his own tiny house, and now enjoys building and maintaining the infrastructure of the farm.
Frankie & Emmett
Frankie & Emmett are starting to “help” more and more on the farm- shoveling dirt, eating dirt, and just somehow always getting covered in dirt. Frankie’s favorite vegetables are broccoli & cucumbers. Emmett prefers his veggies secretly mixed into muffins. We can’t wait to see what they get into this season!
